By Michael McCarthy By Michael McCarthy | October 4, 2022 | People, Feature,
Sophisticated with a dash of swagger—these San Francisco trendsetters prove that style is indeed a state of mind.
The hottest fashion curator in the Bay Area right now (she dressed Stephen Curry for the recent NBA finals), Sherri McMullen (@sherri.mcmullen) has never wavered from her commitment to showcase emerging designers of color worldwide. Think Khiry, Lisa Folawiyo, Aisling Camps and Tove. She says opening her boutique (@shopmcmullen) in Oakland was deliberate; she wanted to bring luxury shopping to a neighborhood with a strong sense of community and a diverse population. Vogue has named the space the top boutique in the country. McMullen is on the advisory board for the Black in Fashion Counsel and a mentor for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.
WAKE-UP TIME:
6am
DOPPELGANGER:
GABRIELLE UNION
ESCAPE:
FRANCE
WEAKNESS:
WHITE WINE
MY FASHION AESTHETIC:
ONE COLOR IN MANY SHADES WORN TOGETHER, OVERSIZED BLAZER, MIXING PRINTS
UNIFORM:
DRESS AND AN AMAZING PAIR OF SHOES
CHERISHED ACCESSORY:
FIRST CHANEL BAG THAT I SAVED TO BUY ON MY OWN
YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH:
DRESSES
WORKOUT:
A MIX OF PILATES, BARRE, BOOTCAMP AND RUNNING
MOVIE:
LOVE JONES
MENTOR:
MANY
STYLE ICON:
TRACEE ELLIS ROSS
SHOES:
HEELS
LIPSTICK:
RED
BEST FASHION ADVICE:
KNOW WHAT LOOKS BEST ON YOU, AND YOU’LL NEVER GO WRONG WHEN DRESSING YOURSELF. WHETHER THAT’S A COLOR OR A SILHOUETTE, KNOW YOUR BEST LOOKS.
PHILANTHROPY:
WOMEN, CHILDREN AND THE ARTS
MANTRA:
GET COMFORTABLE WITH BEING A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE.
CURRENT STYLE OBSESSION:
CORSETS
APPS:
SKINCARE ESSENTIAL:
VINTNER’S DAUGHTER
BEDTIME:
11pm
BEDSIDE READING:
READING TO MY SON
BAG:
BOTTEGA VENETA
SIGNATURE SCENT:
BYREDO
Noted as the top stylist in the region, Mary Gonsalves Kinney (@mgkstyle) is the founder and CEO of her fashion styling company MGK STYLE with clients in Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Seattle, Chicago, New York and D.C. Her client list includes top execs from Global 500 tech companies, film directors, actors and athletes, and she has an extensive relationship with the world’s top luxury designers. Each year, Kinney is front and center at Paris Fashion Week with clients to preorder the hottest collections. Her most recent gigs include styling for the Met Gala, Critics Choice, the Oscars, NBA All-Stars and the ESPYs.
WAKE-UP TIME:
6am
DOPPELGANGER:
MY 16-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER
ESCAPE:
A RUN OUTSIDE OR ANY FORM OF SLEEP
WEAKNESS:
NEVER SAYING NO TO NEW PROJECTS OR CLIENTS EVEN IF I’M SLAMMED
MY FASHION AESTHETIC:
MODERN EFFORTLESS EUROPEAN CHIC
UNIFORM:
LATELY, IT HAS BEEN A BODYSUIT AND MARGIELA JEANS, CELINE PLATFORM SNEAKERS OR A SILK SKIRT, CROP TOP AND YSL CROPPED BLAZER.
CHERISHED ACCESSORY:
MY GRANDMOTHER’S GOLD AND DIAMOND VINTAGE RING
YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH:
SHOES OR HANDBAGS—OR DIAMONDS!
WORKOUT:
RUN OUTSIDE OR SOULCYCLE
MOVIE:
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, MAMMA MIA! (PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING WITH MERYL STREEP)
MENTOR:
MY PARENTS, MY DEAR FRIEND DAMION AND MY BELOVED FRIEND ANDREA, WHO PASSED RECENTLY
STYLE ICON:
CAROLYN BESSETTE-KENNEDY
SHOES:
CHANEL SLINGBACKS
LIPSTICK:
HERMÈS ORANGE MATTE
BEST FASHION ADVICE:
BE YOURSELF, BUT HAVE FUN. FASHION IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN OUTWARD EXPRESSION OF WHO YOU ARE, SO LET IT RIP.
PHILANTHROPY:
FUNDRAISER AND DONOR TO PLANNED PARENTHOOD CALIFORNIA, ACTBLUE, NAACP, ACLU, MOMS DEMAND ACTION
MANTRA:
BE KIND, BE FIERCE, BE GENUINE.
CURRENT STYLE OBSESSION:
I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M SAYING THIS, BUT LOW-RISE JEANS AND OVERSIZE BLAZERS.
APP:
CAVIAR, DUH
COCKTAIL:
CHARDONNAY, PLEASE
SKINCARE ESSENTIAL:
TNS ADVANCED SERUM AND SUNSCREEN
BEDTIME:
11:30pm
BEDSIDE READING:
SADLY, MY PHONE
THEME SONG TO YOUR LIFE:
‘RUN THE WORLD (GIRLS)’ BY BEYONCÉ
BAG:
TOO MANY TO SPECIFY, BUT IN SHEER VALUE AND FOR ARCHIVAL PURPOSES MY HERMÈS KELLYS AND BIRKINS
SIGNATURE SCENT:
I BLEND SEVERAL, BUT MY BASE ALWAYS INCLUDES PENHALIGON’S HALFETI, BOTTEGA VENETA’S KNOT, CELINE’S PARADE.
Sobia Shaikh (@sobiaashaikh) seems to be everywhere at once these days: boutique openings downtown, the hottest restaurants and galas and fundraisers for passion projects like UNICEF, where she’s on the board of directors for the Northwest region. The model, ad executive and lifestyle content creator with 250,000 IG followers works with brands like Valentino, Qatar Airways, Juice Beauty and Carbon Health, among others. Shaikh’s volunteer activities lean toward repping brands that are civically minded, particularly those that have sustainability as part of their missions. Always evolving, the fashion dynamo is pursuing her lifelong dream of learning French; she’s traveling to France this fall to boost her speaking skills. “And travel for me means an opportunity to create spectacular new content for my followers,” she says.
WAKE-UP TIME:
7am
DOPPELGANGER:
EMMANUELLE ALT
ESCAPE:
ST-TROPEZ
WEAKNESS:
CROISSANTS WITH ORANGE MARMALADE
MY FASHION AESTHETIC:
CLASSIC WITH AN EDGE
UNIFORM:
PALAZZO JEANS, CROP TOP AND BLACK SAINT LAURENT BLAZER
CHERISHED ACCESSORY:
MY WEDDING BAND
YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH:
DARK CHOCOLATE
WORKOUT:
ABS, ABS, ABS!
MOVIE:
MAMMA MIA!
MENTOR:
BOTH OF MY SISTERS
STYLE ICON:
ELIZABETH VON DER GOLTZ
SHOES:
GOLDEN GOOSE
LIPSTICK:
PILLOW TALK BY CHARLOTTE TILBURY
BEST FASHION ADVICE:
WEAR YOUR CLOTHES, DON’T LET THEM WEAR YOU.
PHILANTHROPY:
UNICEF
CURRENT STYLE OBSESSION:
THIGH-HIGH SLIT SKIRTS
APP:
CHEEZUS
COCKTAIL:
ROSÉ ALL DAY!
SKINCARE ESSENTIAL:
BIOLOGIQUE RECHERCHE
BEDTIME:
LATE...
BEDTIME READING:
A NEW EARTH BY ECKHART TOLLE
THEME SONG TO YOUR LIFE:
‘CATCH & RELEASE’ BY MATT SIMONS
BAG:
HERMÈS KELLY 28— GRIS ASPHALTE
SIGNATURE SCENT:
BÄUMER VENDÔME SIGNATURE PARFUM
As the creative director and co-founder of DANNIJO (dannijo.com), a sister-run lifestyle brand with a cult following known for its statement jewelry, palette-cleansing silk slips and resortleisure ready-to-wear, Danielle Snyder Shorenstein (@danielleasnyder) is thriving as a bicoastal entrepreneur. DANNIJO consistently champions causes the sisters love, including a recent alignment with Vanessa Bryant and its fundraising collection of tie-dye hoodies and sweats set benefiting the Mamba & Mambacita Foundation. Always expanding its reach, DANNIJO recently opened a San Francisco summer pop-up shop on Maiden Lane in partnership with Blake Charles Salon. Shorenstein is also the founder and CEO of BOXERINA (boxerina.fit), a ballet-meets-boxing workout with an emphasis on low-impact toning movements.
WAKE-UP TIME:
I ALWAYS HIT SNOOZE.
DOPPELGANGER:
HAVEN’T MET HER YET
ESCAPE:
THE BEACH
WEAKNESS:
VINTAGE SHOPPING AND SWEETS
UNIFORM:
MEN’S BUTTON-DOWN
CHERISHED ACCESSORIES:
ENGAGEMENT RING AND LOU SIENNA AND RAFA LEE CHARM NECKLACE
YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH:
LOVE
WORKOUT:
MOVIE:
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
MENTOR:
MY PARENTS
STYLE ICON:
’90S KATE MOSS
SHOES:
BAREFOOT
LIPSTICK:
NARS DANCE FEVER
BEST FASHION ADVICE:
‘BE YOURSELF, EVERYONE ELSE IS ALREADY TAKEN’ FROM OSCAR WILDE
PHILANTHROPY:
PLANNED PARENTHOOD AND EVERYTOWN
MANTRA:
LIVE LIGHTLY.
CURRENT STYLE OBSESSION:
CROPPED BOXY BLAZERS
APP:
COCKTAIL:
MARTINI
SKINCARE ESSENTIAL:
WATER
BEDTIME:
DEPENDS ON THE DAY
BEDSIDE READING:
KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL BY ANTHONY BOURDAIN
THEME SONG TO YOUR LIFE:
‘THIS MUST BE THE PLACE’ BY TALKING HEADS
BAG:
RAFFIA PRADA TRIANGLE CROSSBODY
SIGNATURE SCENT:
AU NATUREL
Maria Di Grande, the founder and principal of MDG Art Advisory (mariadigrande.com), makes a big city’s interior square footage look extraordinary as she collaborates with developers, project architects and interior designers. The master curator recently partnered with Four Seasons Private Residences at 706 Mission, San Francisco, where she assembled art for the property’s public and private spaces. She also works with notable Bay Area artists like Brent Townsend and commissions pieces for residential projects from creators in other cities like London’s Helen Amy Murray and Los Angeles’ Mara De Luca. Next up: curating a large-scale sculptural element that will be installed as part of the public-facing space of Winthrop Center, a new, 691-foot mixed-use tower located in the heart of Boston.
WAKE-UP TIME:
6am
DOPPELGANGER:
FRENCH ACTRESS CAPUCINE
NEMESIS:
ITALIAN GELATO
ESCAPE:
MUSEUMS AT THE END OF THE DAY, AN HOUR BEFORE CLOSING
WEAKNESS:
KETCHUP
UNIFORM:
PENCIL SKIRTS WITH SILK BLOUSES AND A UNIQUE NECKLACE
CHERISHED ACCESSORY:
A SILVER AND TURQUOISE CUFF BRACELET FROM MOROCCO
YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH:
NOTEBOOKS AND JOURNALS. I HAVE DOZENS AND DOZENS.
WORKOUT:
I ALTERNATE BETWEEN TENNIS AND PILATES WEEKLY.
MOVIE:
NIGHTS OF CABIRIA, AN OLD FELLINI CLASSIC
MENTOR:
ONE OF MY MANY ART HISTORY PROFESSORS WAS A GREAT MENTOR TO ME.
STYLE ICON:
CARINE ROITFELD, FORMER EDITOR OF FRENCH VOGUE
SHOES:
EITHER 4-INCH HEELS OR BIRKENSTOCKS
LIPSTICK:
CHARLOTTE TILBURY’S PILLOW TALK
BEST ADVICE:
SING AND DANCE EVERY DAY.
PHILANTHROPY:
I’M VERY INVOLVED WITH AN ORGANIZATION CALLED MOVING FOR LIFE.
MANTRA:
I’M PRESENT IN THE MOMENT.
CURRENT OBSESSION:
TO ELIMINATE ALL THE PLASTIC THAT WE USE AT HOME
APP:
MY FITNESS PAL
COCKTAIL:
CALABRIAN SPRITZ OR LA BICICLETTA
SOULMATE:
MY HUSBAND AND I JUST CELEBRATED OUR 30TH ANNIVERSARY.
SKINCARE ESSENTIAL:
KIEL’S AVOCADO EYE CREAM
ZODIAC:
LEO WITH LEO RISING
BEDTIME:
NEVER BEFORE 11pm
BEDSIDE READING:
THE ART OF LIVING BY THICH NHAT HANH OR ONE OF MY MANY BOOKS ON IKIGAI
THEME SONG TO YOUR LIFE:
‘GETTING BETTER’ BY THE BEATLES
BAG:
MY CHANEL EVENING BAG THAT I’VE HAD FOR 30 YEARS
SIGNATURE SCENT:
OUD AL SAHRAA BY BERDOUES
Photography by: COURTESY OF SHERRI MCMULLEN, MYRIEM HIMMICH, SOBIA SHAIKH; BY HILLARY JEANNE PHOTOGRAPHY AT BUNGALOW KITCHEN; COURTESY OF MARIA DI GRANDE