The Tamesis
Batsheva’s designs are often synonymous with bold colors and prints. But take away the color from those frilly, vintage-inspired looks, and you’ve got an incredible bridal collection. “I actually had a sneaky wedding business from the beginning,” says Batsheva Hay Fashion. “I’ve had a lot of women come to me asking to redesign or modify my existing designs, like ivory taffeta, for their weddings. I’ve even had women send me photos of lace or PVC ready-to-wear garments they ordered on my website that they wore to their weddings, and it wasn’t even always white.”
The designer admitted that she had been thinking about what a Batsheva wedding dress would look like before launching her own brand. “When I got married in 2012, four years before I started Batsheva, I remember shopping for my wedding dress and hating everything I saw. It didn’t feel like it had any personality or anything like Ishe explained. The then-lawyer ended up wearing her mother’s vintage Mexican lace wedding dress, complete with chevron ruffles, for her wedding, which she later woven into her own collection. “Once I started making clothes, I loved celebrating myself — being feminine, being creative, doing things a little different,” she says. “I thought back to the feeling of shopping for a wedding dress and thought, ‘It’s time to bring that energy into the bride.'”
Provided by Batsheva
Provided by Batsheva
Batsheva officially entered the bridal era at this spring’s New York Bridal Fashion Week, launching a dedicated collection of wedding looks. Dresses are crafted from premium fabrics such as silk duchess satin, moiré stripe and silk jacquard to create a unique heirloom suit that’s ready to be worn down the aisle. Hay collaborated with Michelle Copelman to construct the silhouettes, taking inspiration from her previous collections. “We worked together for a few months just translating the shapes and thinking about some of the gaps that needed to be filled in,” Hay said.
“The aesthetic is broad—I referenced styles from the 1920s to the 1980s—but it’s fun, relatable, and a little bit dramatic,” she explains. The designer noted that the process of cutting things down was a welcome challenge. “The clean fabrics and color palette give such a calming feel,” notes Hay. “It forced me to really think about silhouette, shape, movement and texture. I thought a lot about facings, boning and built-in petticoats.”
Provided by Batsheva
