Katherine Holstein is opening her second Khaite store in Manhattan in just a few days. Its Madison Avenue address shaped this Pre-Fall collection, at least in part. During a preview, she pointed to an alligator bag (a real one, not a fake) and said that her downtown customers have been requesting such high-end pieces, though it’s only offered on a made-to-order basis. will be done, “so there’s no waste,” she explained. She’s also working with Inversa, a Florida company that ethically sources python skin from invasive Burmese snakes in the Everglades, and Works with artisans in Madagascar who create woven summer totes with leather handles by hand, as you can see in these photos.
Holstein remains a downtown girl herself, and it’s her personal taste for ’80s and ’90s fashion and a broody palette that powers this brand. An oversized leather bomber with exaggerated epaulettes and pockets is exemplary here, while a T-shirt with a cartoon graphic shows a looser, more playful aspect than we’ve seen in her. But the really interesting developments are the collarless jackets and trim, slightly tapered trouser suits that look like they could belong in a courthouse in Albany or Washington DC, or maybe here in New York City. Not conservative per se, but surprisingly buttoned-up.
We’re back down 14th Street again for the evening. Holstein’s long lean strapless dresses are designed with a front panel that curves asymmetrically across the torso, like a movable sculpture. These are more art crowd than power of attorney. Another new addition this season are the Khaite optical frames created in collaboration with Oliver Peoples.
