VOA慢速英语--设计师Kate Spade在纽约寓所自杀身亡

Designer Kate Spade Found Dead From Apparent Suicide

American fashion designer Kate Spade was found dead Tuesday in her New York City home. Police said the cause of death appears to be suicide by hanging.

Spade was 55.

Police said a housekeeper¹ discovered the body. Her husband and business partner, Andy Spade, was in the apartment at the time.

The police department’s chief of detectives, Dermot Shea, said evidence including the condition of the home and the presence of a note pointed² to “a tragic³ suicide.”

It is not clear how long Spade had been dead. The medical examiner will perform an autopsy⁴.

The couple’s 13-year-old daughter was at school. Law enforcement officials told the Associated Press that the note contained a message to the teenage girl, telling her it was not her fault. The officials spoke⁵ on the condition they not be identified.

Spade’s family released a statement through a spokesman. “We loved Kate dearly and will miss her terribly. We would ask that our privacy be respected as we grieve during this very difficult time,” he said.

Police have set up barriers around the building where she died to keep reporters and others away from the area.

Spade founded and later sold the company Kate Spade New York. It currently has more more than 315 shops around the world.

Julia Curry⁶, a spokeswoman for the company, said, “Kate will be dearly missed” and “our thoughts are with Andy and the entire Spade family at this time.”

Kate Spade designs

Kate Spade was born Katherine Brosnahan and grew up in Kansas City, Missouri.

She was working at the fashion magazine Mademoiselle when she launched her company with husband Andy in 1993. She started the company based on six shapes of bags that she thought every working woman needed. The bags became hugely popular.

“I grew up in the Midwest, where you have to have it (a fashion item) because you like it, not because you’re supposed to have it,” she told the AP in 2004.

Spade expanded into shoes and luggage. She also opened a home line, and produced several books.

]The Council of Fashion Designers of America presented honored Spade with many awards. She was named a “giant of design” by House Beautiful magazine.

Spade left the company in 2007, a year after selling it to the Neiman Marcus Group for $125 million.

Spade and her husband — brother of comedian⁷ David Spade — started a new handbag company a few years ago, Frances Valentine. And she changed her name to Katherine Noel Frances Valentine Brosnahan Spade.

“She alone didn’t change the handbag world,” tweeted fashion designer Kenneth Cole, “but she was an inspiring accessory.”

I’m Caty Weaver⁸.

Words in This Story

fashion - n. the business of creating and selling clothes in new styles?

autopsy - n. an examination of a dead body to find out the cause of death?

grieve - v. to feel or show grief or sadness?

?luggage - n. the bags and suitcases that a person carries when traveling?

inspiring - adj. causing people to want to do or create something or to lead better lives?

accessory - n. something added to something else to make it more useful, attractive, or effective

1 housekeeper   

n.管理家务的主妇，女管家

参考例句：

• A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
• She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

2 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

3 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

4 autopsy   

n.尸体解剖；尸检

参考例句：

• They're carrying out an autopsy on the victim.他们正在给受害者验尸。
• A hemorrhagic gut was the predominant lesion at autopsy.尸检的主要发现是肠出血。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

7 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

8 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。