Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
What Happens When We Just Skim
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 3, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 3, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
So, Gothamist reading NY magazine when our eye was caught by the Economy of One column, How Would Kate Spade Spend $14,500?. The subheadline read, "The designer budgets her salary at her first job—fashion assistant at Mademoiselle magazine—for herself and her baby-to-be," and we thought, "Ooh, we'll get tips on how to live on the super cheap from Kate Spade!" And then we soon found it was really about Kate Spade as Kate Spade, handbag + more extraordinaire, spending $14,500 on cooking lesson, dog grooming, and other stuff. Silly Gothamist, when we will ever learn? We're just used to mad cash when it comes to Monopoly.
NY magazine's Economy of One column has celebrities spending certain fixed amounts of money that correlate with something in the celebrities' lives, like how Michael Stipe would spend $3,018.86, the cost of R.E.M's first van - one of the things is a margherita pizza from Otto! [Check out Gothamist Food's "Ask Your Bartender" post with Otto bartender, Bill Riley.]
Tagged
Ask
Ask Your Bartender
baby
celebrities
economy
fashion
food
gothamist
gothamist food
kate spade
media
michael stipe
money
salary
Shopping
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
A new film invites you to eavesdrop on one of the greatest conversations in NYC history
In 1972, legendary documentarian William Greaves filmed a party he threw for Harlem Renaissance luminaries. With help from his family, "Once Upon a Time in Harlem" brings that decades-old footage to theaters.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 21, 2026 at 1:07 p.m. ET
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
Before they attempt to fend off LeBron James and the 76ers on Tuesday, the Knicks will have a chance to show off their winning mentality through their tunnel fits.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
Before they attempt to fend off LeBron James and the 76ers on Tuesday, the Knicks will have a chance to show off their winning mentality through their tunnel fits.
By
Sonia Rao
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
By
Sonia Rao
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .