Fashion Week

Quiet Confidence at Khaite's Fall/Winter 2023 Show

At a moment where spectacle is everything, Catherine Holstein’s minimalist collection was a breath of fresh air. 

Photos by Hanna Tveite, courtesy of Khaite.
Photos by Hanna Tveite, courtesy of Khaite.

Catherine Holstein unveiled Khaite’s Fall/Winter 2023 collection at the brand's first-ever flagship on 165 Mercer Street. Designed by Architect Griffin Frazen, the industrial space is a nod to Soho’s humble artist loft beginnings. Decorated solely by rays of natural light, the space, much like the collection, is elegantly minimal.

Shoulder pads and sculpted silhouettes commanded a sense of power, which, as per the show notes, “... is owned rather than declared, wielded with ease." Width was honed throughout the collection with darts, vertical seams, and internal structures, giving rise to elongated and refined silhouettes. Khaite did not reinvent the wheel, but rather, perfected the familiar.

Despite its mostly neutral color palette, the collection was not as serious as it might seem. Occasional pops of deep green added a feeling of freshness while the use of contrast made for intriguing new textures. Pairing unexpected materials like layered chiffon with leather, looks were both sophisticated and playful. Whereas last season’s snakeskin and lip motifs felt more on the nose, this season was its similarly humorous, but more polished, older sister. 

Indeed, several throughlines from previous seasons were continued and reimagined. Already known for elevated knitwear, Khaite further refined its heritage materials of wool and cashmere with ribbed dresses and turtlenecks featuring dramatically elongated lines. Previous applications of shearling were made novel in the form of a mule, lending a sense of gentleness to otherwise structured looks.

As with the garments, subtle differences in form and fit made all the difference in the collection’s accessories. We saw this largely in the eyewear, a limited-edition collaboration between Khaite and Oliver Peoples. Meanwhile, eccentric ear cuffs and purposefully unbuckled belts added a flirtatious break to the predominating minimalism.

Scroll ahead to view each look from the collection.

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Khaite Fall/Winter 2023. (Photo courtesy of Khaite)
Khaite Fall/Winter 2023

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