Molly Ringwald opened the Batsheva fall 2024 show on Tuesday night, wearing a black velvet hooded midi dress with a lace-trimmed velvet cuff, and looking every inch a swan.
“It was my first [runway] Walk around in a little while,” Ringwald said backstage. “I felt really great, I really loved both of my looks and I'm so happy to be included in this amazing group of women. I find it really inspiring. The first look I thought of Jackie Kennedy wearing widow's clothes. The second is a mix between Victorian and 80s,” she said, sounding like a professional.
The actress of “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans”, who is 55 years old, was the leader of a cast of beautiful women over 40, including the poet and lawyer Vanessa Place, the art advisor Racquel Chevremont and the fashion editor Marilyn Kirschner. Designer Batsheva Hay also recruited models from a local dance studio, who twirled and jumped down the runway with infectious joy.
“I found that everyone was excited to feel seen and included and participate in dressing up,” she said. “A lot of women go out of fashion, so being invited was exciting. And I think the clothes really reflect that. They are somewhat covered but playful, like I am. “I’m not trying to be young or cool, it’s just all the shapes with fun embellishments that are exciting to me.”
Hay, 42, said the inspiration for the collection was an identity crisis she was having as a designer now at a different stage of life than when she started her business as a young mother, and as a woman who didn't know how to dress and be as she grows.
She came up with many fantastic dress proposals in black velvet with ample arm coverage or with exhibitionist peekaboo style lace, proving that the pure trend has no age limit. Leopard faux fur capes and pants, and tunic dress with matching cuff; Flowing red satin skirts, sequined dresses with sashes, and a “Hag” sweater were the perfect fit for Batsheva's stylish irreverence.
“Especially as fashion becomes an unwelcoming place for aging, I wanted to make clothes that were dignified and beautiful but also fun,” Hay said.
