Khaite is on the verge of two milestones. The brand will turn 10 this year, and sometime in the future, if the business keeps moving in the direction it’s currently headed, it’ll hit $500 million in sales. “We are way up, more than any other year, so we’re definitely meeting our stretch projection,” designer Cate Holstein reported at a showroom appointment. “I sold a lofty brand to my investors when I was doing the pitch, but when you actually start getting there, I’m kind of blown over by it.”
Speaking to Vogue Runway back in February 2017, Holstein described what she was doing at her nascent label as “a fresh take on American sportswear.” It typically involves a status jacket in polished leather or possibly faux fur, and a skirt or dress as delicate—and, often, diaphanous—as the outerwear is sturdy. Chunky knit sweaters and jeans are brand standbys, as well. For 2027, her talking points haven’t changed. “Nostaglic American sportswear is always a big influence for us,” she said of her new collection, which riffs on the 1970s by way of the ’90s, with some 1920s thrown in.
Lace-edged lingerie half slips embroidered with Holstein’s initials will be popular. They ride low on the hips, ’90s-style, like most of the bottoms in this collection, which include voluminous petal skirts in rich cloqués and narrow velvet skirts that flare at the hem thanks to insets of pleated godets. Among the wide assortments of jackets and coats she points to a nipped waist, basque hemmed equestrian style as a favorite.
A phalanx of shoes and boots now occupies a full room of the Khaite HQ. Holstein designed pumps with graphic cutaway vamps, “almost like Anne Klein ’80s New York,” she said, riffing on the inspiration. The best-selling Nevada boot, meanwhile, has been updated with a platform.
