Plus, the coveted beauty brand Byredo is moving into Pac Heights and MMClay wins our vote for best holiday ornaments of the year.
(Courtesy of Byredo)
Oh happy day! Christmas is coming early for fans of Byredo: On Tuesday, December 22nd, the buzziest of Stockholm beauty brands is opening the doors to its first San Francisco boutique. No doubt, the Fillmore Street space is still awash in pretty vibes left by former tenant Space NK. (The British beauty retailer closed all its U.S. stores over the summer.) We're wild for the storefront's signature aluminum detailing and contrasting yellow concrete floors—perfectly in sync with Pantone's Color(s) of the Year.
Along with its covetable lineup of beguiling unisex fragrance and candles (Velvet Haze, how we love thee), the brick-and-mortar carries the full collection of home, beauty, and small leather goods. Yes, that includes the label's just-launched makeup line, a collaboration between founder Ben Gorham and British makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench. Look out for glorious lippies in satin and matte shades, multi-purpose color sticks, mascara, and more. In-store shopping services and same-day delivery and curbside pickup are available. // 2000 Fillmore St. (Pacific Heights), byredo.com
(Christopher Stark for Mr. Lin)
For 16 years, Betty Lin has been happily wooing local style mavens with the luxe and edgy women's clothing inhabiting her namesake Presidio Heights shop. But guys need cool threads too, so she opened brother boutique Mr. Lin. It happens to be situated right next door to the mothership, and it's filled with unstuffy, high-quality menswear (jeans, tees, sweaters, jackets, etc.) from global labels including Alberto, Avant Toi, Barena, Caruso, Hayden, Herno, Lanvin, Santoni, Sunspel, Transit, Harden, and Y/Project.
"In a moment where retail is undergoing a seismic shift, Mr. Lin is designed to provide an inimitable and intimate shopping experience. It offers beautifully crafted clothes, with no formality—pieces you can wear every day," says Lin.
The sumptuous interior is inspired by the nearby military buildings of the Presidio. The 1,000-square-foot space, designed in collaboration with Eche Martinez, reimagines a private officer's club—hence, the well-stocked bar. Cheers. // 3615 Sacramento St. (Presidio Heights), mrlin.com
(Courtesy of MMClay)
God knows we live for local handmade ceramics. But when we spotted MMClay's Fuck 2020 ornaments, we, umm, lost our shi*t. Even Hanukkah celebrators may be moved to buy a fir just to display these mask- and hand sanitizer-shaped goodies. Like, who doesn't want to celebrate the worst year ever with hip mementos? But as ceramic artist Mary Mar Keenan notes, some positive things have come with this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year: "We all saw our world collectively growing our capacity to empathize, to slow down, to show love for our friends and family across great distances, and strengthen our communities."
To honor this crazy dichotomy, Keenan created the ornaments as a fundraiser for Mission Food Hub, which provides culturally appropriate groceries for SF families affected by COVID-19. As it turns out, the food bank is located around the block from MMClay's temporary Mission District studio/pop-up shop. Every $25 donation scores you one unique ornament. Happy holidays. And, oh yeah, FU, 2020! // 2940 20th St. (Mission), mmclay.com
