New York City is still in the throes of winter, which means the city’s filled with bare branches, winds that will definitely blow your umbrella inside out, and people bundled up in dark layers, dreaming of warmer, brighter days to come.

But there’s probably nobody more delighted by the prospect of new blooms than Stephanie Hsu. “I am definitely the person who gets the most excited when spring is about to happen in New York,” she tells ELLE.com. “All my years living there, the moment that there’s any bud on a tree, I’m on a massive group text telling my friends.”

So it makes total sense that Kate Spade tapped the Joy Ride star to be the face of its Spring 2024 collection. The highlight of the campaign, which launches tomorrow, is a short film that features Hsu wandering the streets of NYC in the brand’s latest colorful looks as the city transitions from a dull, gray winter to a flower-filled spring.

What are some beauty products you can’t live without?

I am a big hydrosol-serum combo person. I’m not a huge beauty product person. And anytime anyone asks me for advice, I’m like, “Serum is key.” Serum is like the water that your skin drinks before it’s even ready for balm or moisturizer or face cream. Because I travel a lot, I like thinking about the seasons or where I’m traveling [to], and then trying to use things that are more local to different areas. Because oftentimes that’s better for your skin, just because the things that are growing, wherever you are, are going to be the things that are going to support your body in the way that it needs.

Is there one particular serum that comes to mind?

I have had the great fortune of working a lot with Joanna Czech. She has a whole line that is amazing. But her serum is incredible.

Joanna Czech Skincare

The Soothing Serum

$275.00