Having summered on the island since 1997, Beth Taylor loved the particular style of the island, which she describes as “ocean elegance.” The simplicity of the island’s aesthetic, which inspired a single dress silhouette, has morphed into a resort wear label called Kahora, which is an ancient word meaning “mind consciousness.” Taylor’s resort wear label combines femininity and sophistication with timeless designs meant to be worn all season long.

This summer, Nantucket’s fashionistas can find the entire collection during her on-island pop-up at Milly & Grace on July 13. “It’s funny because I live in Palm Beach and started the brand there, but it was Nantucket where people first embraced it,” says Taylor, a former professional photographer. “Clothing sales completely exceeded my expectations that summer. The local community really looks out for one another. I feel like I experienced that support.”

Luxurious textiles and dreamy prints are front and center in Kahora’s 2024 capsule collection, all inspired by the French Riviera. Hues like sage green, ballet pink, and French blue echo the landscape of the iconic travel destination. Other designs include the original breezy, sleeveless cotton voile style called La Guerite that started it all. Caftans, mini dresses, and button-down shirt dresses are also available. The designs are meant to be worn for any occasion, from a casual shopping day in Town to a sunset dinner at Toppers.

What they all have in common are the colorful, swirling floral prints that are the brand’s signature. Taylor and her team design all the prints in-house and take equal care in selecting fabrics that not only show the patterns well but are soft, lightweight, and easy to pack. “The Nantucket style is easy to wear and uncomplicated but still refined, sophisticated, and high quality,” says Taylor, who lives in Palm Beach during the offseason.

Born into a family of creatives, her grandmother taught her how to sew on an old Singer sewing machine, giving her a base to start Kahora from early on. “We knew that women wanted pretty, flattering silhouettes they could wear from day to night with great color combinations.”



After another blissful summer winds down, Taylor will continue her ongoing mission to establish a scholarship for workers at the factory where Kahora is manufactured in Colombia to further their education. She is also laser-focused on refining the collection. She says, “Some brands try to diversify too early. I want to perfect what we’re doing right now and continue to concentrate on amazing prints and silhouettes. We want to be the dress that you know will still be stylish and sophisticated in five years.”