Throughout the film, Fineman wears a series of Hay’s signature outfits on various appointments at the East Village bistro Pardon My French: florals, exaggerated collars, puff sleeves and lots of ruffles. These scenes are underscored by a tense score by Matt Allchin and Attawalpa’s Luis Felber that incorporates dating anxieties. When asking about her date’s job (“meme designer”!), Fineman wears a leopard-print dress with a black bib and pearl buttons. When comparing the date to “soup in a can,” she wore a fuchsia dress with a large collar and shoulders. In a series of dramatic moments, Fineman floated above the Eiffel Tower in a classic black vintage dress. (Singer credits these dreamy scenes to the 3D authoring tool Unreal Engine, which she learned about while attending the Tribeca Film Festival/Epic Games “Writing in Unreal” workshop in November2021) .
by Batsheva / Maya Singer
Both Singh and Hay are expert storytellers in their respective careers. Hay’s lookbook lent a fairytale touch to mundane events like cooking at home, while her runway ensembles were full of cheeky glam. As for Singer, she spearheaded a fashion week video series for Style.com. “There are so many interesting ways you can tell a story with clothes, and there should be a platform to do it, not a show on the runway,” she said. In Batsheva’s film, it’s the wink of everyday clothing that brings the message home: zipping up a skirt or close-up frilly flares as Fineman’s legs tap impatiently under a table. “These are hidden clothing positions that I want to expose,” Singh said. “It also gave us the opportunity to delve into the details of Batsheva’s outfits, which are always very special.”
Hay’s outfits are never overly sexy, but depend on the subversive nature of the cover While her designs aren’t what we would consider traditional date night wear (no body-skimming, thigh-baring LBDs here!), they do serve as gowns and going-out tops for girls who dare. “I started out doing fancy florals, prairie dresses, and now I realize I’m actually mostly selling evening wear and date wear,” says Hay. The designer admits that not everyone understands a woman looking for love in a Batsheva dress, but it’s a great way to screen potential suitors. “My dresses aren’t for everyone, but those who like them really love them. I hear from customers all the time that they really feel like they’re wearing my clothes,” says Hay. “Going out in my clothes was like, ‘This is me, do you like it?'”
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