Khaite

There’s been a lot of chatter lately around who could fill the Phoebe Philo-era-sized hole in fashion since her departure from Celine last year. Khaite founder Catherine Holstein’s name should be thrown in the mix. She offers many of the same tenets, namely a sense of quiet, yet empowering, design for women with multifaceted lives. With her runway debut, she proved she could move an audience as well.

Titled “The New Frontier,” her collection looked to celebrate women in America through the lens of various historical moments. She set the stage for a narrative of women on the brink of an industrial revolution, and a tracking shot of women navigating fall through a giant centerpiece tree shedding its yellowed leaves.

“We were looking so much to when women first started traveling on their own and when the middle-class emerged and women started walking down the street, because that wasn’t something that people did before,” Holstein said postshow. Movement also provided the perfect backdrop to introduce Luggage, a bag category that included clutches and oversized totes all made in Italy.

“I wanted to make sure we captured that nuanced, country, preindustrial revolution, because this was about how we’re on the verge of a new industrial revolution, the technological revolution,” she continued.

The historical reference explained the Edwardian dresses, first with an opening white number with puff sleeves, and each one thereafter equally as beautiful and dramatic. The designer has proposed some young and risqué evening looks in the past, with options here including two sheer lace gowns and a transparent button-down.

She brought the clothes forward by balancing dramatic shapes against denim, knitwear and strong tailoring, grounding them in reality. Highlights included long leather trenches and other coats with big, enveloping shoulders set atop effortless and chic separates, laying a great new foundation for American sportswear.