Interplay Couture expands into Sparta
SPARTA — Lynn Cohen, a self-made fashionista, is working to make women feel elegant at her boutique Interplay Couture. Cohen recently debuted its new location in the Theatre Center in Sparta with a fashion filled evening inviting the community out.
Heading into the country
Cohen has been into fashion since age 19 when she met her husband and they went on to open a flagship boutique in Soho. They expanded with the pulse of the fashion industry and owned several other stores in trending areas such as Flat Iron and Greenwich Village.
Business boomed and they loved the city, but they also longed for a place in the country. A friend raved over Northwest, N.J., but having only experienced the cluttered Route 3 area of the state, the Cohens were skeptical at first. The friend told them to take Route 80 west until it “smelled good.” The Cohens piled their five dogs into their Honda Civic and headed west, landing in Lafayette where they rolled down the windows, smelled the country air and drove straight to the nearest real estate agent.
The Cohens bought a farm in Hampton as a weekend place at first but then found themselves commuting into the city more and more. A few years ago, they started talking about flipping things and living at the farm with a nearby store.
“We realized that there were enough women in the area interested in looking like individuals rather than getting caught up in the Armanis and Pradas of the world so we opened a by-appointment-only studio in Newton,” Cohen said.
It quickly became evident that women wanted it to be open more than by appointment only, so Cohen established some store hours several days a week and began thinking about a larger location. It became evident that they could and should expand, so they decided to move to the Theater Plaza in Sparta.
“We're thrilled with the location,” Cohen said.
Wearable art
Interplay Couture is named for what it is and does. Cohen marries varying styles together to create sleek, sophistication. She treats each customer differently and hand picks the fashions and accessories that fill her store. Her carefully curated collection of women's dresses, separates, outerwear and accessories come from a variety of designers from all over the world.
Tara Templeton, of Fredon said she went into Interplay Couture back when it was in Newton.
“I looked around and was pleasantly surprised and wound up buying a great coat,” Templeton said.
The coat is brown and black leather with a racing strap down the side and Templeton said, “It's totally unique and totally me. I get compliments on it every time I wear it.”
She said Cohen is a delight to work with and is very attentive, and she's told many friends about the store.
Cohen tells the story of a woman who had recently divorced and was working in advertising in Middletown, N.Y.
“She came into the store looking to upgrade her look and upgrade her game,” Cohen said.
Cohen created an outfit for her.
“The first time she wore it, she ran into an old friend who had a connection and set her up with a high-powered job interview. She wore the outfit to the interview, felt fully empowered and landed a job doing media advertising for CBS,” Cohen said.
Cohen has literally seen women cry as they see themselves in the mirror for the first time in an updated outfit.
“So often women get so caught up in being a mother and all the things in their lives that their sense of self gets completely lost," Cohen said. "Women will say to me, 'my daughter would look good in that,' and I say 'I'm sure she would but how about you.'”
Cohen is about styling women with their individual tastes in mind, then adding items to make their personality pop.
"I specialize in helping women feel good in their own skin and regaining a sense of feeling fabulous.”
With a tailor always on the premises, Interplay Couture offers the unique, timeless wardrobe staples and signature pieces which Cohen classifies as wearable art.
"Interplay is a theory of connectivity to culture, couture, and the sensuality of life," Cohen said.