Anna Cathcart Is Ready for Her New York Fashion Moment
Photo: Yvonne Tnt/BFA.com/Courtesy of Kate Spade New York
Anna Cathcart is moving to New York.
Well, not yet. But it's on the vision board.
"First time I was ever here, I was 12 years old and I was just here for fun with my family," she says. "We did all the classic, cheesy tourist things, and I loved it so much."
We're speaking at the Kate Spade New York Spring 2024 presentation, at another one of those quintessential New York places: the High Line. This is Cathcart's second New York Fashion Week, but it's the first one she's going full-throttle. (Mind you, the actor just turned 20.)
"I was only at one event last year," she says. "This is my first [time] really, really doing it, going to multiple different events on different days... It's so special. There's so much energy around it and so many creative, passionate people all around you. It's really energizing. It's so exciting to be here."
Photo: Ben Rosser/BFA.com/Courtesy of Kate Spade New York
Cathcart sat front row at Coach last September. "There were so many people there that I could not believe I was in the same room as, sitting front row with all these people I'm a fan of," she remembers. "That was definitely a pinch-me moment. This week is as well."
Her appearance at the Kate Spade New York presentation is a pretty big deal to her, too.
"Truly, my very first purchase that I made, with my first paycheck from acting, was a Kate Spade purse," says Cathcart. "It was a purse that looked like a [film] clapboard. I wore that every single day when I was 12, 13, 14. It was my favorite bag." (She also remembers going to the brand's different stores and collecting postcards from them.)
Photo: Ryan Kobane/BFA.com/Courtesy of Kate Spade New York
Cathcart's been a professional actor since she was a kid, but she really catapulted into a much more public life with her role as Kitty Song-Covey, first in the "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" franchise and then in her own (excellent) spin-off, "XO Kitty". She's still growing up, and finding what feels good with fashion.
"I feel like I'm in that period where I'm exploring and trying different things, so I don't really have one word to sum up [my style]," she says. "Now's the time to have fun. That's the best part about fashion — it changes all the time... Fashion's about being eclectic and having little bits of your life all come into one. It's been fun to be immersed in different cultures and see that."
Of course, it's still tough, she admits: "It's definitely a lot of overthinking. When I want to go to an event, I'm like, 'Oh, I want make sure this gives off what I want to give off or represents me in the right way.' But I think a good reminder is if you feel good about that outfit, that does represent you and that does give people the right image. You're always changing, and you should allow yourself to do that... That's kind of part of growing up and figuring out who you are."
As for what she wants to give off this New York Fashion Week?
"I really wanted to hit different vibes, because that's kind of the fun part — getting to play," she says. "So I had my fittings and went to a whole bunch of different studios... I'm excited to also play with makeup, because I feel like I haven't really done that too much in the past. This feels like the week to do it."
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