You know I haven’t been Khaite’s biggest fan in recent seasons, but Catherine Holstein’s pre-fall 2026 lineup arrives with a refreshing sense of clarity. Women have long gravitated toward the New York–based brand for its leather pieces, and they’ll be more than satisfied with the no-nonsense black jacket here – cool, streamlined, and completely assured. The same goes for a sculptural little black dress with deliberately off-kilter proportions, and for crisp white shirts punctuated by oversized, almost meaty bows tied at the neck. In essence, Holstein has returned to making clothes that resist arty posturing in favor of genuine wardrobe enhancement.

There’s also an unexpected dose of playfulness, particularly in the ruched pink dresses: one in vintage-washed silk charmeuse, the other in what she calls “light veil silk.” Holstein frames this season’s experimentation through two lenses – Courtney Love’s grunge sensibility and her own evolving experience of motherhood. She explains that after having two babies, her body changed so dramatically that “as things weren’t fitting anymore, but I still wanted to wear them, it led to this kind of questioning: What’s the right way to wear something? The right way for things to fit?” Embracing what she now calls “bad fits” became both a creative and personal shift.

That shift also sparked a new impulse: when she encounters something “really sleek and standard,” she now feels compelled to disrupt it – “to break these boundaries I’ve put on myself for so many years.” In doing so, Holstein finds a freer, more instinctive way of dressing, one that gives this collection its renewed confidence and ease.

ED’s SELECTION:

KHAITE Aimee Asymmetric One-shoulder Wool-blend Peplum Top

KHAITE Simona Leather-trimmed Leopard-print Calf Hair Shoulder Bag

KHAITE Mags Silk-gazar Mini Dress

KHAITE Ember Gathered Silk-gazar Maxi Skirt

KHAITE Cloak Studded Leather Mules

KHAITE Elona Leather Jacket

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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