Sherri McMullen’s Closet Is Home to Dries Van Noten, Simone Rocha, and—Of Course—Christopher John Rogers

Ironically, when Sherri McMullen describes her own personal style, she refers to neutrals—"tonal beiges, nudes, camels, ivories, whites, blacks"—as her uniform. A longtime follower of hers, I found that rather perplexing as I associate her wardrobe with the likes of Christopher John Rogers' shapeshifting silhouettes and Dries Van Noten's wonderfully fanatic prints. Of course, those are the social media highlights and fashion week 'fits, but still, the dichotomy seemed interesting. The link missing is the notion that those two ideas aren't mutually exclusive and actually work in tandem. McMullen shops for pieces that speak to her. So the occasional bright Bottega belt or organza Simone Rocha number warrants a spot in her collection while the rest of her fabulous fundamentals serve as a backdrop or frame for those treasures.

Founder of her own eponymous and extremely well-curated store, McMullen was always fascinated by the trajectory of product, how it moved from creative genesis to the shop floor. She studied business in college then underwent executive development programs that essentially trained her to buy for a store. Though she'd dreamt of owning her own for a while, it was the sense of community she found in Oakland, California, that spurred the jump. "I knew that people wanted to spend and support local businesses within their city and not have to drive to the outskirts, and so I opened in 2007."

The "consistent thread" in her curation is, and has been, a consistent emphasis placed on the emerging, but when you've been around for nearly 15 years, those initial fledgling designers aren't so new anymore. Throughout her years in business, McMullen has developed relationships with designers that she has worked with since the beginning, like Amy Smilovic of Tibi and jewelry designer Lizzie Fortunato. Today, she continues to develop new fashionable relationships, like an extra special one with designer Christopher John Rogers, who also takes up significant real estate in her own closet. Continue to take a peek inside McMullen's closet and hear all about her own personal style, the pieces that truly speak to her, and her wisdomous thoughts on the industry.