Batsheva’s Wild Braids Make a Compelling Case Against Primp and Polish
Since debuting her frilly, homespun frocks three years ago, Batsheva Hay has developed quite the fan base of grown women eager to look a little more prairie, a little less posh. And her Fall 2019 presentation, held this afternoon at her Soho pop-up, was testament to that: Even the weather warnings flashing across iPhone screens couldn’t stop her devotees from slipping into their ruffles and snow boots, and braving the elements to have a peek at her delicious designs.
According to Batsheva’s show notes, the collection was a “tribute to a slow and handmade industry”—much like the playful plaits dreamt up by Dennis Lanni. For the occasion, the hairstylist wove a handful of electric-hued extensions, courtesy of colorist Aura Friedman, into the lengths of 26 models including Christina Ricci and Rainey Qualley. “I basically had the whole spectrum,” Lanni said of the prismatic pieces, which added “a little depth and happiness.”
Rather than concealing the extensions, though, Lanni intentionally left the lengtheners exposed at the top so that their stitching was visible to the crowd, who was simultaneously watching seamstresses at work sewing Batsheva’s signature custom creations. “People tend to hide that, but I wanted to show the handmade work,” he said of the head-turning move, which gave each model a singular statement. “It was a little bit like a fairy tale, a little bit Dr. Seuss.”
To take the look further into the next dimension, Lanni then rolled the extensions into trompe l’oeil clusters which, from afar, looked like dried flowers, before employing a “tiny, tiny curling iron” on loose ends and topping off crowns with metal pins. “It was very experimental,” he said of his madcap undertaking. “I thought the whole point was to go there and be as creative as possible.” Consider it carte blanche to run wild this fall.
