Plus Sherri McMullen arrives in San Francisco
Words by MAX BERLINGER, KERSTIN CZARRA, DAVID NASH, ELIZABETH VARNELL
In With the Old
RALPH LAUREN clothes are meant to be worn. The brand is now offering, online and in select stores, a curated assortment of hand-sourced vintage pieces that have been restored by a team of in-house experts and will be replenished monthly. A glimpse at the first delivery is an exhaustive, kaleidoscopic vision of America, including patinated denim jackets and tweed jackets with a whiff of upper-crust Anglomania. ralphlauren.com. M.B.
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In the Fast Lane
Carolina Cucinelli, daughter of the designer BRUNELLO CUCINELLI, and her husband, Alessio Piastrelli, took their first motorcycle rides as children. Today riding has become a beloved pastime, a way to relax when they’re not working (Cucinelli is a vice president and co–creative director of the brand; Piastrelli is the creative director of men’s). Since moving to L.A., they have taken their love to the streets, driving along PCH or up to Griffith Observatory. This passion has led to the brand’s release of Road to Solomeo, a riding-inspired collection available exclusively at Neiman Marcus. Highlights for women include a cropped jacket made from buttery Nappa leather and Chelsea boots with a sparkling strap for a touch of feminine allure; for men, a leather riding jacket with a shearling collar and leather gloves. Tailoring, hats, and a handkerchief in a rich, earthy palette round out the collection. neimanmarcus.com. M.B.
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Heights of Fashion
Style-savvy San Franciscans no longer need to cross the Bay Bridge to get their high-fashion fix from Sherri McMullen’s eponymous Oakland flagship: McMULLEN has opened a highly anticipated second location in Presidio Heights. Outfitted by San Francisco interior designer Noz Nozawa, the boutique offers an inviting approach to retail therapy with its bright white walls and well-curated mix of furnishings. The design concept enhances the retailer’s eagle-eyed aesthetic and knack for selecting the best pieces from designers and brands like Christopher John Rogers, Proenza Schouler, Dries Van Noten, Khaite, Lisa Folawiyo, Kamperett, Wales Bonnner, and Malene Birger. 3687 Sacramento St., S.F.; shopmcmullen.com. D.N.
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Andiamo to Glendale
The elegant conceptual designs creative director Matthieu Blazy creates for BOTTEGA VENETA are landing in Glendale at the house’s new boutique at The Americana at Brand. His men’s and women’s lines, along with interior objects — all studies in understated elegance — are here, as are coveted bag and shoe designs often incorporating or riffing on the atelier’s signature intrecciato technique. The house’s roster of ready-to-wear and carryalls, including its Andiamo bag (inspired by the notion of designs made to move), a messenger version for men, and all manner of Blink mules and Sunday slippers, are debuting just below the Verdugo Mountains. 798 Americana Way, The Americana at Brand, Glendale, 818-864-0165; bottegaveneta.com. E.V.
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Treasure Trove
For nearly 40 years, AUGUSTINA’S has been keeping things classy in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea — first with owner Tracy Delaney Odle’s Augustina’s Leather shop (opened by her sister Jamie in 1987) and, later, a dedicated designer boutique. Both locations of the fashion retail mainstay offer a wide array of clothing, jewelry, and accessories for men and women, including Herno down-filled coats, Iris von Arnim cashmere sweaters, soft tees from Majestic Filatures, Sophique Milano suede loafers, sneakers from P448, and Jimmy Choo evening bags. Maybe pick up a little something from Buccellati, Sidney Garber, or Pomellato, or snag one of the boutique’s bespoke limited-edition denim jackets embellished with designer fabric and textile elements. San Carlos & 6th Ave. and Ocean Ave., Carmel; augustinasdesignerboutique.com, augustinaleathers.com. D.N.
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Resort Style
If you thought the Pacific Palisades couldn’t get any more stylish, the new CULT GAIA boutique will prove you wrong. With outposts from urbane New York City to idyllic St. Barts, it marks the sixth — and possibly the most enchanting — brick-and-mortar shop from Los Angeles brand founder and designer Jasmin Hekmat. For the 1,225-sq.-ft. space, the fashion and accessories darling hooked up with architecture and design firm Sugarhouse to create what principals Jess and Jonathan Nahon have named “The Shell” in a nod to its subtle seaside design references and proximity to the Pacific Ocean. Plaster walls and pastellone floors incorporate terra-cotta granules re-creating the texture and color of sand, softened edges ripple through the interior contours and furnishings like a wave-shaped sofa, and undulating clothing racks and rock formation–like display pieces make for an otherworldly retail experience that showcases a wide selection of the brand’s ready-to-wear, shoes, bags, and accessories. 15225 Palisades Village Lane, Pacific Palisades; cultgaia.com. D.N.
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Feeling Quilty
Designer, author, and lifestyle expert NATHAN TURNER’s new California Collection — a line of linens and clothing that combines classic motifs with an easy, approachable vibe — is his most personal yet. He started with a memory mood board, and prints began to pop out like an English Chintz his grandmother loved: a rustic horse blanket, wild quail, and Western-leaning florals and stripes. From there, the designer gave each of the 33 patterns a Turner twist. The English-inspired florals are more graphic, with crisper palettes like blue, brown, and fresh greens. The stripe, blanket, and quilt prints read more geometric than granny. There’s even a take on a classic French toile, replacing pastoral European gentry with lasso-tossing cowboys and ranch dogs. Each one is an homage to the wild, natural beauty found in the Golden State. nathanturner.com. K.C.
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Style Sanctuary
It has been 30 years since fashion designer ERICA TANOV opened her first shop in Berkeley. That’s where she offered, among other things, her slip dresses and camisoles favored by stars like Tilda Swinton and Sarah Jessica Parker. In the years that followed, Tanov has established a holistic lifestyle brand that includes “relaxed luxury” garments, hand-silk-screened wallpaper, architectural tiles, furniture, bedding, linens, and cherry-picked antiques. To mark her three-decade milestone, she has taken up residence in a historical three-story Italianate Victorian mansion in the heart of Berkeley that serves as her brand’s studio and showroom. The 3,632-sq.-ft. manse — with its period details and old-world charm — houses the style arbiter’s growing signature home collection alongside exceptional vintage finds. By appointment only. ericatanov.com. D.N.
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Street Smart
DKNY takes inspiration from archival looks designed for the concrete jungle with its 35th anniversary collection. The line of streetwear staples debuted in 1989, and alongside such standouts as pinstripes and puffers there have always been a roster of denim designs and even sequin-laden dresses, not to mention pioneering bodysuits now reimagined with a sheer twist. Handbags and cases round out the collection, as do boots, loafers, pumps, mules. The looks, as always, are designed for a life led in motion, bringing to mind archival images of DKNY-clad creatives stepping inside a yellow cab or sprinting out of one as it weaves back into lanes of traffic. dkny.com. E.V.
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Locked and Loaded
A roster of international creatives is taking on the GIVENCHY Shark Lock Boot Project this fall, interpreting the singular footwear through images and film. The Parisian house tapped creative director Jamie Reid, who assembled photographers Alessandro Furchino Capria and Jet Swan and artist and filmmaker Sharna Osborne in London as well as Tokyo lensman Takashi Homma to interpret the boot through their viewfinders. Swan uses a studio setting, whereas Furchino Capria places a single shoe in various environments to document the object’s interaction with its surroundings. Osborne sets the design amid a vibrant mix of groceries using technicolor backgrounds, and Homma blends his still-life shots with arresting portraiture while proving that the boots are indeed made for walking. givenchy.com. E.V.
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Getting Closure
PRADA’s eclectic Buckle bag, made with personalization in mind, shape-shifts from a casual shoulder sack to a primly knotted carryall with the clinch of a belt. The calfskin exterior, with nappa leather lining, is designed in multiple sizes and with varying belt widths, all of which can be styled and reworked on the run. Detachable leather shoulder straps add an extra cross-body option, and leather handles give the three-compartment design an elegant structure. There are single belt versions for minimalists and double belt bags for those seeking a more playful option. One thing is clear: There’s no prescribed way to carry this versatile handbag. 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., Valley Fair, San Jose, 408-241-2945; 343 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-278-8661; 3333 Bristol St., South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-338-2200; prada.com. E.V.
Portions of this story originally appeared in the Fashionable Living 2024 issue of C Magazine.
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