New York Fashion Week, September 2026: Khaite Spring/Summer 2027
New York Fashion Week has once again delivered a season filled with fresh ideas, familiar names and plenty of inspiration for the wardrobes of tomorrow.
And amongst the Spring/Summer 2027 collections, one of the most intriguing came from Khaite.
Founded by Creative Director Catherine Holstein, Khaite celebrated its 10th anniversary with a collection that felt both familiar and completely different.
The show took place at the vast Brooklyn Navy Yard, transforming an industrial setting into the backdrop for a collection centred around romance, craftsmanship, texture and movement.
This wasn't simply a collection about clothes.
It was about the experience of getting dressed.
And that is an idea we rather like.
Watch the full Khaite Spring/Summer 2027 runway show below.
Ten Years of Khaite
Ten years is a significant milestone for any fashion house.
But rather than simply celebrating the past, Catherine Holstein used the occasion to explore where Khaite could go next.
The Khaite woman has traditionally been associated with strength, sensuality, leather, sharp silhouettes and a distinctive New York cool.
Spring/Summer 2027 introduced something softer.
More romantic.
More delicate.
More decorative.
But importantly, it didn't abandon the elements that made Khaite recognisable in the first place.
Instead, softness and strength were brought together.
Leather appeared alongside lace.
Corsetry met flowing fabrics.
Sheer materials contrasted with sculptural shapes.
Romantic dresses sat alongside tougher leather pieces.
It was a collection built around contrasts.
Romance Takes Centre Stage
The word that keeps appearing when discussing Khaite Spring/Summer 2027 is romance.
And for good reason.
Florals.
Lace.
Sheer fabrics.
Soft colours.
Ruffles.
Full skirts.
Lingerie-inspired pieces.
Delicate embroidery.
The collection explored a much more romantic side of the Khaite woman.
Holstein described herself as a romantic at heart, and the Spring 2027 collection gave that side of her design philosophy considerably more room.
But this wasn't sugary romance.
It wasn't overly pretty.
There was still an edge.
Still attitude.
Still leather.
Still structure.
And that balance is what made the collection interesting.
When Soft Meets Strong
Perhaps the most important lesson from the collection is that soft and strong don't have to be opposites.
A delicate lace dress can be powerful.
A flowing skirt can have structure.
A sheer blouse can be paired with something substantial.
A leather jacket can soften a romantic silhouette.
And a beautifully tailored garment can have movement.
This idea translates particularly well into bespoke tailoring.
Because tailoring isn't necessarily about making something rigid.
It's about creating structure where it is needed while allowing the garment to move naturally with the wearer.
The cloth.
The cut.
The construction.
The proportions.
All of these things work together.
Kaia Gerber Opens the Show
The collection opened with Kaia Gerber, wearing a look that immediately established the tension between Khaite's harder and softer sides.
She appeared in a sculptural white bra paired with an ultra-high-waisted leather midi skirt featuring corsetry detailing at the back.
It was a striking opening.
Leather.
Corsetry.
Skin.
Structure.
And a deliberately unfinished quality.
Rather than presenting perfection, the garment appeared to reveal some of its own construction.
And that idea became important throughout the collection.
The Beauty Is In The Detail
One of the most interesting things about Khaite Spring/Summer 2027 wasn't necessarily the overall silhouette.
It was what happened when you looked closer.
Hand-finished corsetry.
Intricate embroidery.
Pleating.
Picot edges.
Ruffles.
Delicate trims.
Small finishing details.
Khaite's own description of the collection places particular emphasis on the way detail transforms familiar silhouettes through how they fall, move, frame and reveal the body.
That is an idea we completely understand.
Because with bespoke tailoring, the difference between an ordinary garment and an exceptional one often isn't immediately obvious.
It can be hidden in the details.
The hand stitching.
The finishing.
The internal construction.
The precise shaping.
The choice of buttons.
The cloth.
The way a sleeve is set.
Good tailoring rewards a closer look.
Corsetry Returns
Corsetry was one of the defining elements of the collection.
Rather than treating it purely as underwear, Khaite brought the construction into view.
Boning.
Lacing.
Structured bodices.
Exposed internal details.
The body became part of the architecture of the garment.
And there is something fascinating about that approach.
Traditional tailoring has always been concerned with creating shape around the body.
Corsetry simply takes that idea in another direction.
Different technique.
Similar obsession.
Shape.
Leather Remains A Khaite Signature
Despite the softer mood, leather remained very much part of the Khaite vocabulary.
Cropped leather jackets appeared with strong shoulders, providing a harder counterpoint to the more romantic pieces.
The contrast worked beautifully.
Imagine a delicate floral dress.
Now add a cropped leather jacket.
Suddenly the look becomes less traditionally feminine.
It has attitude.
It has edge.
It becomes unmistakably Khaite.
And that ability to combine seemingly opposing pieces is one of the collection's strongest qualities.
Florals — But Make Them Khaite
Florals for Spring?
Groundbreaking?
Probably not.
But Khaite approached them in a very different way.
Instead of simply producing pretty floral dresses, the collection used hand-embroidered flowers on lace and sheer fabrics, creating garments that felt delicate while still carrying considerable construction underneath.
Some floral pieces were deliberately transparent.
Others incorporated structured elements.
And some were balanced with leather.
The result was romantic without becoming overly sweet.
Inspired by Venice
One of the most fascinating inspirations behind the collection came from Venice.
Holstein and her husband, architect Griffin Frazen, have a strong connection with the city, and the atmosphere of Venice — particularly its combination of historic architecture and contemporary art — influenced the collection.
The shifting light.
The aged architecture.
The ornate interiors.
The contrast between old and new.
These ideas found their way into the clothing.
Pastel shades.
Brass.
Cream.
Celadon.
Sheer materials.
Intricate details.
And silhouettes that appeared almost as though they had been lifted from another era and then reinterpreted for modern New York.
The Return of Crinoline
Another historical reference was crinoline.
But rather than recreating Victorian dresses, Khaite used the idea of crinoline to create volume and movement.
Horsehair trims appeared around skirts and jackets, helping fabrics hold their shape while giving the garments a slightly exaggerated bounce as they moved down the runway.
It was an excellent example of how historical construction techniques can be reinterpreted.
Take an old idea.
Change its purpose.
Change the scale.
Change the fabric.
And suddenly it becomes modern again.
Sheer Meets Structure
Transparency was another major theme.
Sheer mousseline.
Lace.
Diaphanous tops.
Lightweight skirts.
Delicate dresses.
But these weren't simply floating around the body without structure.
They were often balanced by leather, corsetry, sculptural forms and more substantial construction.
This created one of the most interesting tensions throughout the collection:
light versus heavy.
soft versus hard.
transparent versus opaque.
delicate versus strong.
And once again, it all comes back to balance.
The Power of Proportion
For us, perhaps the most relevant aspect of the collection was its exploration of proportion.
Some pieces were fitted closely to the body.
Others introduced considerable volume.
Cropped jackets contrasted with fuller skirts.
Slim silhouettes were placed beside flowing fabrics.
High-waisted shapes created dramatic changes in proportion.
And this is where fashion becomes particularly interesting from a tailoring perspective.
Two garments can be made from exactly the same cloth.
They can use the same basic pattern.
Yet alter the proportions and you completely change the personality of the garment.
Proportion is powerful.
Colour With A Softer Touch
Khaite's Spring/Summer 2027 palette moved beyond the predominantly dark palette often associated with the house.
Cream.
Brass.
Celadon.
Soft pastel shades.
Black.
Brown.
The colours felt almost faded by sunlight.
And that connected beautifully with the Venetian inspiration behind the collection.
There was still plenty of black.
But it no longer dominated the story.
Instead, it became one element within a much broader palette.
Clothing That Feels Handmade
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the collection was the amount of handwork involved.
Holstein spoke about wanting to return to the clothes themselves and emphasised the many hours of work involved in the garments.
Some details were deliberately subtle.
The hand-finished corsetry.
The basting stitches.
The intricate embroidery.
The construction hidden beneath the outer surface.
These details may not always be visible from the front row.
But they are there.
And that is the point.
Craftsmanship doesn't always need to announce itself.
Sometimes the finest details are the ones only the wearer knows are there.
Why This Matters To Bespoke Tailoring
This is perhaps where Khaite Spring/Summer 2027 becomes particularly relevant to us.
Bespoke tailoring is not simply about creating a different colour suit.
It is about the relationship between the garment and the person wearing it.
The proportions.
The construction.
The cloth.
The finishing.
The way the jacket moves.
The way the trouser falls.
The way the garment feels when you put it on.
Khaite's latest collection demonstrates that clothing can be both structural and emotional.
And that is something bespoke clothing can achieve exceptionally well.
The Modern Romantic
The Khaite woman for Spring/Summer 2027 doesn't appear to have chosen between strength and femininity.
She has both.
She can wear leather.
She can wear lace.
She can wear a corseted silhouette.
She can wear a flowing dress.
She can wear something sheer.
She can wear something sharply structured.
And she can move between all of them.
That feels particularly modern.
Because personal style doesn't have to fit neatly into one category.
Our Favourite Part?
For us, it's the craftsmanship.
The hand-finished details.
The exposed corsetry.
The leather against delicate fabrics.
The clever use of proportion.
And the way Khaite managed to introduce a considerably softer aesthetic without losing its identity.
But perhaps most of all, we loved the idea that romance doesn't have to mean weakness.
It can be powerful.
It can be structured.
It can have attitude.
And it can look rather fantastic.
What Can We Take From Khaite SS27?
Perhaps the biggest lesson is:
Don't be afraid of contrast.
Wear something structured with something soft.
Pair something classic with something unexpected.
Mix texture.
Experiment with proportion.
And don't underestimate the power of beautiful finishing.
Your wardrobe doesn't need to be one thing.
It can be many things.
Just make sure those things feel like you.
What Do You Think?
What did you think of Khaite's Spring/Summer 2027 collection?
Are you a fan of the softer, more romantic direction?
What do you think about the combination of leather, lace and corsetry?
Would you incorporate some of these ideas into your own wardrobe?
And what do you think of Khaite's return to more intricate, hand-finished craftsmanship?
We'd love to know which look caught your eye.
Inspired by Khaite?
Runway fashion provides the inspiration.
Bespoke tailoring makes it personal.
At A Hand Tailored Suit, every garment is individually designed, patterned and cut around the wearer.
From bespoke two-piece and three-piece suits to tailored jackets, trousers, waistcoats, shirts and eveningwear, we can create garments around your proportions, your lifestyle and your individual sense of style.
Choose your cloth.
Choose your colour.
Choose your details.
Choose your finishing touches.
Then let us create something that's completely your own.
Because fashion doesn't have to dictate your style.
It can simply inspire it. A Hand Tailored Suit
ROMANCE IS BACK… APPARENTLY. 🌹✂️
Khaite has reminded us that leather, lace, corsetry, flowers and tailoring can all happily share the same wardrobe.
Which is rather convenient.
Because we're already thinking about what happens when you put a beautifully tailored jacket over the top of it all…
Just don't ask us to explain the tailoring bill to your other half. 😉
Until the next runway…
Stay romantic. Stay individual. Stay beautifully tailored.
— Off The Cuff | A Hand Tailored Suit 🪡
Visit A Hand Tailored Suit | Book a Consultation | Explore Our Collections
