Khaite, the women’s wear label founded by Catherine Holstein in 2016, has rapidly become one of the standout success stories in American fashion. In less than a decade, Holstein has earned the prestigious title of designer of the year twice from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, in both 2022 and 2023. With a vision for a Zen brutalist store in SoHo, adjacent to luxury brands like Prada and Balenciaga, she’s poised for further expansion after securing investment from Stripes, a private equity firm known for backing notable ventures like A24 and On Running.
At her recent show held at Chelsea Piers, set within an expansive black box illuminated by a mirrored runway, Holstein showcased her unyielding ambition and creative vision, reminiscent of the iconic follow spot lighting famously employed by Tom Ford during his tenure at Gucci and YSL.
Her transition from the “cool girl” look to more capital-F fashion seems to have resulted in her becoming lost in a maze of other people’s ideas, taking bits and pieces from here and there. She seems to believe that in order to compete with well-known businesses, she must follow their lead. She is therefore stuck in a transitional space between the dominatrix leathers most associated with Saint Laurent (particularly when worn with black sunglasses and reddish lips) and the plush angst of the increasingly popular silent luxury movement.
From the present collection, it appears that the leathers were used to create long coats with shoulders that resembled battering rams and tight waist belts. Additionally, cut like boleros and worn with boxy leather skirts are jackets with more prominent, curved shoulders. In addition, there were ghost-girl white nightgown dresses, organza tops and skirts that shaped the body and legs like whipped cream squirts or boa constrictors, and other silks with a tango evening scarf print that were tucked into jeans and tied with a cummerbund. Major on top, ungainly on bottom, it was the silhouette.
Ms. Holstein stated in her show notes that she had been thinking about “heritage” and “memory” with this collection,
However, the most vivid memories were of a period when New York fashion was frequently written off as a copy of its European equivalents.
Though nostalgia is popular, is anyone truly interested in going back to that era?
Indeed, according to one school of thinking, it is precisely what consumers desire: a style that establishes “direction,” but without the extreme that is typically associated with any notion that makes a significant change. that women don’t want to put in too much effort to comprehend their clothing because they have enough going on in their lives, and that translating can be useful. Additionally, all designers borrow ideas from one another. (I can think of at least five people who have recreated the Chanel tweed look.)
Nothing prevents that from occurring. Ms. Holstein is obviously well-bred. It’s her platform. She runs a strong company. She’s got the cash. It appears like she is making an effort to reach that goal. A collection in transition or an attempt to step outside of someone else’s comfort zone could be indicated by those daring skirt-and-jacket combos. Is she able to figure out a space for herself?
