Presenting in the Park Avenue Armory—a space typically reserved for large-scale installations and unconventional works of art—and naming Orson Welles’ F for Fake as a key inspiration, Khaite had already captured the attention of those seeking spectacle at this season’s NYFW.
Designed by Griffin Frazen, a monumental, sixty-foot-tall multi-panel LED screen formed the show’s backdrop. Across its surface, words and phrases appeared in quick succession: now are you here? here you are now; what makes something real; release me. In all its theatrical glory, the setup underscored the collection’s exploration of authorship, illusion, and the fragile boundary between performance and truth.
Catherine Holstein, Khaite’s creative director, has long been praised for her sensual yet unsentimental approach to femininity. This season, she looked to the 1970s for a mood of self-reinvention and the multiplicity of identities that defined that era.
Velvet was the key fabric of the collection—reflecting a canvas, the liquid-like material absorbed and refracted the light—referencing the painters and provocateurs of that time. It surfaced in elongated tuxedos, wrapped dresses, and sweeping coats that caught the light, their combination with lace and leather giving the collection its tactile strength. Slim trousers cut close to the leg gave structure beneath the volumes of outerwear, while precise seaming and subtle asymmetry added movement to pieces that might otherwise feel monumental. Evening dresses dipped low at the back, clinging to the body and cut to hold their form.
Holstein balanced that period drama with her signature precision: defined shoulders, disciplined closures, and a sense of undone elegance. Tailoring remained central—sleek blazers fastened high, nipped at the waist, and opened slightly at the hip, often layered over semi-sheer blouses or featherlight knits. Midi skirts were satin and sharp or otherwise patterned or billowing, allowing garments to transition between formality and relaxed sensuality. Satin trenches with sculpted collars and heavy velvet trousers gave weight to the collection’s grounded glamour.
Accessories carried the same dual charge. Chains crossed the body, hardware glinted against dense texture, and hand-worked details highlighted the personal emphasis this collection intended to achieve. Shoes were elongated and structured, much like the nails of the models who weren’t in leather gloves, while bags—a reworked top-handle and a slim clutch—anchored the looks with the kind of utility that defines Holstein’s modern woman: composed, assured, and not overtly feminine.
