Batsheva SPRING 2021 READY-TO-WEAR
There is much talk of changing fashion “because of all this”—but what about the ones who don’t need to change because they’ve been doing it right all along? The ones who were already thinking small and intimate, recycling silhouettes and fabrics, and connecting with their consumers directly through social media and DTC shopping? The ones stripping away the pretension, and celebrating the creativity and the reality of fashion?
In speaking with Batsheva Hay, one can’t help but feel that she has, in fact, been right all along. She launched her brand with an unmissable signature, and evolved it however she felt right in her heart. When it came time to change because of the economic downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic and because of the chaotic mess of the fashion system, Hay didn’t have to change too much. “Fashion is about dressing,” she declared on a video call, during which she sat on the floor of her midtown studio in a green polka-dot dress from spring 2021.
“It’s an answer to how people want to dress: Be comfortable. Wear something not too expensive, but that feels elevated.” As a brand, she explained she wants to “exist in some way in ordinary lives.” These ideas are revelatory only in the sense that listening to one’s customer base and thinking soulfully and practically happen all too rarely in fashion.
For spring 2021, Hay proved she is unmatchable her in field. Big dot dresses, like a pillow with the stuffing pulled out, appear alongside sensitive wallpaper print high-collared midi-dresses with dainty embroideries and prints of sinuous acid green figures that evoke the work of Aubrey Beardsley. There are, perhaps, more ruffles and bows than before, each alighting on a V-neck or high shoulder without the irony of Hay’s past creations.
A pair of knot-pocket elastic-waist pants and a taffeta gingham mini have a new sincerity: Much of Hay’s oeuvre is about playfulness and camp—ideas so needed!—but something about spring 2021 rings simpler and more pure. The ironic thing about that is that this season marks the rare lookbook that doesn’t star Hay and her arsenal of Cindy Sherman–esque characters posing around Manhattan.
The rationale, she explained, was that she had spent so much time already in lockdown with her husband and her family that it became appealing to do a bombshell photoshoot with a model, Lameka Fox. Natasha Royt styled, and Batsheva’s husband, Alexei Hay, photographed, and the paraphernalia of the Batsheva world were the shoot’s costars; the designer has expanded into rings and plans to enter furniture and fragrance soon. Also new are granny crochet sweaters, a capri-length romper, and a simple khaki blazer with sparkling buttons.
She calls the blazer her “Ralph Lauren moment.” It’s apt for the blazer and apt for her brand. Lauren was another underdog New Yorker who wanted to offer a solution for how people want to dress: something comfortable, not too expensive, but that feels elevated. He “made it” by never compromising on his vision. As long as Hay doesn’t change, she’s on the right path.
See every single look from Batsheva SPRING 2021 READY-TO-WEAR Collection in the gallery, below :
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source: Vogue
