Khaite Has Perfected Modern NY Glam

Elevating the Effortless: Khaite's Timeless Allure

In the ever-evolving world of fashion, Khaite has carved out a distinct niche, captivating the industry with its effortless elegance and timeless appeal. Backstage at the label's spring 2025 show, Vogue's hairstylist Guido Palau and NARS's head of artistry, Niko Lopez, reveal the secrets behind the brand's signature look – a harmonious blend of cool sophistication and modern sensibility.

Crafting the Khaite Aesthetic: A Harmonious Fusion of Eras

Channeling the '90s New York Spirit

Khaite's design ethos is rooted in a distinct vision, drawing inspiration from the confident and effortless style of the '90s New York woman. Hairstylist Guido Palau describes the Khaite woman as "cool, easy, slightly tough, and very New York," a persona that could seamlessly transition from the pages of a Peter Lindbergh photograph to the streets of 2024. This timeless aesthetic is reflected in the brand's clothing, which offers a modern interpretation of essential wardrobe staples, where "glam is not necessarily an afterthought, but it's also not competing for attention."

Elevating the Undone with Refined Touches

To complement the collection, Palau crafted low ponytails that exude a "just-showered" appearance, using his fingers to rake the tresses into place. This technique, he explains, adds a touch of "toughness" to the beauty look. The ponytails are then elevated with a Khaite-designed gold hair cuff, creating a "beautiful juxtaposition to the undone style" and adding a "modern touch" to the overall aesthetic.

Embracing the Natural Glow

Makeup artist Niko Lopez's vision for the Khaite runway was to showcase the models' natural skin, allowing their radiance to shine through. "It's very like raw skin, not super, super perfected or super covered," he explains, emphasizing the desire to let the "natural skin come through the makeup." This approach is further enhanced by the brand's collaboration with Danucera, the brainchild of acclaimed aesthetician Danuta Mieloch, who utilized the brand's hero product, Cerabalm, to deeply hydrate and soothe the skin, resulting in a luminous, healthy glow.

Defining the Brows as the True Statement

With the complexions glowing, the makeup team at NARS focused on a light touch of concealer to combat dark circles, followed by a Paul Klee-inspired application of blush in shades of coral, pink, and burgundy to warm the skin. The lips were treated to a monochromatic dabbing of Explicit Lipstick in similar tones, blurred along the edges for a just-bitten effect. However, the true statement came from the boldly etched brows, which were defined with a pencil to create an editorial feel, drawing the focus to this striking feature.