As you walk through the flower-adorned doors of Manhattan’s first LoveShackFancy store, you’re leave New York City behind—and this century. The feminine, floral boutique is like a tea party in a faraway garden. Few fashion lines have a name quite as fitting as LoveShackFancy. The brand of women’s and girls’ clothing and accessories juxtaposes a Bohemian aesthetic with sophisticated elegance, all in the floral prints and pastels of a diehard romantic. So it’s no surprise that the line’s first brick and mortar store in Manhattan, on Bleecker street in the West Village, perfectly captures that signature aesthetic. “I’m forever inspired by the British countryside, Provence, and the Hamptons in the summer,” says LoveShackFancy founder Rebecca Hessel Cohen. “The store is a complete world.”
The 700-square-foot space carries the brand’s women’s ready-to-wear, accessory, swim and little girls’ collections, as well as vintage pieces carefully curated by Cohen. She worked with London-based interior designer Fran Hickman and New York-based Mike Moser to bring LoveShackFancy to life. Cohen scoured flea markets in Paris to find the perfect décor, including an antique armoire and 17th-century hand-painted table. The boutique plays off of the collection’s delightful prints—a hand-painted watercolor print from the upcoming fall collection is also used as a wallpaper, layered over a white brick wall for a vintage effect. And all of the vintage furniture was reupholstered in the line’s signature fabric. “I sourced everything myself, all throughout Europe,” Cohen says. “I really wanted to find delicate, hand-painted pieces as well. When you’re in the dressing room, it feels like the bed at the Ritz in Paris—this is my daughter’s favorite hiding space. These tie-backs on the curtain are incredible. This room is really cute and fun to be in because it feels so cozy.”
The Manhattan location is LoveShackFancy’s second store; the first is in Sag Harbor. The West Village locale carries exclusive pieces, particularly reworked vintage. “We’ll do some hand-dyed one-of-a-kind slips,” Cohen says. “We wanted to work in different elements of crafts. Even through the winter, we can have someone do a hand knitting, something on a little sweater, or a little embroidery on some of the Victorian pieces, so it feels really customized and you’re getting something unique.” The store also carries a few other brands beyond LoveShackFancy, including hats by Gigi Burris, Susan Alexandra bags, stationery by Stephanie Fishwick and LoveShackFancy’s own line of notecards featuring their signature prints, vintage Levi’s jean shorts, a Paris-inspired apothecary with soaps, reworked burlap bags from the south of France, and vintage Victorian locket bracelets, to name a few.
The shop will also carry upcoming collaborations, including a line of headbands with Lele Sadoughi in signature LoveShackFancy prints, as well as sneakers with Superga with mix and match shoelaces. LoveShackFancy will be expanding their own collection as well, adding bags, such as straw totes, home décor pieces, Victorian nightgowns, and eventually shoes. Cohen hopes that their collaborations and curation in the store will spark styling ideas for clients. “Now that we’re creating our own space, people can see how you can style the line, and how you can mix and match, and layer it,” she says.
To add a personal behind-the-scenes touch, the shop has a mood bard to show the inspiration and concepts for the latest collection, which changes with the season. “It feels really immersive,” Cohen says. “It’s a mix of what our showroom feels like. All of our florals start with a vintage print and then we hand paint them and rework them into the pieces. We also have our little haberdashery because we love ribbons, and you can customize different pieces or wear them in your hair.”
A point of pride for Cohen is that LoveShackFancy can be worn across generations. “The little girls come in, the teens are buying the short little mini dresses, the moms are buying the elegant ones, and the grandmothers are wearing the Victorian easy dresses over jeans,” she says. “We basically cover all sizes now.” LoveShackFancy is also expanding their reach globally, particularly to Europe. Last year they did a pop-up shop at Harrods, with more to come. “We’re literally recreating our little world in a mini scale as a pop-up,” Cohen says. They also have sales at the Ritz in Paris and are sold at Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and Brown Thomas.
LoveShackFancy was born when Cohen couldn’t find the right dresses for her bridesmaids for her wedding. The former Cosmopolitan fashion editor and her mom, who also worked in magazines as a creative director, brought their vision to a seamstress. “My mom and I said here’s the vibe of the wedding—we want really dreamy, ethereal, flowy, sexy but romantic and feminine, and so we made those dresses,” Cohen says. “We have one of them hanging in the Sag Harbor store.” She wore one to a friend’s wedding shortly after, and then would bring them on photo shoots when she traveled. Then she designed a ruffled mini skirt, which continues to be one of LoveShackFancy’s best sellers. When she was out in Los Angeles for a photo shoot, she went to a showroom to see if they were interested in selling them. Right away the collection was snapped up by a slew of mega retailers, including Bergdorf Goodman, Shopbop, Revolve, Calypso, and Free People, to name a few. Cohen launched the company and realized she had to start producing fast to keep up with demand. Six years later, LoveShackFancy has created a magical little world of its own in Manhattan.
