Season after season, Khaite’s Catherine Holstein has been delivering a powerful, urban and feminine look rooted in luxurious and often darkly glam wardrobing pieces. They’re the result of her twisted, covetable take on minimalism, often injecting ‘90s references and her brand pillars of dichotomies: feminine and masculine; hard and soft, and structure vs. fluidity.
While these sensibilities were all front and center throughout the New York designer’s strong resort collection, it was her exploration of playfulness and ‘90s boho-meets-grunge references that nicely expanded the label’s signature look.
It was clear the designer had fun playing with different textures, prints and combinations this season, literally from head to toe, including Lotus handbag-shaped jewelry, bright new colorways of signature handbags, and new heeled loafers with little pockets on the toes. Her knee-high boots now come in two-tone iterations, as in a fabulous pair in half pony hair zebra and half black suede that were styled with a new oversized, boxy organic cotton shirtdress featuring a print of one of her two new floral motifs of the season.
The second, as seen in allover airy, sheer pintucked dresses or a strong cropped blouse with hand-done cartridge-pleated collars and cuffs, offered an intriguing meld of bohemianism and grunge — perfect for the Khaite woman who’s constantly evolving.
Throughout resort, Holstein balanced the sleek and sharp (see ponyhair trousers) with the soft and chic (as in great monochrome, colorful silk organza ribbed knit sweaters with matching merino skirts), resulting in an offering that continued to display her knack for providing a strong point of view in wearable, functional fashions. Ditto for her wide assortment of volume-driven outerwear, spanning from new boxy leather jackets inspired by flat-lay patterns and pintucked, subtle hourglass-shaped toppers to cropped cocooning jackets and an expansion of fall’s leopard faux furs.
