Dakota Fanning and Saks Hosted a Stylish, S’Mores-Filled Summer Soirée in Sag Harbor

“She’s a fashion girl,” actress Dakota Fanning tells Vogue. “She’s hyper type A and feminine and she doesn’t want anything messed up.” She’s talking about Abby Winbury, whom she plays in the hotly-anticipated new series The Perfect Couple. Hours earlier, the first trailer for the adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand’s popular murder mystery beach read finally dropped online, and Fanning can be seen screaming at co-stars not to ruin her vintage frock.

While Fanning, who plays the daughter-in-law of Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber, is under lock and key and can’t say too much before the show graces screens this September, she’s still on a high from shooting the seaside-based storyline with such an epic cast, including her real-life close pal Eve Hewson. It’s one reason why she keeps finding herself drawn to visiting Sag Harbor in the Hamptons since wrapping up filming. “Everything is romanticized when you’re here. It’s like a movie set,” she says of the quaint town, where she says you’ll typically find her strolling down Main Street enjoying an ice cream. 

On Thursday, she was on co-hosting duty with Saks—and dressed in a suitably sunny Zimmermann number for the occasion. The luxury retailer’s annual Hamptons celebration once again saw friends of the brand join them Out East, this time at the newly-opened Sag Harbor Tavern for an evening of hearty fare and heavenly fashion. 

The other talk of the town apart from the aforementioned trailer? The burger. The eatery, an East End outpost of Red Hook Tavern, opened its doors to hungry Hamptonites on Memorial Day weekend, and no one has been able to stop raving about the 45-day dry-aged cheeseburger, which has long been an IYKYK order for Brooklyn locals.

As the first brand to host a takeover of the waterfront restaurant, Saks put on a real show. Once designers, models, tastemakers, editors, and top clients made their way into the patio dressed in the likes of Alaïa and Khaite, they were greeted with ambient music courtesy of Montauk’s soulful pop-rock duo, Kate Usher & the Sturdy Souls. Oysters, caviar, deviled eggs, and stuffed croquettes over cocktails during golden hour certainly whetted appetites for the al fresco dinner that awaited. 

“We’ve been very busy at Saks the last 14 months, and we’re really excited to get going on the next phase of our journey,” Saks CEO Marc Metrick told the crowd once seated, prompting rapturous applause in a nod to the retailer’s recent $2.65 billion deal to purchase Neiman Marcus Group.

A family-style meal ensued, with heaping share plates of the fabled burger (plus fries and pickles for the full experience), summer ravioli, and grilled whole Branzino. Cute mini key lime pies and espresso martinis sealed the deal afterward, while others eagerly made their way to a build-your-own s’mores station that had been set up nearby—complete with Saks-ified Graham crackers, no less.