Khaite Fall/Winter 2026
A 60-foot high, curved LED wall made up of 2,000 handmade panels set the tone for Khaite’s Fall 2026 runway show at the Park Avenue Armory, projecting the words: “Now you are here. Here you are now.” The immersive installation, designed by Catherine Holstein’s husband Griffin Frazen and his team, immediately established the intellectual rigor behind the evening. Seating cards reading “The crushing weight of words” hinted at the designer’s mindset this season, underscoring how Holstein continues to cement her status as one of New York fashion’s most compelling voices while steering a rapidly expanding business.
Holstein drew direct inspiration from Orson Welles’ 1973 documentary “F for Fake,” a meditation on art, authenticity, and deception. “It’s about forgeries and fakers. It’s about a lot of trickery; how we value art and authenticity; who are the arbiters of taste,” she explained. The film’s tension between what is real and what is performed echoed throughout the collection, a subtle interplay between theatricality and wearability that simultaneously felt cerebral and covetable. Holstein’s work this season was a reminder that Khaite’s strength lies not just in silhouette or fabric but in a conceptual depth that engages the mind as much as the eye.
The collection itself navigated a spectrum of dark romance and provocative detail. Velvet bustier gowns paired with ’80s-inspired bustled gazar skirts embodied drama, while Victorian-collared black lace blouses with skinny trousers and sharply structured tailoring underscored refinement. Holstein balanced these statements with elements of surprise: sheer back-bustled dresses, straight white lace lingerie numbers, and ultra-long dark nails or leather opera gloves injected a playful, subversive tension. Embroidered monkeys on sheer blouses referenced deception and the eccentricism of the documentary’s men, extending to military-style jackets, floral velvet suits, bow ties, and even skirts adorned with Milton Avery paintings.
The unexpected flourishes added texture and dimension to Khaite’s ongoing exploration of the body after motherhood, contrasting ultra-cropped tops with long, lean skirts and tailored outerwear. The result was a collection that felt intimate yet commanding, intellectual yet immediately wearable. Holstein’s customers may not consciously decode every cinematic or historical reference, but they will unquestionably inhabit each piece with confidence and style, carrying both the sophistication and subtle provocation that have become Khaite’s signature.
