Friends of Sunroom: Natasha Wachtel

Friends of Sunroom celebrates people whose taste, passion, and way of moving through the world we genuinely love. No agenda, just good people being fully themselves :)

Introducing friend, designer (and Sunroom team alum!) Natasha Wachtel, a Malibu native now living in London whose individuality, personal style, and joie de vie you feel the moment you meet her. Since moving to London, her focus has been on Baba, a collection of luxury outerwear designed and made in London. Here, we get it into it all: how she thinks about collecting a coat wardrobe; how her friends describe her style ("Stevie Knicks ocean witch," and her favorite way to spend a day in London. Thank you, Natasha!

For anyone meeting you here for the first time, how would you introduce yourself right now?
I’m someone who is curious and knowledgeable, quick witted and sarcastic, creative and loud, and I strive to be that with grace and humility. I think I'm getting better with age. I’m less attached to outcomes and more focused on the things that feel frictionless. I think as I continue to surrender towards that way of being, a side effect of it has been presenting myself with more calm and more confidence. Within that, I've always had a strong sense of self and I think as I get older, that version of self becomes more formed.

The other day someone described the color of my energy to be turquoise: interesting to look at while being overtly apparent, but also calming. I quite liked that.

Can you share more about your line, Baba, and what inspired it?
The kind of genesis of Baba was very serendipitous and right time, right place. A lot of it I do attribute to London and the diverse, creative ecosystem that exists here. Baba really feels like an extension of myself in many ways. I’m someone who is quite meticulous and obsessive in ways that others oftentimes find exhaustive. And it shows itself in playful ways, which is my default approach to most things. I’m not precise or structured, moreso particular and fixated; it's a bit oxymoronic. It’s something I really carry into my approach with fashion, whether it be getting dressed or designing a piece.

Equally, the process of treating and working with leathers and sheepskins is quite extensive and particular. Every skin is entirely unique and goes through many organic life cycles before reaching me. I only work with sheepskins and cowhides because they’re all byproducts, meaning they’re not killed for material. There’s something that is deeply important to me about that process. Working with materials that are naturally occurring and from organic sources feels very purpose-driven to me.

The pieces are handmade from start to finish: can you explain more about the process? Are there parts of it people would be surprised by and/or are most fascinating to you?
Baba is holistically based in our production practices. So much of what makes my pieces special and able to exist in the space of the fashion world that they do is the way in which they are made and even more so the people who make them. Every piece is handmade in East London, where an immigrant population dictates the way of life. It’s the perfect combination of histories: London’s old, distinctively British way of being, paired with long-held practices that have been passed down between generations.

Because each piece is made by hand and predominantly on a made-to-order basis, each coat is deeply personal. Every detail, every stitch, is an extension of this. Every garment we make involves ix different people, all of whom bring a distinct skill set and add their own personal mark, making each piece entirely irreplicable. The energy and momentum I feel while working within this chain of command and being a part of its process is probably the most rewarding aspect of Baba.

How do you think about building a coat "wardrobe" over time? Do you rotate through coats seasonally, or do a few pieces live on repeat for you year over year?
When it comes to winter wear I like to mix the practical with the impractical. I often wear big coats with slip dresses, and when I'm designing I often land on classic cuts paired with loud materials. When you’re dressing in colder environments, outerwear is the first touchpoint of an outfit that others will see, and I think there’s a lot of self expression that can be shown within that.

I’m someone who dresses based on my mood and I think a lot of that carries into what coat I wear. There’s a comfortable glamour I often feel when I reach for my bigger shearling pieces, whereas my leather pieces often make me feel a sense of feminine allure. I approach outerwear as more of an investment opportunity.

I think it’s important to build a collection of pieces that can fulfill different purposes and represent different versions of you, over time.

If someone is looking to build their own coat collection what would be your first BABA picks from the collection?
I really think this differs with every individual and what they want to achieve with each piece. The Viktor Coat to me is a piece that feels exceptionally feminine in silhouette; and because we did the leopard print in a calfskin, the texture makes it feel far more neutral and classic than anything else.

I think the Swords Coat is a piece that feels very wearable and timeless. It’s designed based on a deadstock pattern that has been in production since the 80’s. You don’t need to have a defined fashion point of view to comfortably own that sense of comfortability and glamour that I think lends itself to shearling.

And if you’re someone who is just looking to throw on a jacket for everyday use, I often reach for The Kobbie. Again, despite being a loud cowhide, this jacket feels somehow neutral to me.

You grew up in Pacific Palisades and now live in London: what's something about LA you didn't know you'd miss until you left? What's something about London style/pace that's crept into how you dress or design?
The smell of the ocean on PCH in the mornings. It’s something I think about continuously. It’s what feels like home to me. I don’t think I realized how much my taste and style was a product of my environment until I left LA. My approach to style really starts and ends with a pair of blue jeans, which in my opinion, the only appropriate pair of blue jeans is a Levi, and a white T-shirt. That style ethos really feels attached to the ease waking up to the ocean every day brings.

In London, I've really been forced to mature stylistically. I still carry the same baseline approach of a good pair of Levi’s, but in order for my taste to translate here I've had to learn how to elevate it.

What are the jewelry pieces you wear on repeat—the ones that feel like part of you?
I’ve actually stopped wearing a lot of my jewelry over the last year, but the one thing I never take off is my tiger eye cowry shell by Deszo.

Describe your perfect day in London: where you go, what you do from morning to night?
This is such a hard question because there are so many versions of this in a city like London. But, to me there’s probably two places where I feel most myself in the city: Hampstead Heath and Portobello Road.

Any morning starting with a walk around the Heath has the ability to transport you. it is so expansive, rugged, and green, and really has that sense of magic you can only feel from being in nature... and it’s right in the middle of London. My Heath morning start with a walk through Parliament Hill, along the main stretch of the Heath and ending up at the Ladies Pond for a swim. At the Pond you get the sense that you’re walking into a witchy coven and there’s so much power in knowing that women have been doing this for generations before you.

After that I'd walk up to Hampstead High Street and get the tube further west to Notting Hill, likely making my first stop at Ottolenghi for a quick bite. I basically survive off their salad trios. From there, I'd continue to the Ladbroke Grove side of Portobello Road.

I do not say this lightly when I say there’s no better place to be in London on a Friday than Portobello Road. The vintage market on a Friday is—in my opinion—the best shopping in the city. Most of the best stalls close by 3pm and I prefer to get there around then to barter for the best deals. From there, I'd continue down to Golborne Road, which is probably my favorite strip of Portobello. This little slice of Notting Hill really feels like all the best things about London wrapped into one: the restaurants, the shops, the overall environment.

Once I've exhausted every store and vintage stall, there’s only one culturally acceptable way to round off your afternoon and that’s finding a nook in a pub.

Quick Hits!

Three things always in my bag: A glass bottle of sparking water, sunglasses, Chanel lip and cheek balm

My friends would describe my style as: I crowdsourced this, and I actually cannot recommend enough asking this question of your friends. It’s turned out to be quite romantic:

“Carrie Bradshaw goes to California”

“California coast meets Paris vintage - elegant, designer and always the perfect pair of Levi’s”

“What you wear is personal and part of an overall vision... not for a single moment”

“Stevie Knicks ocean witch”

“It's really hard to pindown, like oxymoronic…playful sophistication...curated but eclectic”

“You were wearing Chanel ballet flats and baggy jeans in like 2019... Before it even entered the ecosystem of “cool girl”’

“Always asking the group chat what everyone’s wearing”

From Lucy: “modern, not trend driven, eclectic, sometimes partial to Audrey Hepburn vibes but also moments of tomboy, a little bit of this, a little big that, and always a good vintage slip dress”

An unexpected source of inspiration for me: My first and deepest love is sports; everything always goes back to sports for me. From athleticism and discipline, to the cultural elements and fandom, I'm forever awe-inspired by the industry and the unity it brings. All my coats are actually named after players who have played for Manchester United.

Something I own that I’ve had forever and will never get rid of: My stuffed animal bear... named Baba.

Something small that always makes my day better: I spend a lot of time lying on the floor listening to music

What I’m listening to on repeat: The album Geese released last September, "Getting Killed." It makes me want to go to the rock show, presumably in a good pair of Levi’s and a white tee.

Someone whose style I love: Alexa Chung forever

A color (or color combination) I’m loving right now: As someone who has always been drawn to color and texture, living in London has made me appreciate the color black. It’s a part of the fabric society here: the grey, dark, rainy days. The way it elevates and adds sophistication to dressing has really created an appreciation in me for its depth and intrigue.

My “happy place”: Malibu <3