Cheryl Shops

Last summer, for the first time ever, I went to Fire Island, twice. The first time, I went with MW and two other couples. We stayed in a quiet, peaceful, nearly beachfront house where we grilled, drank, conversed, and had an awesomely mellow weekend. The second time, I went with a bunch of girlfriends for a bachelorette weekend, and we stayed in Ocean Beach, which is one of the more raucous, party-friendly towns on the island. And the great thing about Ocean Beach, if you are single, is that there are men everywhere. I can't remember the last time I was anywhere where men so outnumbered women. And we were hit on, bought drinks, and generally made to feel desired all weekend, which, for a bunch of old married and engaged ladies like us, was very flattering. Granted, there were a few single gals among the group, and they didn't do too poorly either. Maybe it was the beautiful weather, maybe it was the island setting, maybe it was the pink mystery shots we all took, but there was definitely something magical about that weekend.

Fire Island is the kind of place where people walk around barefoot with open beer bottles, which, if you ask me, just adds to its charm. And while many of its residents stick to cutoffs and T-shirts, I think there's something liberating about wearing a simple jersey dress with cute sandals (flat, of course--this is Fire Island we're talking about). One of the women on the bachelorette had just the perfect such dress, and, as it turns out, she designed it herself. That dress is the cheekily named Obi One from Play by Sarah Reilly. Sarah's line features soft, organic fabrics, and everything is made here in the U.S.A. Plus, Sarah knows from a good beach dress--she grew up in Southampton, after all.

MW and I have a Fire Island house secured for this summer (we're sharing it with our friends), we'll have plenty to eat and drink, and based on the weather thus far, I think we're in for a gorgeous season. All that was missing, until now, was the perfect thing to wear.