At Mr. Lin, decorative finishes, including the triptych in the lounge, were created by Caroline Lizarraga and her team, while the cabinetry, including the bar, was fabricated by Young’s Custom Cabinet.
At Mr. Lin, decorative finishes, including the triptych in the lounge, were created by Caroline Lizarraga and her team, while the cabinetry, including the bar, was fabricated by Young’s Custom Cabinet.
CHRISTOPHER STARK
The Sacramento Street store’s front windows display classic men’s wear for San Francisco seasons.
In the back of men’s wear shop Mr. Lin on Sacramento Street, a seat awaits — on either of two upholstered club chairs across from a custom bar or on a leather sofa beneath a triptych that reads, “Style is a simple way of saying complicated things.” On any day of the week (aside from Mondays, when Mr. Lin and its predecessor, the women’s wear boutique Betty Lin next door, is closed), Betty Lin herself might offer a fine tequila or whiskey in a vintage crystal glass. The ritual extends an elegant experience of perusing the well-edited selection of men’s luxury clothing she sources from New York and Europe.
“The lounge area takes inspiration from imagining a long-abandoned officer’s club in the Presidio,” explains interior designer Eche Martinez, whose studio, Eche, is on Presidio Avenue, within walking distance of Lin’s boutiques. “The goal for this project was to create a visual language that felt anchored in the area’s rich historic heritage.”
“Because this is a men’s store, I wanted a man’s perspective on the design, and Eche definitely offered that,” adds Lin, who was a corporate buyer with Nordstrom for 16 years before opening her eponymous shop in 2010, originally over on Presidio Avenue before she moved into her current space in 2015. Mr. Lin opened in September of 2020. “We wanted to have a really inviting seating area … where customers get to know each other, and we get to know the clients. We feel very much part of the neighborhood.”
Lin and Martinez also collaborated with her longtime friend, San Francisco–based decorative artist Caroline Lizarraga, to make Mr. Lin feel “distinctly San Francisco,” as Lizarraga says. “Betty and Eche really had a beautiful, strong vision about incorporating local flora and fauna into the space. They even went out and photographed trees and birds. We just added our moody touches to an already gorgeous concept.” Shoppers will notice hand-painted plants (cypress, eucalyptus, ferns) along with birds (egrets, herons) that are common in the Presidio, all against a smoky midnight blue setting with wisps of fog, what Martinez describes as “a dusky, calming and enveloping atmosphere.” Lin also had practical inspiration in mind for the palette. “Blue is a man’s best friend,” she says. “It’s soothing to the eye, but also a flattering color for most men.”
Martinez incorporated dark accents throughout the interior “to emphasize the masculine nature of both the space and the brand,” he says. The custom cabinetry has an ebonized finish, while a matching display table, a collaboration between Lin and Martinez, is covered in a geometric pattern of bronze and black. Of the latter, he recalls, “When going over wallcovering samples, we found one from Phillip Jeffries that was just perfect for our scheme. We decided to wrap the whole table in this material and clad the top and sides of the display table with glass in order to protect it.”
Often on display are handpicked pieces from global brands such as Paul Smith and Herno as well as smaller, harder-to-find ones like Stenströms from Sweden, Sunspel from the U.K. and Alberto from Germany. Mr. Lin is also the City’s exclusive carrier of Italian brands Avant Toi, Transit, Barena and Aspesi.
In general, Lin aims for high-quality separates that serve everything from outerwear to Zoomwear. “Most San Franciscans have one wardrobe; we just have four seasons in one day. It’s all about layering,” says Lin, who grew up on the Peninsula and has lived in the City for three decades. “With men, we don’t have supertrendy fashion that’s one season in and one season out. We try to look for beautiful classics that can go from season to season.” She mentions a desire for the comfortable luxury of an unlined jacket. “Everyone wants relaxed and polished at the same time. Especially in San Francisco.”
