10 hot stories, Katie Holmes’ ‘break-over’, Meghan and Harry’s US escape plan and how to dress like a fashion editor this fashion month

ALL IT TOOK was a cashmere bra, a matching cashmere cardigan slipping slightly off her tanned shoulder, and a self-assured smile as she hailed a cab in New York. When she was photographed in that moment, Katie Holmes successfully rewrote her style narrative – and broke the internet in the process.

After US brand Khaite shared the photograph on its Instagram page, sales of its cashmere bra ($520) and cardigan ($1,295) went into overdrive, with the bra selling out in an hour. Searches for ‘Khaite’ increased by 217%, according to analysis by Lyst while, in response to the high demand, last week Net-a-porter told Grazia they had seen a spike in sales for the brand. Meanwhile, fashion writer Alyssa Vingan Klein wrote on Twitter, ‘I will be thinking about that Katie Holmes photo for weeks, if not MONTHS.’

The response was validating for Khaite’s founder Catherine Holstein, who said last week, ‘I have been making cashmere bras for two years and believed people would catch on eventually. Thank you, Katie!’

It’s fair to say that before cashmere bra-gate, Katie’s style wasn’t something that had ever caused such an e-commerce storm. Yet, in the days following her taxi-hailing cashmere combo, Katie served up look after look. A pair of Saint Laurent neon heels and Equipment jumper on Saturday, an Acne Studios skirt on Monday. A Zimmermann dress last Wednesday. It was clear Katie was sending a message: she’s ready to start a new fashion chapter.

Harriet Walker, fashion editor of The Times, agrees. ‘Katie’s new look is sleek, sharp, Insta-savvy – and entirely deliberate,’ she tells Grazia. ‘She’s suffered from girl-next-door syndrome since Dawson’s Creek. This latest style renaissance is her telling us she’s a woman on top now instead.’

It’s perhaps not coincidental then that this style revolution has arrived just weeks after news broke that Katie, 40, had split from Jamie Foxx, 51, after six years of dating. A New York-based source close to the actress says that Katie wanted to turn this negative moment ‘into a positive’. ‘Her relationship with Jamie had been very on-off,’ the source explained. ‘Now that it looks like it’s over for good, Katie

is focusing on herself for what feels like the first time in a long time.’

Commentators online were bolder about the hidden message behind Katie’s bra-cardi ensemble: ‘Eat your heart out, Jamie Foxx!’ wrote one under Khaite’s Instagram post. Grazia’s source says that, while her split from Jamie was amicable, the response she has received to her new look has been ‘a welcome boost’, adding, ‘Katie tried for a long time to make that relationship work – living in New York while Jamie stayed in Los Angeles was hard work. Now that she’s free of it, it’s like a weight has been lifted.’

Of course, Katie is not a newcomer to the world of fashion. She’s a regular at New York Fashion Week (she was on the FROW last week), and is a fan of Australian brand Zimmermann, with whom she travelled to Capri in July for the launch of its first boutique store there. Katie’s habit of tagging the brand on her social media posts has driven Zimmermann’s earned media value by $131,000 within the last year.* Then there was her fashion line, Holmes & Yang, launched with stylist and friend Jeanne Yang in 2009. While their fashion label didn’t stand the test of time, Katie and Jeanne’s working relationship has – Khaite has confirmed that it was Jeanne who introduced Katie to the brand, though Katie had purchased the set herself, showing she is taking her style into her own hands.

Last year, Katie said her style was a work in progress. ‘Take time to develop different parts of yourself, and your style will come,’ she said. ‘Everything will come. It takes longer than you think. Just be good to yourself. Appreciate yourself instead of comparing yourself.’

She’s taking her advice, says our source, and is excited to relaunch her acting career with a role in an adaptation of The Secret (the self-help book by Rhonda Byrne), and a lead role in Coda opposite Patrick Stewart. These projects mark the first significant roles for Katie since her performance as Jackie Kennedy in the US TV series The Kennedys – and she is ready to take on even bigger roles next year. ‘This feels like Katie’s time,’ says the source. ‘She’s been good at keeping a low profile over the years. Now, it looks like she’s ready to take back control and step into the limelight.’