The big news at Batsheva for pre-fall is the introduction of soft cashmere knits in burgundy and cornflower blue florals that evoke vintage wallpapers. “It’s cashmere made in Nepal, isn’t it beautiful? I’m going to keep growing it; these are just the pieces I was able to do in time [for this collection],” Batsheva Hay said at an appointment inside her NoLIta boutique.
Hay spends a lot of time at the store and it’s clear that it’s changed her creatively; since it opened in March, she’s doubled-down on her most Batsheva-ish instincts. “I’m really just making the things where I’m like, this is perfect and classic; there’s not another brand that makes this,” she added. To wit: her Victorian blouse with a high neck, a peplum, and ruffled sleeves is back, as are her popular Racquel a-line shift and her mini prairie dress.
There are other pieces made to transform the way one can wear her core offerings; these include a pair of Carrie Bradshaw-esque capri pants with a banded hem, and straight leg pajama-style pants in a cotton floral (in a long and skater-short versions). She emphasized the handmade here; a quilt made with a “Sunbonnet Sue” pattern was turned into a skirt (and came with a little blouse to match); and a dress and skirt were constructed of fabric scraps safety-pinned to each other to create a patchwork. She also showed a shimmering pink elastic ruffled tube that can be worn over the shoulders as a mini cape, or as a skirt/peplum layered over a dress (she layered it over one of her prairie styles in the lookbook to great effect). Further emphasizing Hay’s commitment to doing things her own way is the fact that some of the collection will be available now, and the rest next summer when the collection typically ships.
