Flight of Fancy

Fashion designer Batsheva Hay livens up the Upper West Side with her fantastical style.

- NAOMI ROUGEAU

Despite being one of fashion’s buzziest couples, you won’t find Batsheva Hay and photographer husband Alexei Hay hosting Fashion Month parties in some downtown loft. Instead, the creative duo enjoys a quieter lifestyle on New York City’s Upper West Side, where the focus is on family and faith—with fashionable flourishes. Hay, a former attorney raised in Queens, found her calling in 2016 when she debuted her eponymous line of modest (in silhouette only) dresses, influenced by Hasidic and prairie styles and Victoriana. The colorful frocks count Sarah Jessica Parker and Maude Apatow as fans. In late 2020, Hay branched out into home goods, partnering with an upholsterer to give vintage furniture (and Hay’s collection of decorator fabrics) a second life. Some of the pieces have found their way into her apartment. “I’m definitely a maximalist,” Hay says. “Our home is full of fabric and color, not a Zen spot at all!” In that over-the-top spirit, we asked Hay to take us on a fantasy tour of her workday, glamorized by the season’s dazzling high jewelry. Lensed by Alexei, this heightened version of Hay’s signature style shows her as the modern-day superwoman she is.

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