Marcella Guarino Hymowitz & Rebecca Hessel Cohen
Meld Dance with Fashion
By Bennett Marcus
Close friends Rebecca Hessel Cohen and Marcella Guarino Hymowitz are both businesswomen in creative fields. Hessel Cohen is the founder and creative director of the fashion and lifestyle brand LoveShackFancy. Guarino Hymowitz is a multi-hyphenate dancer, choreographer, fitness instructor, events producer for her company, Studio MGH Creative, and, most recently, founder of the dance and fitness studio The Pearl NYC.
The two have bonded as friends, mothers and philanthropists. Their mutual love of dance led them to join forces for causes they care about, including the New York City Ballet’s Nutcracker Family Benefit, which they have co-chaired numerous times, and the Youth America Grand Prix, the world’s largest dance network.
What Makes Marcella Tick
Marcella Guarino Hymowitz is that rare person who was lucky enough to discover her passion for dance as a child, and through hard work and determination, has made it her life’s work.
Throughout her school and college years, she studied all forms of the art, from classical ballet to tap, jazz, street, musical theater and gymnastics. While studying exercise science at Rutgers University, she was a part of the school’s nationally ranked dance team. In 2001, she became a Knicks City Dancer, was featured in publications like Dance magazine, and even appeared on Sex and the City. She wrote, composed and directed her own off-Broadway show in collaboration with renowned dance-world figures Amy Ryerson, Brice Mousset and Jon Rua. Later, she formed her own event production company, MGH Creative, which choreographs and directs entertainment for private events like red-carpet galas and Netflix premieres. Now, she spearheads The Pearl NYC, a new dance fitness and wellness studio on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where she is not only the owner, but also teaches some classes.
Guarino Hymowitz is active in a number of charitable organizations, including the NYC Ballet, for which she has co-chaired the Nutcracker Family Benefit, and Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), which provides dance education and opportunities for underserved young talents, where she acts as trustee and gala Creative Chair.
When I ask the mother of three and stepmother of three how she defines herself, she laughs and says she’s a little bit of everything. “I’m a philanthropist. I’m a studio owner. I’m an instructor. I’m a creative director with Studio MGH, when clients bring me on, they don’t bring me on to just choreograph. I come in to help direct the entire night. How do we want people to feel when they walk into the room of the party? What is the music that’s playing? What is the lighting design? What does the room look like? Are there performers? I think of myself as a creative director, a philanthropist, just everything…”, she trails off. “That’s a great question. I like to think that I’m not defined by one thing.”
The Pearl NYC
“Aside from my family, The Pearl is what I’m most proud of,” Guarino Hymowitz says. “It is a studio built not just for dancers, but for anyone seeking strength, confidence, creativity and connection. It’s a space where girls, teens and adults can grow stronger in both mind and body; where they can try something new without fear, where movement is joyful rather than intimidating, and where growth is measured in courage, not perfection.”
This establishment is where Guarino Hymowitz feels she has come full circle, back in the studio where she was happiest as a child. “It’s where I built my confidence through movement, community and self-expression. It’s a space that exists so people can feel seen, supported and empowered in their bodies and in their lives.”
Next-door Neighbors, Workout Partners
The two really got to know each other during the pandemic, when they lived next door to each other in Manhattan. Guarino Hymowitz had stepped away from work for a few years to focus on motherhood when Covid struck. While everything was shut down, she began teaching dance and leading workouts in her basement studio. Participants would swab upstairs, and if everyone was negative, they’d go downstairs and work out.
The two women were neighborly, and one day when they bumped into each other, Guarino Hymowitz invited Hessel Cohen to join her workouts; she jumped at the chance and thereafter went every day. thepearlnyc.com
Rebecca Hessel Cohen Follows Her Instincts
Rebecca Hessel Cohen founded her fashion brand LoveShackFancy in 2013, and the company has grown over the years, now comprising 27 stores across the U.S., with one in London.
The line has grown from a few styles of dresses to over 100 each season, including children’s, teens and women’s, from fancy beading to everyday cotton to silks, swimwear, activewear, robes and sleepwear. They’ve expanded into other categories, adding fragrances, beauty, smaller accessories, home, bedding, pillows and towels. They even offer a bit of men’s swimwear now.
LoveShackFancy’s aesthetic is unapologetically feminine and romantic, featuring vintage-inspired prints, florals, ruffles, lace, bows and lots of pink. This was Hessel Cohen’s vision from the beginning, and she has never swayed, ignoring industry naysayers who claimed it wouldn’t sell.
When she started out, wholesale showrooms insisted this style wasn’t trending at that time; they wanted monochromatic, modern, bold colors. Hessel Cohen followed her instincts and never wavered. “And they were totally wrong,” she says. “I always say when someone says, ‘This isn’t going to work,’ you have to trust your gut. I wasn’t about to change for them. I was like, well, this is what it is. This is what I do; it’s romantic, it’s feminine, it’s soft colors, and if you don’t want to be a part of it, well, then that’s okay.”
Emotional Connection with Customers
In a way, Hessel Cohen has built her business the old-fashioned way, trusting her sense of what customers want, rather than being led by marketers and trends. “I’ve been a huge collector of vintage clothing for as long as I can remember. My mom was a big collector; I sort of grew up around all of that, antique lace, vintage textiles. So, it was really always my vision: how can you recreate that?” Hessel Cohen’s process reminds me of Ralph Lauren, who has similarly achieved great success following his own particular sensibility consistently over the years.
Hessel Cohen feels that the reason big retailers are suffering today is that they are not connected to the customer. “I was always very connected to whoever my customer was, whether it was through social media or just one-to-one. That’s why I love to be in our stores, I love to connect directly with every single girl or woman who’s wearing our clothes.” She reaches her customers on an emotional level, something that simply cannot be achieved through algorithms and spreadsheets.
Bricks & Mortar Scores a Draw
LoveShackFancy’s physical stores still draw shoppers in droves, even in this era of online shopping. “We really have a very multi-generational clientele, we say it’s ‘babies to 80s’,” Hessel Cohen explains. “We have little girls all the way to grandmas that connect through LoveShackFancy; they love to come to the stores together, they go shop. It’s very experiential for them. And the minute you walk into our store, it’s like walking into a world of the brand. It’s an extension. It feels very emotional from all different touchpoints, from the music to the florals, to the pink colors, to the clothes.” The brand does have robust online sales, but Hessel Cohen says that going to the stores is very different. “It’s warm, it’s welcoming, it’s as if you’re walking into your home and you’re meeting your best girlfriends and you’re all just having a party. You try things on, you talk, just comfortable and friendly and girly.”
Company Origin
When Hessel Cohen married in 2010, she couldn’t find bridesmaid dresses that she liked, so she decided to design her own. As a fashion and beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, she often visited showrooms in Manhattan’s garment district. She bought some fabrics, found a pattern maker and designed an ethereal halter dress for her wedding attendants. People liked the dresses, asked to order them and Hessel Cohen began making them and doing pop-ups in the Hamptons as a sideline. Eventually, she realized it could become a business, left the magazine world and launched her company.
What started as her bridesmaid’s dress was the fancy. And then Hessel Cohen wanted to wear the same dress to the beach as a cover-up, and so it needed a shack version. And then she would wear the same dress every day as a go-to, and that’s the love version. “So, we still think of the line as having all three parts of it, the love, the shack, the fancy. There’s the beachy, undone, easy part. There’s the love, which is what you’re putting on every single day. And then there’s the fancy, which is the occasion and more special pieces.”
The company is still family-owned, and Hessel Cohen is the brand’s creative director, working on sourcing, concept, visuals and storytelling. “I source all over the world, beautiful vintage clothing for inspiration. We’re recreating French lace from the 1800s, beautiful embroidery, we’re making it our own, customizing it. I’m taking antique florals or jacquards or textiles and reinterpreting it and giving it new life.” And then she works with her design team to come up with a concept. “We really get in there and design the story together.”
Collaborated on Hessel Cohen’s 40th Birthday Bash
“Rebecca came over every day to work out, and we were forming this bond, but all she knew of me was that I was another Upper East Side mother,” says Guarino Hymowitz. “She didn’t know anything about my past as an event producer.” Hessel Cohen had been planning her 40th birthday party and asked Guarino Hymowitz to look at a proposal she’d received from an entertainment company. She thought the price seemed much too high. Guarino Hymowitz looked at it and said, “I could do this for you. This is what I used to do. I did it for nightclubs. I did it for my own wedding. I know all the people in the industry. I would love to help you.” Hessel Cohen agreed, and with only three weeks to go before the event, Guarino Hymowitz took over to rework all facets of the party.
“I’ll never forget my husband turning to me one night and saying, ‘You either made a new best friend, or you’re never going to speak to her again,’” Guarino Hymowitz laughs. “Luckily, I made a new best friend; it was a success. I contacted some of my old event production friends, put together a team and we joined forces and created this incredible party for Rebecca.”
Co-creating Events for LoveShackFancy
After that, Hessel Cohen asked Hymowitz to help her with her fashion shows and presentations with her company, LoveShackFancy. “Rebecca’s love of dance is woven into the creative fabric of LoveShackFancy,” says Guarino Hymowitz.
Hessel Cohen explained that anytime her company does an event, whether for Fashion Week or a product launch, it’s experiential, with music and dancers. “It’s not just models; boom, boom, boom, boom, boom; it’s live performances. There are dancers involved. The models are dancing. The clothes are moving. There’s a feeling. It’s always a party. And every time it’s a mix of fashion meets music, meets dance.” She wants attendees to walk in and experience a feeling of happiness, joy and excitement. “You know when you’re going to LoveShackFancy, you’re going to feel good. You are going to leave everything else that’s going on in life that can be dark and depressing and scary, and you’re going to go in and be filled with this kind of passion and excitement.”
“When she met me”, Guarino Hymowitz explains, “it was, ‘Oh my God, I can actually make it happen. This is someone who has access to the dance world and understands the world of ballet and dance.’ And so, we feature ballerinas and dancers in almost all her brand activations.”
“We do so many events, and that’s where it comes into working closely with Marcella,” says Hessel Cohen. “She has become such a close friend, and she is really my creative counterpart for the events and translating what I see from the fashion into the music, the dancers. She is able to get into my mind and brain and say, ‘Okay, we’re going to do this, and here’s how we’re going to express it in dance and music and make the entire event come to life.’” loveshackfancy.com
Hunter Boots Times Square Flash Mob
One memorable event was a flash mob in Times Square to launch LoveShackFancy’s collaboration with Hunter Boots. Hessel Cohen’s directive was to “make a splash, do something big.” LoveShackFancy’s head of marketing suggested a flash mob, and they loved the idea. Guarino Hymowitz choreographed 40 dancers, ages 9 to adult, performing on the red TKTS steps, all wearing the pink Hunter boots and LoveShackFancy dresses. “It was incredible because the boots were going to be featured on this big billboard in Times Square,” she says.
Stanley 1913 x LoveShackFancy Rockefeller Center Pop-up
Last November, for a LoveShackFancy x Stanley 1913 water bottle pop-up shop in Rockefeller Center, they conjured up a dance performance with three ballerinas, one from Boston Ballet, one from Dance Theater of Harlem and another from ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School.
Choreographing LoveShackFancy’s Fashion Shows
Guarino Hymowitz noted that by bringing the spirit of dance into the fashion world, Hessel Cohen is creating a “beautiful intersection” where art, movement and fashion all meet. “She also brings me in to work with her models,” Guarino Hymowitz says. “I movement direct the models to give them a feeling. I give them an idea and some inspiration behind the movement to reach the personality and the feel of the clothes that she wants to exude.” This, she adds, is also a great way to introduce new audiences to the grace and power of dance.
The 2026 YAGP Gala
Through their mutual love of dance, each friend recruited the other to support their favorite dance world charities: Hessel Cohen drew Guarino Hymowitz to the ABT Nutcracker Benefit, and Hessel Cohen stepped up for YAGP.
LoveShackFancy has joined YAGP’s signature “Pointe Project,” in which fashion designers and artists are asked to create unique pointe shoes that are auctioned off at the gala to raise money for the scholarships. “It’s a really fun way of getting the fashion world and design world to support dance education,” says Guarino Hymowitz.
Hessel Cohen was also honored for her efforts at the YAGP Gala alongside Mick Jagger’s fiancé and retired ABT ballerina, Melanie Hamrick. “Rebecca has been so supportive of the dance world and the ballet world, always involving them in everything she does,” says Guarino Hymowitz, who served as the gala’s “Creative Chair.” “So, it was natural for us to ask her to be honored this year for the Youth America Grand Prix. She’s embraced our mission. She recognizes that every great performance is years of dedication, training and passion. And she has a deep appreciation for the arts, and she has also helped to ensure that dance continues to flourish for the next generation.”
