Khaite Handbags 101: A Close Look at the Most-Wanted Styles, From the Olivia to the Lotus

Reported by Vogue.

There's a specific kind of bag that doesn't need a logo to announce itself — the kind worn by women who've already moved past the obvious flex. Khaite has been quietly building that category since Catherine Holstein launched the New York label in 2016, and when she introduced handbags on her first runway in Brooklyn in 2019, the fashion world paid attention. According to Vogue, Holstein's motivation was personal: she couldn't find a bag that traveled well, packed small enough, or simply did what she needed it to do. So she made her own.

The result is a lineup that has since become a genuine obsession for the kind of woman who considers how she carries as much as what she carries. Katie Holmes, Jennifer Lawrence, Kendall Jenner, Olivia Rodrigo, and Elsa Hosk have all been spotted with Khaite on their arm — not because a stylist told them to, but because the bags actually work. Every piece is manufactured in Italy using materials that range from pebbled calfskin and buttery suede to sustainably sourced raffia, zebra-print ponyhair, and made-to-order exotics. The signature Art Deco hardware is plated in 18-karat gold, and it shows.

The Styles Worth Knowing

The Lotus — the original, launched with the collection in 2019 — is the silk-scarf-inspired tote that started everything: lightweight, rounded, with thick straps and a dainty gold toggle. The Olivia is the slouchy hobo every off-duty model seems to own, available in raffia for spring or crackled patent for a night out. The Cate, a sculptural top-handle introduced for fall 2024, hits the ladylike-but-modern sweet spot — stunning in python, outright dangerous in mustard yellow ponyhair. The Blake is the brand's answer to the classic box bag: compact, triple-compartmented, with a removable crossbody strap that takes it from boardroom to bar. The Audrey leans minimalist — a sleek clutch or top-handle flap that earns its place in both a work tote and an evening bag rotation. The Augustina is the crescent crossbody for the hands-free purist, and the Simona — a fall 2024 east-west style with double skinny straps — is the compact statement bag that's already attracted a serious following.

What Khaite has built isn't a bag brand so much as a fluency in what women actually want: considered design, serious materials, and enough versatility that you buy one and reach for it constantly. The "if you know, you know" reputation is earned, not marketed.

If your bag collection still has room for something that will make other women quietly ask where you got it, this is where you start.

Read the original at Vogue.