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The store is a space dedicated to individualism.
McMullen also provides a home and nurturing space for designers struggling to secure commercial retail partnerships.
Creating a space for those brands was always my purpose coming into the business.
Everything, she asserts, with [my] business is intentional.
Sherri McMullen, wearing a lime green Christopher John Rogers suit, inside her Oakland boutique.
McMullen’s goal to curate an all-inclusive fashion experience extends beyond what’s sold in-store and online.
McMullen offers customers a 360-degree immersive experience that provides both style and support.
Marie Claire: First, can you describe your style in three words?
Sherri McMullen: Timeless, fashionable, and experimental.
MC: What are a few of the holy grail items in your closet?
SM:Blazersof all styles, shapes, and colors.
I wear blazers overeverythingit’s become my uniform.
I wear them over dresses and skirts.
Sometimes, I wear them over swimwear in the summer and even over my workout clothes.
I collect pieces from his collections every season.
I cherish them, but I also wear them repeatedly.
Even if it’s a CJR ball skirt, I might wear it on a Tuesday with aT-shirtandBirkenstocks.
Sherri McMullen in a sky blue Christopher John Roger knit set alongside the designer himself.
MC: Speaking of your closet…how do you keep it organized?
SM:Typically, it reads like my store.
I keep my closet very organized because it’s my happy space.
I like to have my special pieces breathe so it’s possible for you to see them.
But generally, I organize by color and style.
My jackets are all together, my tops are all together, my dresses, and such.
Then, my prints are organized by the most prominent colors within the print.
The piece you would grab first in a fire?
SM:My mom’s cowboy boots.
Growing up in Oklahoma, she wore a lot of cowboy boots.
MC: Would you say your mother influences your personal style?
All of the women in my family, really.
My mom wouldalwayshave lipstick on.
She didn’t leave the house without looking [pulled] together.
Can you shout out another emerging designer that you foresee being huge?
SM:Diotima comes to mind.
We were among the first retailers to pick up Rachel Scott’s line.
[Scott] is a designer I wear often and a rising star.
Seeing how much she’s grown over the last three years has been wonderful.
She is truly talented.
you’re free to tell she really thinks about the customer that she’s dressing.
Her work is sensual but wearable.
I love how our customers have really grown with the brand, too.
MC: What are your thoughts on the current state of the fashion industry?
What would you like to see more of?
Fashion is a way to experiment and reveal your personality.
I think there shouldn’t be any rules that go along with that.
MC: Is there a particular fashion rule you really don’t agree with?
SM:This idea of seasonal dressing.
I probably shouldn’t say this as a shop owner because I know retail comes with seasons.
Autumn/Winter, Resort, and Pre-Springwe should throw all that out and start calling it something else.
Here, McMullen wears a Diotima macrame skirt and blazer with crochet panels.
MC: How about your thoughts on TikTok trends and all of those cores?
That’s what we really think about in terms of trends and people on social media who inspire us.
Sherri wearing her trusty staple: a hard-working blazer.
MC: How about thequiet luxuryof it all?
SM:Quiet luxury has been around for a really long time.
I dress how I feel: sometimes it’s quiet, and sometimes it’s not so quiet.
Fashion should go back to your personal style and how you’re feeling.
I don’t plan my outfits.
MC: When youre not looking inward for inspiration, what fuels youexternally?
Lets start with music.
SM:I’m old school.
I listen to eighties and nineties R&B.
Anything by Erykah Badu, The Police, and Tears for Fears.
Sherri McMullen inside her eponymous Oakland boutique.
MC: Similarly, are you reading anything you’re excited about?
SM:I’m not reading anything outside of business and fashion articles these days.
But I do have Aurora James’ bookWildfloweron my nightstand.
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