Khaite’s Latest Collection Is ‘Offensively Normal,’ the Designer Says
Maybe it’s fashion fatigue, social media’s rush of micro-trends and pressure to dress to impress, or a reaction to overconsumption, but there’s been discussion bubbling up among some style watchers of a new “normal” when it comes to dressing. And Khaite’s Cate Holstein is here for it.
The designer described her pre-fall collection as “offensively normal.” But there’s nothing offensive about the sleek, minimal, uncomplicated luxe sport pieces she offered, from leather outerwear, plentiful everyday tailoring, pants silhouettes and tactile knit dressing pieces, to a new flat distressed western boot and a new group of nylon accessories.
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Holstein said she wanted a palette cleanser before her fall 2025 collection that will be presented next month at New York Fashion Week. And this was that, but it was also a distilled expression of the Khaite uniform with heightened ease and versatility.
For example, she took the whisper-thin organza that’s become a brand staple, and made it into basic column dresses, skirts, and oversize button-down shirts, and expanded knitwear weights to straddle the seasons with foundational pieces in hand-knit cotton gauze, merino, viscose, cashmere and handwoven silk, including knit skirts with fringed edges.
Comfortwear was elevated with soft structure, including an oversize camel double-face cashmere blouson jacket and tank dress worn with brown over-the-knee boots, and a polished gray cashmere tracksuit with zip-front jacket and barrel-leg cashmere pants worthy of a kitten-heel loafer.
Even eveningwear, if you want to call it that, was easy. A black silk satin crepe seamed bustier dress had the illusion of boning without the discomfort, for example, and a column dress was cut with a dramatic sharp and angular neckline that was actually soft and moveable. “No way is wrong,” Holstein said of how to wear it.
“The reason I started this company was to make what I gravitate toward in the morning. So this was really going back, honing into that, and not focusing too much on trend,” she said of the classics with a little something, such as her signature slick calf bomber jacket with dropped shoulders, dropped collar, oversize pockets and the long epaulet details, and a short leather trench with wide belt and darting shaping the shoulders that came in a beautiful deep navy.
Upping the luxe factor, she debuted a new work bag called the Crosby, named after Khaite’s 33,000-square-foot headquarters on Crosby Street, and a new line of exotic handbags that will be available at her new Madison Avenue boutique opening next week. She’s also expanding her Oliver Peoples eyewear collaboration to include optical lenses.
Adding a touch of whimsy was a first graphic T-shirt, featuring a cartoon strip of animated characters with eyes popping, a gesture Holstein herself uses when she loves something, “describing true desire.”
Khaite has that in spades. It’s is in the midst of a retail expansion, with its first West Coast store opening at South Coast Plaza at the end of January, and a new lease signed for Los Angeles.
“We will have five stores by the end of this year,” said Holstein, who is expecting her second child, due in June. “The future feels bright. And, you know, I’m just really excited and to still be in the conversation and still be here.”
Launch Gallery: Khaite Pre-Fall 2025 Collection
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