supporting women entrepreneurs that align with my style and values is something that’s important to me, and jess lee of modern citizen is one of those women. i’ve worn the brand numerous times (including here) and i’ve long loved their minimal yet interesting pieces, most of which retail for under $150. it’s not fast fashion, it’s thoughtful fashion. after working at gap for six years, looking into why shoppers were abandoning heritage brands (like gap) for smaller e-commerce ones, she founded modern citizen on her own, and grew slowly and deliberately. it began with a very small edit of product, sold either via e-commerce or intimate events at sf based companies like one kings lane, google, and facebook. in the last few years, their office on laguna in cow hollow started opening on weekends to shop and to host events with other kick-ass women entrepreneurs like nicole najafi of industry standard. now lee is taking modern citizen to the next level by opening their first dedicated brick and mortar space.
if you follow me on instagram, you saw i got a sneak peek of the store on sunday at a lovely brunch. the space, right on union across from equinox and sephora, is so in tune with the brand—minimal with interesting details like open shelves, sprinkled greenery, and cozy seating. funny story, i had received an invite to this brunch but the location was secret, and last friday they had a happy hour in the laguna store, so i popped in and picked up a few things before i found out the brunch was at the store! i instantly fell for this skirt—the texture is cool and has summer vibes, but in solid black it will work in san francisco’s constant state of 60-ish degrees. i also see endless versatility in it, dressing it up for a night out or pairing it with a sweater and sneakers for weekend errands. i am normally not one for matchy-matchy outfits, but i couldn’t resist pairing the skirt with a black & red striped bell sleeve tee, red block heel sandals, and a white bag to break it up and make the look more graphic.
if you’re in sf, the modern citizen store opens thursday and on saturday & sunday there is a union street block party with special deals and discounts including 2 free passes to soul cycle with purchase and a $15 gift card with a $150 purchase.
zara top (old, similar here, here, and here), modern citizen skirt, barneys new york sandals, silence and noice bag (similar here and here), quay australia sunglasses, vintage earrings, nars velvet matte lip pencil in cruella
photos by alex drysdale
