There’s a yearning for joy and optimism in the zeitgeist, and many designers are responding to it this Spring 2025 season, including New York fashion’s own dark queen, Kate Holstein.
Speaking after her Khaite show on Saturday night, she said motherhood has softened her harsh side and brought a warmer feel to her life. “I keep talking about being a mother as if I’m the first woman to have a child, and it’s had a big impact on me,” she said of her happy days with her 18-month-old son.
Hooray for the difference! The show venue was intimate, well-lit enough to see every detail, and the soundtrack was soulful from start to finish, from G&R’s “November Rain” to Wilco, Leonard Cohen to Primal Scream. Songs that really make you feel something, and clothes that really make you feel something.
Expanding on the commercial success of her dreamy organza dresses, she’s introduced a bold new take on sheer looks and layering, creating what may be spring’s first big trend: sheer organza trousers.
She showed dresses in all sorts of cool ways: a slim pink organza funnel-neck dress worn under a black dress, subtle pinstripes peeking out from an oversized double-breasted black blazer, a nude dress worn with a cropped sleeveless top in twisted organza tubes, layers of scarves popping out, beautiful form-fitting organza dresses with swirling ruching, and a host of modernist-inspired sheer and opaque collage t-shirts and tunics.
Tailoring was more relaxed, too, with a striking butter yellow satin trench coat over a black sheer organza column and mini dress, a blocky bolero jacket and a tailcoat worn over shorts. Holstein continued her winning streak by rocking a shiny black leather jacket with perfect looseness, and added a super sexy black leather dress with a white bustier.
In another departure from her refined aesthetic, Holstein dove into crafts: the centerpiece was a stunning black open-weave crochet pom-pom skirt, paired with a loose, oversized black hand-knit sweater, tights, and T-bar pumps. She also showed a tunic and skirt made from graphic white crochet circles, and a set in a textured salt-and-pepper weave.
In the backstage crowd that followed, the usual refrains about New York women and “taxi drivers,” grit and glamour were absent. Instead, Holstein spoke from the heart, acknowledging that stepping out of his comfort zone made him question even his musical choices. The risk paid off.
