“Ever since I was little, I’ve loved fashion and beauty products,” said Kate Doerge, partner at Paul Wilmot Communications. While the firm is sometimes referred to as the “Tiffany standard of fashion PR,” Kate has been called “unimpeachably glamorous” and with good reason. Her office closet is a boutique, in and of itself.
“I feel very fortunate we’ve always worked with clients who I’ve been able to wear their clothes and benefit from the beautiful collections they have. That includes accessories from shoes and handbags, to the collections of our designers. It’s a girl’s dream to work in fashion, and it’s fun to to live my dream and enjoy doing it.”
“MY FIRST JOB INTERVIEW, I WAS STRAIGHT OFF THE BEACH. I WORE A PAIR OF SKORTS FROM BANANA REPUBLIC, A CHANEL FAUX PURSE AND JACK ROGERS PATENT LEATHER FLIP FLOPS.”
Seven years ago, Paul Wilmot Communications was bought out by Fleishman-Hillard, a division of Omnicom. “Over the years we went from a small agency of four people, to 38 people, 54 accounts, and five different departments: Fashion, Beauty & Wellness, Accessories, Culture & Lifestyle and Special Projects. I work on all new business with Paul Wilmot, and I oversee the different divisions with our other partner, Hampton Carney,” said Kate.
“Because of the amazing established designers and emerging clients we have, it’s all hands on deck during Fashion Week. We all chip in. It’s stuffing of envelopes, printing out seat cards, doing the seat charts. It’s such a fine oiled machine at this point. We’re experts in handling front of house for the shows.
“During Fashion Week, the classic uniform for the agency is dressy black, but I pick a dress from the designer whose show it is and wear it to the show. I always wear heels. I have a pair of flats, usually my Charlotte Olympia Kitty Flats, in my bag, because we’re racing from one show to the next.”
Even on the weekends, fashion plays a role in Kate’s life. “I have three kids, so my downtime is really my time with my kids. If I’m getting up at the crack of dawn and going for a workout before I start my day, I’m in workout gear. Otherwise, I try to pull it together a little bit. I go for a casual chic look like my Kitty Flats, again, from Charlotte Olympia and a great pair of Joe’s Jeans and a T-shirt.
“I have an amazing supportive husband, as well as an amazing sitter. With an hour long commute, one way to NYC, I think I’m a more productive mother. This way I get things done on the way home, and then I put away my phone, and I’m with the kids. When they go to sleep, I’m back on my phone, finishing up everything I need to do.
“I love what I do, and I love the clients I work with. The power of the press and the media has changed over the years. Years ago, we never thought about placement on the Today Show, or what a CBS This Morning feature on a client would do for a brand, but it’s everything. We had a client who was on Good Morning America not long ago. They had a product that was shown, and they sold $94,000 worth of product in one day.”
