
Mother x McMullen x Mara Hoffman Party Pics!
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Emily Scott
Fun fact: you don’t have to twist our arm too much when it comes to convincing us to throw a party. Especially when some of our favorite “Mother” mothers are onboard as co-hosts. Case in point: last week’s double-header event at Sherri McMullen‘s beautiful Oakland boutique, which started with a lady-powered luncheon to celebrate Mara Hoffman‘s arrival in the Bay Area and ended with an evening panel featuring Sherri, Mara, and another Mother fave—Meena Harris—moderated by sustainable fashion advocate Joyce Hu. If you aren’t local to the Bay or weren’t able to attend (the free tickets “sold out” in a blink!), we’ve got a handy recap in our slideshow below.
Want to party with Mother? Save the date for Sunday, May 5th, 11am-5pm for our first-ever MOTHER Market, which is a free, open to the public family fun day + marketplace. Bring your friends, bring your family, or just bring yourself! We can’t wait to see you there!
- The stage is set at the beautiful McMullen boutique in Oakland. In addition to our tablescape, we absolutely love the pictures along the shop's walls, which show owner Sherri McMullen's late mother and other family members.
- The prettiest spring-themed tabletops, thanks to lush florals by Natalie Brookshire and settings by Chairs & Cups.
- First arrival Aisha Mayes, the founder of the Dream Youth Clinic, wastes no time getting her shop on.
- The beautiful palette of Mara Hoffman's Spring 2019 collection makes a vibrant backdrop for the booze table.
- Yummy wines provided by Winc.
- And the most beautiful punch bowl by Hils Cooking & Catering, a woman-owned business based in Oakland.
- Guests Aisha Mayes, Adereni Fashokun, A-lan Holt, and Lisa Blackwell chop it up.
- Investor Ligaya Tischy, who is on the verge of opening a children's art and play space in Oakland called Wild Child.
- The loooong table, with 30 seats total.
- Sometimes the hardest part is stopping your conversation to sit down!
- Jen Szeto—who revealed she's pregnant with a baby girl!—Anna Chiu, and Amy Soderlind.
- Jewelry maker Lauren Godfrey.
- Taking seats and making new friends.
- Mara Hoffman greeting our guests and briefly explaining her pivot to sustainable fashion in 2015, which was directly inspired by motherhood.
- The first course via Hils Cooking & Catering.
- Floral designer Natalie Brookshire introducing herself, and taking on the big round-table question on how she's using her privilege, power, and platform for good.
- Adereni Fashokun, Amazon staffer, life coach, and founder of We Brunch, handles the hot seat like a pro.
- Yours truly, A-Lan Holt, Lauren Hurst, and Bridget Cinquegrano watching and learning.
- Chandran Gallery owner Ashley Chandran got an "amen" after her bit.
- The Hils Cooking & Catering dessert was as tasty as it was beautiful.
- And finally, she's here! After some travel troubles, Sherri McMullen arrived safe and sound at her shop for our panel.
- The Winc wine kept flowing through the evening.
- Panel guests Alyssa Casares and her mother/business partner (left) and videographer Kimber-Lee Alston (right).
- Natalie B. Designs day blooms turned night blooms.
- Mara Hoffman flanked by pretty panel guests (in her wares!).
- We want it all!
- Let's get this panel started!
- Moderator Joyce Hu, and panelists Meena Harris, Sherri McMullen, and Mara Hoffman share some pre-panel smiles.
- Such a lovely and lively crowd for a Thursday night.
- All of our panelists were inspiring, informative, and at times hilarious.
- Thank you to everyone who made our event so very special. Until the next one...
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