LadyGang - LG Quickie: MORE WHIMSEY with Rebecca Hessel Cohen

Episode Date: March 26, 2026

Fashion designer and founder of Love Shack Fancy, Rebecca Hessel Cohen, discusses building the dreamy world of LoveShackFancy and why adulthood desperately needs more whimsy. From bows and ruffles to creating magical moments in everyday life, Rebecca shares how she turned a romantic aesthetic into a global brand. Then the girls play Bow or Bye, breaking down the wildest 2026 fashion trends—from mob wife glamour to poet-core and doilies becoming high fashion.We have spring deals for YOU!!Tonal: Track your strength training progress! Get $200 off your Tonal purchase with promo code LADY at Tonal.comClean Simple Eats: Shop the best tasting protein powders at CleanSimpleEats.comProgressive: Need car insurance? Head to Progressive.com to see how much you can save!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mornings without coffee, road trips without snacks, movies without popcorn. Without our favorite foods, we'd miss out on all our favorite moments. Learn more at canadasfoodsystem.ca. Podcast One presents The Lady Gang, The Hollywood Girl Posse with Lady Gang Quickie. Here's Kelty Knight, Becca Tobin, and Jack Vanek. Let's make this quick. Hello, hello, hello. Welcome to Lady Gang Quickie. I'm Becky here with Jack and Kelty. We look extra cute today, and you're going to find out why. Kelty, who is with us?

I am so excited. Our guest today is the founder and creative director of the dreamy, bow-filled universe that is Love Shack Fancy. She has built a brand that's synonymous with romance, celebration, whimsy, and leaning into what makes you fascinating, beautiful, and confident. Inspired by her love of vintage clothing and a belief that playing dress-up should never have to end. Oh, we love her so much. What started with a single hand-dyed halter dress she made for her own wedding in 2013

has grown into a global lifestyle brand spanning fashion, beauty, home collaboration and stores around the world. We just saw one on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Dorit maybe shouldn't have spent that money. She's also been honored with the Entrepreneurship Award at the Fashion Institute Annual Awards Gala named Visionary of the Year

by the Guild Hall Visionaries. And she's mentored students at SCAD, spoken at Harvard Business School, and been featured everywhere from the cover of the New York Times Style section to the Wall Street Journal. Please welcome to the queen of whimsy herself, Rebecca Hessel Cohen, founder of Love Shack Fancy. Hi. I love that introduction. That was so sweet. Yay, Kelsey and the girls. Thank you. We've done too much. We do look so cute. What is it about like, why do I feel so cute right now? Is it because it's so cute? You're like in the western vibe you're wearing you're doing like a little boho oh my gosh you have like

the denim and the lace and like our heritage favorite what's the sully top that's like our best selling i think you're wearing like yes a little victoria so bad so good and i live in texas where it's hot as oh where your boobs are always sweaty and this is like the most airy breathable wonderful almost nude feeling i hate sweaty boob feeling you're so funny well actually this this collection was very inspired by Texas so hopefully you're loving it it was like this American road trip story and I spent a lot of time in Texas last year so the girls are like we need this like rodeo feminine vibey you know collection like you're literally you need to make more clothes for us we're obsessed so totally hopefully we did so Rebecca tell us about the dress for the wedding

where this all started you were just a regular girl writing articles for Cosmo I think well I wasn't writing, even though I love to write, I was styling and producing. So I was the senior fashion and beauty editor. I was there for at Cosmopolitan for about eight and a half years and loved my job, loved magazines. I grew up in the world. My mom was a creative director at 17 magazines. So I literally grew up in the fashion closet, the beauty closets and magazines. That was just it. Like that was my life. That's what I wanted to do. And so I was at Cosmopolitan and whether I was on photo shoots or I was doing market appointments, I would be in the garment district because that's where a lot of the showrooms were. And when I got engaged, I couldn't

find a bridesmaid dress that I liked. I got all these options. The girls were like, these are hideous. We're not wearing them. And also they were unflattering. So I was like, let's just design a gorgeous, sexy dress that you guys feel beautiful in. So I did that, went to Mood Fabrics, worked with a pattern maker, made these beautiful bridesmaids dresses. And then my, one of my best friends was getting married a few weeks later. I wore the bridesmaids dress to her wedding and literally had the time of my life. Like the, I always say your dress is your best dancing partner dance that like, it was amazing. I was like, I need to make like 50 of these for different occasions. Other girls were asking me for them. So I started making them for fun for friends and

just like selling them as like one-offs. And that's how that all, that's how it all began for like two years, honestly, like as a little side project, fun passion project. Can you describe the dress? Like what did it look like? Yeah, well, we still have it. We should always have it. It's called the love dress. If you look it up, we had the love, the shock, the fancy. It's a halter dress. It has an elastic waistband. You can twist and tie the top to, you know, to fit if you want it to be like a lower halter, depending on where you want it on your boobs, if you need a little lift or not. And then it just beautiful and flowy. So it would cut the original one was in chiffon with like a

layer underneath, which became like the fancy dress. And then I had this like little hand made like ribbon and like fabric that came from it. So that was for the bridesmaids. And then I basically was living in this dress. Like when I was traveling on photo shoots, I'd be in Tulum and I needed to like look good after a day of sweaty shooting on the beach. And I threw on the dress put my hair up and I was like oh my god I feel amazing in this one dress so that was a dress I literally lived in for like two years and that was it and the whole idea when I was starting to you know when I felt like I should make this a real thing it's like let's just do this one style dress and then maybe I'll add a few other styles and never fall into the world of like fashion and

patterns and production and all that which now here I am all these years later like I fully fell into it but that was original idea to just do these timeless pieces so here's my question and what I think is very interesting about you is that like no one can tell this girl that she's got to wear a beige suit like she will not like you just had your daughter Scarlett's bar mitzvah which is like a pink ridiculous world your house like if you guys have been on tiktok there's this house tour and like your house looks like, you know, we just saw Beverly Hills. Dorit was at your and Rachel were at your store in the Hamptons. It's like when you go into a love shack fancy, you're in this world. But we've just come off a decade of minimalist fashion.

So how did you stay you and stay whimsical and stay romantic when every single trend forecaster, every single editorial was like, we want a capsule collection. We want a white t-shirt and a jean. Stealth wealth. Yeah. I mean, stealth wealth. Even in the beginning when I was first starting and I had this idea of the dresses and I went and I met a sales showroom, which I had found out what that was in order to sell the collection. They were like, this is not going to work because we're in this other world. We want primary colors. We want more minimal. We want this. And I was like, well, this is the style. I've always collected vintage. I've always loved soft, beautiful prints. I love romance. I love feminine. That's just my style. So I never was

going to change that or sacrifice it. It was just never meant to start off as a business. It really happened very organically. So I think that's everything that I've worked on and developed over the last, it's now been like 13 years, has been because of that. And really it starts with love of vintage. I source everything. I find I'm obsessed with vintage. I love, I don't know, just all of it. I love the hunt. I love the pieces, the beautiful handmade laces, things like that. And I just love the feeling of being feminine. So I think that's just what it is, whether it's on trend, it's happening in the market, people want it or not, that's definitely what we're still doing you know even though yes you'll find black dresses people are like oh wow

you make black dresses yes we do we make all of our favorite styles in whites black pink obviously we have a lot of but I mean you'll see a huge mix because we do now with all of our stores we have something for everyone and even when we first started selling like when we first started doing our Victorian which is the cotton and lace pieces Barney's and Net-A-Porter picked up that collection It was like this small capsule of like our ruffle miniskirt, our beautiful like Victorian Edie dress. And they bought it in white and black. Like so and that was really what started it.

And then it became, you know, I have two daughters. I got into the worlds of like fairy tales and pink and tulle and ruffles. And I was like, I want to live in this world, too. And then that all evolved into that's where all of the pinkness and everything comes. I don't know. I just became this true pink girl. I think every mother with good taste has you to thank that has daughters because instead of putting them in like the Disney dress, the princess dress, like this is a really nice thing to present them with where I think they still get very much excited for like the color, the interest. yeah and the dads love it I always it's very dad approved I mean the girls we always say

love shock is very babies to 80s and the girls you know they love I mean think about being a little girl you love you're like dancing through life and your little dresses and everything it's like I mean they have the best the world is like at their fingertips they're living in this imagination and so there's this nostalgia and kind of like free spiritedness that I saw and loved and I was like I want to have that too so why do you think women are like craving whimsy right now I think women are craving whimsy because the world is like a scary dark place I mean I'm I mean I'm scared of it the reality of it you know so I live in like the love shack fancy bubble um truthfully and then you know like I I know what's going on in the world I see it I

watch it. I've, you know, it's, but it's scary and it's a scary place and there's so much hate and there's so much, I mean, it's like every, you know, it's just continues and it's escalating. So I think that women and the world is obsessed with this whimsy because it does feel it's like escapism and it feels like you're just in this, you know, it's like watching like your favorite movie or your film and you're escaping into it. So I think that that's what Love Shack Fancy, You know, if you're walking into our stores or if you're at one of the events or if there's something or even if you're wearing a dress and you're home and you're just like in your kitchen and you're just like, I don't know, putting on some music and you're wearing this like beautiful dress that allows you to become something for whatever time. I think it just, you know, it allows you to escape. It's like that feeling and that emotion.

So which we all need now. Yeah. I think also like once you hit a certain age, you know, I think in some girls like myself in my 20s, I was so afraid of like not being taken seriously. Also, I'm very short. I look like a child in person. So it's like I had to wear these like. Yeah. So I had to wear, you know, it's like you you get treated like a baby for so long. And I would wear these like structured suits and these turtlenecks and these dark colors. And then now I'm like, well, the jig is up. I'm clearly a 40 year old woman. Nobody's mistaking me for a baby. but now I'm like but now I want to be treated like a baby right adult baby so I'm like happy to dress like this now because I'm not really worried about really frankly what anybody thinks but it is it's like escapism I watch the girls in your store yeah no I watch the girls in your store on South Congress and a lot of them it's a gorgeous store here in Austin a lot of the girls who are there are tourists and they're in there and they are dressing. They're getting themselves dressed for their night out in Austin and they're like thematic dressing and they're getting the

vintage cowboy boots and they're putting on and there's like an energy and a vibe that comes with a woman who's fully embracing that like thematic vibe. Like it's so it's cool to watch. And were they blasting? I hope they were blasting music really loud in that. Always. Awesome. Okay, good. like because our Texas stores are a party like and you go in and you're like they start drinking at like 11 o'clock and they're blasting music and everyone's in there and also by the way when I go into one of those Texas store I like become the part two I'm like yeah cowboy boots on then you know the skirt so that like I literally you transform so I feel like that's also in the different locations you kind of become those like inspired by the store whether it's a store girls

whether it's by like the local the culture there or whatever it is it's fun to like take on I'm obsessed with it like yeah it's different than like if you're in the city in Soho store or you know Melrose or wherever else but yeah it's fun okay I have a question for Jack so Jack is our resident artist so she is this your art behind you Jack yeah no that's my dad's and that's mine yeah so Jack is a beautiful painter and makes the most beautiful art and she's recently well I don't know you can ask I would ask for you Jack she's recently like for a long time she's running she had her own clothing business and she's running her business and now she's like really full throttle into following her passion for her art and I see so much of your story in

her story which is like the thing that she loved that she wanted to look at that the world she wanted to exist in didn't exist so she just had to like continue to create it what advice would you give to people who like maybe think they need to have this regular job, but the passion could be the job? I mean, I think, well, that's what I was, I was talking about it yesterday with someone. And I think that, I mean, when the passion, when my passion began, it was always magazines and storytelling. And then I start, you know, and then I made my bridesmaids dresses and that's how it all began. And I learned this new business along the way. I mean, I think that when you have this passion and you you need to follow your gut obviously and you know it's scary the hardest

thing is in the beginning putting yourself out there and being judged you know and to me that was like the scariest thing which by the way only happens really in the beginning and then I think as you get older you actually just like I mean you care what people think but also you don't like and you need to go you know you just need to do what you love most importantly and everyone else. Like there are so many times that people had said, oh, that name Love Shack Fancy, like you're never going to succeed with a name like that. That sounds ridiculous. And I was like, oh really? Second guess myself. And then was like, no, actually I'm worth, I'm sticking with this. I'm not going to listen to you. And even though they might be, you also have to be careful who

you're listening to, whether it's like industry leaders or this might've been how things were done before. I feel like what I did was very much like against the rules, against the typical way that people would do things. I kind of did the opposite. They said, you know, don't open stores. What did we do? We opened stores. They were like, oh, that name is like ridiculous. No one's going to ever take you seriously with a name like Love Shack Fancy. I was like, I was like, mom, what do you think? You know, we had this long conversation about it. And then I just, she's like, you need, you're, you're out of your mind. You're crazy if you're going to change the name, you know? So I think just following your gut and being careful who you listen to and making sure

that you have the right support team, which you have with, I mean, Kelsey's probably your biggest cheerleader. She's the best, but like women and people who are there supporting you and cheering you on along the way, because there are going to be a lot of people who don't want you to succeed. Yeah. That's so smart about like, it's like, who are you listening to? Cause it's like, no matter what you're doing, if you're putting yourself out there and you feel cringe doing it, like posting this thing, especially if it's like a personal passion of yours. Like I still feel dumb posting my art and I'm like, is it not good enough? Like are people like, are they going to think it's stupid? But it's like, to be cringe is to be free. It's like, you just have to do it

and throw it out there. People are going to talk shit no matter what, because people are assholes, but they're all losers. And it's just like, listen to what your mom said. Like that's the person you should listen to and not like some Joe Schmo on the internet or some like old white guy in a suit. I mean, people are I mean, you should see this. I mean, you're it's there's always going to be the haters, you know, no matter what. It's like you're always going to have the haters and the, you know, people who are jealous, competitive, whatever. But hopefully now we're living in a world where there's also so much support and like a better community. I feel like especially among women where you're like, you know, bringing each other up and not down. At least I feel like that it happens maybe with age. I don't know. Jack said a good thing. Like, I think and I wouldn't necessarily call you cringe like I find myself to be cringe, but I do love like, you know, we were just at Fashion Week. I was at Fashion Week this year. And, you know, we hate it. Jack and I tried to do a Fashion Week years ago. Becca's done that. We hate a Fashion Week because it's just people standing around being stuffy and assholes. and in the midst of it I got to go to your show and it was just so fabulous because you walk in and it was like the only place that all the fashion week girlies were like drinking a tea they were getting poems made they're watching a woman paint and it's like it's not stuffy it's

like everyone's talking to each other everyone's in these beautiful colors and like here you are the girl that's like I'm gonna do bows and sequins and all these things and then you're like oh hey Kelty, I'm going to come see you. I'm just talking to Vogue right now. So guess what? If it worked, like own your cringe to the top, you know? Yeah, exactly. And it's always like, don't fall. I mean, I always say that about fashion week. I always said I was never going to do fashion week. And then we actually did our first like presentation party when, you know, it was after COVID and everyone was like leaving New York and New York is dead. And you're, and I was like, this is my city. We need to know we're here.

We're sticking around. And we got the dancers to perform. We got, we started working with Marcella and we wanted like a celebration of like life and New York City and just art and performance and everything. So I think that's what is the most important thing. It's not about, yes, of course, we're showing a new collection too, but we also want to just like celebrate. Just celebrate your crunch. Okay. I have a question. Okay. So I feel like we're in this era, like you were saying, the minimalism, all this. I feel like there's this like sector of the internet, of Instagram, where there's all these like very strict rules when it comes to fashion. Like there's girls doing entire reels on like what shoe is appropriate for what cut of a

pant and what like it's what color and the how to sandwich your things. And I'm like, that adds so much stress to getting dressed every day with all the rules. And what I really admire about you and the brand is that there are really no rules on how to wear anything. It's like I walk into the store and there's girls that are belting things that I would be like, oh my God, I wouldn't have like the balls to do that. But like seeing you, you look so cool. It's very inspiring.

And then I'm like, I feel like I can't get in trouble with the fashion police when you're just kind of following what feels good. And I like harnessing that is such a hard thing to do. How would you tell somebody who's like a fashion victim of that like Instagram algorithm

to like start branching out and start thinking about what you like to look good at or what you like to wear, what you look good in? Yeah, I mean, there's no rules. when it comes to fashion. Like, I mean, whoever even said the white after, what is it? Memorial Day? Like, that's like ridiculous. I wear white all year long. I have no idea. It's kind of, it's a man. Yeah. Or don't wear black and brown together or don't mix like, I don't know, even like fabrics of X, Y, like a cotton with the silk or something like that. I mean, for me,

I feel like everything goes and it's also about individual style and how and I'm so inspired same as like when I see the girls in my office or anyone wearing whether it's Love Shack or anything and how they mix and style the pieces I think is like them wearing vintage with you know your Love Shack fancy piece and I saw these girls yesterday at San Vicente Bungalows like they bought this adorable vintage set I was like I'm obsessed with that like we need to recreate that in her own way, but then they mix it with their own style. So I think that, I mean, I see the younger girls really mixing it up. Maybe I'm not on that same algorithm that you are about like the rules because I wouldn't fall into that category. And I feel like it's just about the

playfulness and the individuality. And I see that everyone wants to add their own twist to it. Like they all, they don't want to look the same as everyone else. They, I even see it with like my daughters and their friends, they don't want to wear the same thing. My younger one, maybe like they're still in that twinning era, but the other one, forget it. Like, and if someone else has worn it, like also forget it. Meanwhile, she can't even wear the same thing twice, but I love to like repeat dresses and style it a different way or where, you know, I love when I, I fall in love with the style and I'll wear it with like an oversized sweater and then I'll felt it. And then I'll wear it as a dress. And like, even the dress I'm wearing right now, I was like, I've worn this

so many, I just love it. It just, it just like, I throw it on. If I feel like I don't even know what to wear it's just like it becomes a part of you you know so um i think that there are definitely no rules and that's what makes fashion so much fun right and that's what makes it it's like not serious you can't take fashion seriously you're taking fashion seriously there's a problem yeah that's so true on that note when we come back we're going to be able to play a very serious fashion game the lady gang okay we are back we are playing a game i will host it it's called bow or buy if you agree and you you think that this trend should stay then you bow it if you cannot do it then you buy it okay here we go these are all the trends for 2026

okay okay mob wife glamour bow or buy bow love bow um poet core billowy shirts lace collars romantic writing energy. Ooh. Bow. I'm going to say bow. It's like that is the most whimsiest thing you could do. Yeah, that was like

so Wuthering Heights. Oh my, I just saw it. Is it good? Wow. Yeah, I mean, it's intense. It's amazing, but it's, yeah. Did you guys see it? No.

We've been busy podcasting, Rebecca. Okay, brooches everywhere. Like the suits with a zillion brooches. Bow or bye? Bye. Okay. Yeah. I'm going to say a single brooch is very bi for me.

But if you're going all over the place, like more is more, like maybe that's a bow. Okay. Yeah. And a brooch on a man on a red carpet bums me out. Ew. Oh, it was everywhere. It was everywhere, right? We had too many.

Todd wore a brooch, a bow brooch to Scarlet Spot Mitzvah, and it was amazing. And then we realized we put after watching the red carpet, we're like, oh, my God, it was on the wrong side. So anyway. Is there a right side for a brooch? Yes, apparently it has to go. Because then we Googled it afterwards. It's supposed to go above the pocket. And we thought it was the opposite.

And he's like, oh, my God. No, no rules. Square toe flip-flop heel shoes. Bow or bye? Bye? I say bow. I just bought a pair. Okay.

Like a square toe heeled sandal? You know how, like, if you're normal, the toes are round and the bottom is square, but, like, your toes are just living on the top? Right. yeah I mean they're cute but my toes look weird in a square yeah situation same for me personally but for someone else yeah balloon trousers this was everywhere this is like the big it's like it looks like the Aladdin yeah like yeah I know you're making some Rebecca I know you're making a satin wait I need a pant we are making some so I would say I haven't tried them on yet so I would

say bow they look really cute on the model i i think i brought a pair so let's try it on okay yeah i find any reason i i am always looking to a like a jean alternative like anything that doesn't hug my thighs and my ass is really but it has it's very hard to find that like balance between like a cargo pant looking like a teacher and then also looking chic and it's hard so i hope i hope yours are great. Oh, my gosh. Good luck. Doilies as fashion. I just recently bought a Miu Miu sweater, vintage or off the real real, let's be honest. And it has like a doily collar. And I thought I was so chic and I haven't been able to wear yet because every time I put it on, I'm like, what am I doing? It's so ugly. Oh, my God. I mean, it sounds cute. So I would say bow.

I want to see it. Yeah. Jack's wearing doilies on her shirt. So I think you have to say bow. This is like, no, I'm not a doily person, but this is like, it's leveled out by the denim. That's a lace applique. I'm not a doily person. It's too girly for me, but I like it on other people. Okay. Tiny bows everywhere. Bow.

You guys can say bye, it's fine, whatever you want. Like on your clothing? Everywhere. On your clothes. I love it. I love a bow. The time that I tried to wear a bow on either side of my hair to host E! News and my boss was like, too many bows.

You need to take one off. That's like a three-year-old's hairstyle. I know. Okay, last thing. Vintage handbags versus new bags. Like everyone is just going back and buying like the bag that was cool 10 years ago. I'm obsessed with like Fendi vintage bags. All the vintage bags.

Bow, bow. Yeah, same. Yes, bow. Okay. Well, listen, I feel whimsical. Rebecca, I'm so glad that we got a chance to do this. And I do want everyone to know that Rebecca not only dressed us in cute Love Shack, but she also wants to dress the lady gang.

And so if you go to loveshackfancy.com right now, you can use promo code lady for 20% off your order. That's right, girls. And by the way, I know this for a fact, she never does discounts. So this is major. This is so major. loveshackfancy.com, use promo code lady, 20% off your order. And we're going to link everything we're wearing in the newsletter.

are. Rebecca, you're amazing. And thank you for being so whimsical, leading us into our new whimsy life. And congratulations on the new fragrance. Thank you. Go grab it at Sephora. It's so good. Oh my God, I love that. We're very excited to celebrate you. And we weren't here for a long time. We're here for a fancy time. Lady Gang is hosted and produced by Kelty Knight, Becca Tobin and Jack Vanek with social media support from Kali Carrera, audio and video editing from Jared Monaco and additional support from Steve Delameter and Podcast One. Make friends and be a part of something bigger. Because belonging shouldn't have a price tag.

Donate to the YMCA today at ymcagta.org slash belong.