WEEKEND
“Our collections are made for all ages,” says Rebecca Hessel Cohen, pictured here with her daughters in the family’s apple orchard.
DREAM WORLD
A former fashion and beauty editor at Cosmopolitan magazine from to 2005 to 2012, Hessel first started designing bridesmaid dresses for her own wedding, in 2010. She and a pattern maker from Manhattan’s Design District created long, halter-style chiffon gowns (the bride wore a tulle Monique Lhuillier), and the single-layer dress prompted questions from friends about designing the piece as a skirt with a matching top. After that, Hessel Cohen began playing around with her creations, which she eventually launched as a full-fledged line in 2013. “The idea was to keep it super-simple—everything you could twist and knot into a ball and throw in your suitcase,” says Hessel Cohen. “I had this little side business doing trunk shows out in the Hamptons, and then the dresses started selling really well. It kept evolving very organically.”
Is there anything more promising than the perfect summer dress? Come spring, finding one is often a seasonal ritual for many women, a quest that offers a glimpse into what the upcoming months could look like. There is the prospect of a floral-printed ruffle for an alfresco dinner LoveShackFancy is party, linen for beachside located in a landmark clambakes, a flirty number 1700s house. for an August getaway. The promise of a summer dress—in all its bare-legged, sandal-clad glory—is also, in essence, the promise of a summer well-lived. For the past few summers, Rebecca Hessel Cohen has provided many of those dresses with her ready-to-wear line LoveShackFancy. And this summer, she’s expanding the brand’s dreamy, romantic world with her first boutique, LoveShackFancy, in Sag Harbor. 94
Kelly Stuart
Rebecca Hessel Cohen creates a magical garden of fashion delights at her romantic new flower-strewn shop, LoveShackFancy in Sag Harbor. BY SHANNON ADDUCCI