Melanie Masarin Ironed Her Neighbors' Clothes at 14 to Afford Marc Jacobs
The Founder + CEO of Ghia tackles our Boxcutter Shopping Questionnaire.
Melanie Masarin is one of my favorite people to talk to about almost anything. She grew up in Lyon, spent her summers on the Mediterranean, and just published her first cookbook, Riviera, which comes out this month and distills all of that into workable recipes you can make on a weeknight in a small kitchen. It’s the food she grew up eating, and it’s also the world she built Ghia around: the nonalcoholic aperitif that turned the aperitivo hour into a brand universe without ever needing a drop of alcohol.
Melanie is one of the best brand builders I know, but she’s also just a person with an absurdly good eye. I love that she’ll find a Chanel jacket in Tokyo for $600 and $31 Miu Miu trousers on consignment and see no contradiction between the two. She writes Night Shade on Substack, splits her time between New York and Paris, checks Vestiaire Collective and The RealReal twice a day without apology, and has the kind of no-nonsense tact that makes you trust her immediately on everything from a hand cream to a hotel.
This is how she shops.
Fashion & Style
The best fashion investment I ever made was: buying a Chanel jacket in Tokyo in 2019 for $600. It fits like a glove. Only in Japan can you find something like this in a size 34, perfectly preserved. I wear it only a couple of times a year, but it’s a forever keepsake.
My uniform (the thing I reach for over and over) is: a chunky crewneck from CO and their clutch, which I somehow wear most days and nights. I love everything that brand makes. It’s quality but unfussy. It’s also more cool than chic which I like.
Something I just bought to wear this season is: the grey Rohe top you influenced me to buy! I love it so much. I also bought The Row tassel loafers and have zero regrets. I am exactly what retailers describe as a “shoe customer.” I’ve been wearing them nonstop with chunky socks from Comme Si, especially the merino wool ones, which I think are a sleeper hit.
Something in my cart right now is: the Liberowe knit cardigan. It’s very on sale (40% and extra 20%), but sadly still somehow very expensive.
If I could, I’d spend all my money on French and Italian vintage furniture.
The piece I’m always repurchasing is: Falke Matt Deluxe 20 DEN tights in black. Non-negotiable.
My ultimate fashion grail is: this jacket from the Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2014 show. I’m a huge Nicolas Guesquiere fan. I also found that one in Tokyo, on a different trip.
The best under-$100 fashion buy I’ve ever made: these $31 Miu Miu slacks from The RealReal. I’m a RealReal and Vestiaire Collective superuser and proud of it.
Beauty & Wellness
The best money I’ve ever spent on a beauty treatment is: actually money I’m about to spend. I’m saving up for a bleph this year. I have one droopy eyelid and genetic eye bags—both my grandfather and my mom had the same thing. Instead of thinking about it every single day, I decided I’m just going to do it. This is 35.
A beauty product I’m constantly reaching for is: U Beauty Super Hydrator & Bisou Balm in Bonbon Myrtille.
The products I buy in multiples so I never run out: Merit mascara, the Make Beauty Nano Brow Pencil, and the Ceremonia Pequi Flyaway Brush.
The most overrated beauty product I’ve tried is: La Mer cream. I truly don’t get it.
A beauty product that actually changed my skin, hair, or life is: the Crown Affair towel and the Roz hair oil. More broadly, moving away from dyes, sulfates, and silicones completely changed my hair. It took me over 30 years to embrace my thick, curly hair, but now I get compliments on it all the time.
Absolutely essential in my bag is: cuticle oil, lip balm, gum or mints, my keys, a loose credit card (I’m chaotic like that), and Zofran. I have endometriosis and can, at any moment, have an episode and start throwing up uncontrollably, so it’s not optional.
My desert-island beauty product is: sunscreen. My French dermatologist taught me to use Differin every single day, and I’ve been doing that for 15 years—but no one needs that on a desert island! Sunscreen matters though! I love this one from U Beauty, and I also think Sofie Pavitt is working on one, which will probably become my favorite since I love everything she makes. Another desert island bring is Ghia, obviously. Very refreshing on an island and drinking booze ages you.
A wellness splurge that was actually worth it is: my red-light mask.
Recommendations & Rituals
Something I use because a friend recommended it is: this protein powder I swear by. I just mix one scoop of the chocolate flavor after a workout. It’s clean, doesn’t bloat me, and actually tastes good.
Something I recommend to all my friends is: this digestion tea by my friend Natazia as well as this 9 euro French pharmacy hand cream that is truly the best (purple cap, not blue cap).
In my opinion, everyone is sleeping on: 440ME. They make the best lightweight knits.
My favorite beauty treatment in my home city is: a facial at Raquel Medina. It’s an expensive addiction.
Whenever I’m in Paris, I always: get baby Botox at my French dermatologist’s office, Marie-Serre Polons. She only works by referral, but she’s incredible. If you DM me, I’ll send you the referral.
_________ is a brand I love supporting because: Tigra Tigra, because their pieces are really fun, playful, handmade in India and the founder Bailey is also the creative director of the Elder Statesman and is absolutely amazing.
The store, brand, or designer I wish more people knew about is: The Park, they make the most luxurious basics.
The app or site I check daily for shopping inspo is: Vestiaire Collective / The RealReal (2x per day, really).
Home & Lifestyle
Something I just bought for my home is: a charcoal drawing from the BBDW auction. I’m currently hunting for the perfect vintage frame for it.
My go-to hostess gift is: a beautiful vase with flowers. It doesn’t have to be expensive but it’s so much better than the stock shit you get from florists. So many people don’t own a nice vase, and it genuinely drives me crazy.
The indulgence I will always justify is: local, organic food.
Wildcard
My most regretted purchase was: buying a brand-new Kelly bag for my 30th birthday. I immediately knew it wasn’t me. I don’t like to look expensive. I loved the two-year hunt for the leather appointment, but once I had it, I gave it to my mom for her 60th. Later, I bought a super beat-up Kelly for $2,000 from a random French auction, and I love that one infinitely more.
The last thing I DM’d a friend saying “buy this” was: this morning, I am helping a founder friend style herself for a big shoot and I sent her these Kallmeyer pants.
The best shopping advice I’ve ever been given is: shoes don’t get bigger (even though your magic substack chat seems to always have amazing pairs in a 38, aka one size too small for me).
I knew I was a “shopper” when: at 14 years old, I decided to iron all my neighbors’ clothes for five euros an hour to save up for the Marc Jacobs mouse flats. I wore them to shreds, and my mom got them resoled and they are still in my bedroom at her place.
This was so fucking good.
Loved this! I like Melanie’s approach to dressing well without “looking expensive” and her taste in all other things too!