Kate Hundley Leans Into Sensuality for Pre-fall

In June, emerging New York designer Kate Hundley staged her first runway show for her namesake label with a collection inspired by Surrealism. Her follow-up offering for pre-fall, shown via showroom appointments, followed her downtown, edgy and luxe codes while leaning into the idea of “the tension of who you are in the moment,” she said. Furthermore, “the intimacy and tension of ephemeral moments — the specific version of yourself in a point in time that will never exist again,” collection notes read.

What this boiled down to was a push-pull of cinched and sculpted tailoring with drapey and fringed sensual layers. For instance, her signature Eloise jacket came in sleek black leather with eyelet and lace-up details along the bust, back and sleeves and was paired with a new draped black velvet column skirt with fringes, while an ivory asymmetric slip-style tank (made up of chiffon and silk charmeuse) came with low-slung suiting trousers.

“It’s that ‘women designing for women’ conversation — not just throwing cleavage on it to feel sexy. Sensuality is something that feels sexy, although technically you’re kind of covered up. The nuances of it I think are important,” Hundley said of the tank, which could also be said of the vibe of her whole collection.

Hundley continued to deliver her foundational pieces — shirt dressing and blazers with lacing details or updated architectural tote bags — while peppering in newness through draped column gowns in fiery red; a reinvented T-shirt dress with draped chiffon strip details, and a singular long-haired, hand-dyed shearling coat.

Kate Hundley’s pre-fall collection proved to be a smart, sensual evolution of her brand. The collection is available for pre-order on the brand’s e-commerce, with prices ranging from $990 (for an organic cotton frilled tuxedo shirt) to $4,400 for the shearling coat.