Dakota Fanning Hosts Saks’ Annual Summer Dinner in the Hamptons

As has become an annual tradition , Saks gathered a crew of fashion folk for dinner on Thursday evening in the Hamptons, with the simple purpose of celebrating the summer season.

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This year’s dinner was cohosted by Dakota Fanning , who was joined by the likes of Tamron Hall, Rachel Zoe, Nacho Figueras and Delfina Blaquier, Leyna Bloom, Laura Kim, Fernando Garcia, Candace Bushnell, Jacquelyn Jablonski, Cate Holstein, Tina Craig, Ezra William, Ivan Pol, Charlotte Groeneveld, Casey Fremont, Jessica Wang, Alejandra Alonso Rojas, Tanya Taylor, Laurence Milstein and more.

Fanning had selected a yellow Zimmermann linen dress (from Saks, of course) for the night.

“I love Zimmermann. I think it’s so summer and fresh and easy,” she said from inside Sag Harbor Tavern during cocktail hour, as guests milled about outside with glasses of Champagne and spicy margaritas.

The actress was enjoying a two night trip out in the Hamptons , a place she said is “perfect” once you’ve made it there. “The only problem is just the logistics,” she said with a laugh.

Fanning recalled early Saks memories of shopping with her mother at their local store.

“It takes me back to my childhood and being in a dressing room with my mom trying on smocked dresses with big sleeves for hours,” Fanning said. “I was her first daughter and so I was her doll, trying on all the fashion moments. And then of course, as I’ve gotten older, there’s really nothing like Saks. I live in L.A. so I go to the one in L.A., but then going to New York and just being on those escalators and seeing the whole world of Saks is so iconic.”

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Fanning was due back in Los Angeles the day after the dinner in order to make her goddaughter’s fourth birthday party on Saturday. The rest of her summer will be spent in anticipation of promoting her upcoming Netflix series “The Perfect Couple,” which is out Sept. 5. The series, the first trailer for which was unveiled earlier in the day, stars Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber and Eve Hewson and is an adaptation of the 2018 Elin Hilderbrand novel.

“It was such a fun experience, such a dream. I had worked with the director Susanne Bier before and we were very close so it already felt very familiar. And then Eve Hewson is one of my closest friends, and so getting to work with her and then meet so many new people and work with Nicole — it’s going to be so easy to talk about because I had such a great time,” Fanning said. “We filmed in Cape Cod, not super dissimilar to this vibe.”

As guests sat down on the terrace of the newly opened Sag Harbor Tavern, which is run by the Red Hook Tavern team, Saks’ chief executive officer Marc Metrick addressed the one thing on everyone’s mind: the famed cheeseburger that has made Red Hook Tavern a destination.

“I’ve never been in a room with more vegetarians that couldn’t stop talking about a burger,” Metrick said. “So you’re all going to have the burger tonight.”

He then alluded to Saks ’ recent merger news: “We’ve been very busy at Saks the last 14 months. We’re excited to get going on the next phase of our journey,” he said, “and we’re so glad to kick it off and celebrate with you guys.”

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Dakota Fanning, Rachel Zoe, Jacquelyn Jablonski and More Celebrate Saks in the Hamptons