The first time I met Sutton Stracke was, appropriately for a Beverly Hills Housewife, at the Hotel Bel Air (which seems to be somewhat of a theme with my interview subjects). We sat outside, enjoyed a bottle of rosé, and I was drawn in by her Southern charm, affable nature, unpretentious attitude toward life. She was a woman who had been unchanged by her recent fame and seemed to take it all in stride – albeit not too seriously, either.
We’d seen each other since our initial meeting a handful of times, and when we sat down for a more in-depth chat about the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and her eponymous clothing boutique, she was still the same as I remembered – elegant, grounded, and with a little bit more verve than your average Bravo housewife.
In September 2019, Sutton opened her luxury clothing boutique, Sutton, on Almont Drive in West Hollywood. The building, delicately adorned with fresh foliage on the outside, is just as cozy, bright, and gorgeous on the inside as well. There aren’t racks of clothing stuffed into every corner of the space, but rather a few solid couture-like investment pieces that hang in the store almost as works of arts in their own right. There of course, is artwork too, as well as furniture, books, and fine jewelry.
“The whole space is like a cottage,” Sutton told me. “I wanted it to feel like part-closet, part-boudoir, part living space, and part dining room, because those are the key elements in all of our lives.”
The entire collection of products at the store truly reflect Sutton’s personality, in all of its plurality. She explained she loves curating pieces from far-flung locales, like Paris, and bringing them back to her boutique to give those the opportunity to find one-of-a-kind pieces who might not normally have the option to do so.
But Sutton is also enjoying her time as a relatively-new Bravo-lebrity. She will appear in her sophomore season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, premiering on Wednesday, May 19th at 8pm on Bravo. Because of COVID-19, she told me she hasn’t quite had the experience of “feeling famous” too much yet because her first season premiered during lockdown when everyone was cooped up at home.
However, she did say that she has learned so much from her castmates and time being on the show. “Being around a group of strong-minded women makes you have to step-up, so I’ve definitely learned to speak up,” she divulged.
Say what you want about the perception of The Housewives franchise, but I really do believe that despite all of its frequent melodrama and entertaining arguments, at its core, it’s a show about female empowerment because it allows women to be seen in a much more multifaceted light than society regularly portrays them. Each cast member is shown as being confident, smart, sexy, dramatic, a shrewd businesswoman, and so much more. Gone are the days when the word “housewife” just meant having a warm meal on the table when their husband comes home from work. The show is progressive in its approach to femininity, while also facing backlash in a patriarchal society.
“Even witnessing the filming of last season showed that to me,” Sutton agreed. “The girls are not only mothers, they’re actresses and businesspeople and it was amazing to see how they’re juggling everything. It was great because seeing them gave me the impetus to do more and now I have the knowledge that I can. They were really great role models to me in that sense.”
So what’s next for Sutton? She teased that she has an exciting book project in development, and knowing her and the entrepreneurial spirit she possesses, I have a feeling that she’s on her way to expanding her personal brand beyond just television and brick and mortar stores.
Sutton Stracke is a woman that has grit, ambition, kindness in droves, and a loveable Southern charm that makes you feel that when you’re with her, you’re the only person in the world. I can’t wait to see where she goes – and what the newest season of RHOBH will bring.
Photographer:
Arian Mahboubian
@arian.m.photography
Styling for Sutton Stracke:
Luigi Irauzqui
@luigiirauzqui
Fashion Editor:
Christina Makowsky
@christinamakowsky
Models:
Taylor Smith and Trey Baxter
@tayylorrae_ and @trey_baxter1
Makeup and Hair:
@sarahsstylingstudio
