There has always been tension at the center of Khaite: masculine against feminine, structure against fluidity, strength against sensuality. For Spring/Summer 2027, Catherine Holstein pushed that tension somewhere noticeably softer.
Presented September 12 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the collection explored romance through color, texture, proportion and movement. Khaite itself describes the season as a study of delicacy and strength, shaped partly by the layered character and shifting light of Venice.
But this was not romance stripped of Khaite’s familiar edge. Instead, Holstein appears to be expanding the vocabulary of the brand.
Building the Clothes From the Inside Out
The collection arrived as Khaite marks a decade in business. Founded by Holstein in New York in 2016, the brand has built its identity around polished wardrobe pieces, strong materials and a constant play between opposing ideas.
Spring 2027 leaned deeper into the actual construction of those clothes.
Corsetry appeared both visibly and beneath garments. Crinoline structures created volume, peplum-like shapes and movement. Hand-finished details, embroidery, pleating, picot edging and intricate lace treatments rewarded a closer look. Khaite’s own collection notes emphasize the precision of these finishes and the way they alter how garments fall, move and reveal the body.
That craftsmanship matters because this season was not simply about creating a different silhouette. It represented a different design instinct.
Rather than constantly subtracting, Holstein began asking what could be added. The result was clothing that felt more decorative and intimate without becoming overly precious.
Venice Comes to Brooklyn
One of the collection’s clearest starting points came far from New York.
Time spent in Venice—and particularly at the Gritti Palace—influenced Holstein’s exploration of decorative surfaces. Architectural details and ceiling moldings helped inspire elaborate cutouts, lace and embroidery within the collection.
That Venetian romanticism translated into a palette Khaite identifies as brass, cream and celadon, alongside lingerie references, sheer constructions and billowing proportions. Silk was placed against leather; transparency against structure; delicate handwork against more elemental forms.
The runway itself amplified those contrasts.
Inside Brooklyn Storehouse, much of the presentation unfolded against darkness and dramatic spotlights. Kaia Gerber opened in a sculptural white bra paired with a high-waisted black leather skirt, immediately setting up the collection’s conversation between exposure and armor.
From there came floral lace, floating mousseline, ruffled edges, full skirts and antique lingerie references—alongside sharply cropped leather jackets and pointed shoulders that kept the clothes from slipping completely into nostalgia.
A New Proportion for the Khaite Woman
One of the more significant shifts was scale. Khaite has become closely associated with oversized outerwear and enveloping proportions. Spring 2027 challenged that formula with smaller jackets, tighter structures and silhouettes built closer to the body.
That does not necessarily mean Khaite is abandoning the oversized wardrobe that helped define its commercial identity. What it does suggest is that Holstein is giving herself more room to move between extremes.
For PMG, that may be the more interesting story behind the collection.
Fashion has spent several seasons immersed in restraint, minimalism and the language of understated luxury. Khaite is not rejecting restraint entirely. Instead, Spring 2027 proposes that detail, romance, craft and decoration can coexist with the sharpness and modernity that made the brand recognizable in the first place.
The Khaite woman has not disappeared. She may simply be allowing herself to be a little more romantic.
Official Khaite runway and photos: Courtesy of Khaite