CASSANDRA GREY’S GUIDE TO GIFTING: HOLIDAY EDITION
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FROM THE DESK OF CASSANDRA GREY
Re: Holiday shopping guide
Holly Golightly: You know those days when you get the mean reds?
Paul Varjak: The mean reds? You mean like the blues?
Holly Golightly: No. The blues are because you’re getting fat* and maybe it’s been raining too long, you’re just sad that’s all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you’re afraid and you don’t know what you’re afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?
Paul Varjak: Sure.
Holly Golightly: Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany’s. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could ever happen to you there…
It was this dialogue in the screenplay adaptation from Truman Capote’s best known novella—specifically, the line, “nothing very bad could ever happen to you there"—that inspired me to embark upon a career in retail, opening a shop (now referred to by the Internet as an “IRL experience”) on Melrose Place. I’m talking, of course, about your favorite beauty store, VIOLET GREY. I wanted desperately for you to step inside our magical little apartment and think to yourself, “everything will be okay. You are okay. Nothing very bad could ever happen to you here.”
Long before I moved to Hollywood and opened VIOLET GREY, I lived in a 4th floor walk-up in the West Village. Like anyone in New York, I did all of my shopping at Barneys. When I reluctantly left the greatest city in the world, it was to see-about-a-boy, my late husband, Brad Grey, who, despite the fact that he lived in L.A., I found just wonderful in every way. True to his signature glamour and polish, he liked to do all of his holiday shopping in Paris. Together, he and I would find the perfect gift for everyone on our list at Sarah Andelman’s Colette, at 213 rue Saint-Honoré. We’d spend the whole day there and I always felt like we were in that scene in Breakfast At Tiffany’s where Holly Golghtly, in her glorious burnt-orange Givenchy coat, and Paul Varjak, in his modest suit and tie, spend the afternoon stealing for the thrill of it like a couple of teenagers, and escaping the shops in silly plastic animal party masks.
I don’t know about you, but as convenient as it is, I don’t find shopping from a laptop, or worse, my phone, terribly romantic. I'd much prefer to make an appointment with Brandon at the VIOLET GREY shop and carefully select each gift by hand, much like Brad and I used to do in Paris. But alas, until VIOLET GREY opens a second shop in NEW YORK on the Upper East Side (ideally in the 70s near or on Madison Avenue), I will be putting on a Mariah record, cozying up on my couch, and putting-it-in-THE-BAG, shopping spree-style, on violetgrey.com. Of course there are many beautiful shops on Madison Avenue, and Fifth (Tiffany’s, even), but none with the very best edit of beauty gifts in the world, which is now my duty, and desire, to deliver to everyone on my list. These are the expensive but worth it gifts that everyone wants, but also can’t quite justify buying for themselves. This year I am adding the signature VIOLET GREY makeup bag in red to all of my selections. I know it's just a makeup bag, but if I told you how many reds we sampled to get the perfect shade, would you want it more? What if I told you that I’ve been trying to make it happen since 2016? Grab one (or two or three) while they last—they will sell out—and please do join me as I attempt to get all of my holiday shopping done in just one afternoon!
Yours,
Cassandra
*Editor’s Note: While Capote, writing in 1958, did not appear to be thrilled at the prospect of getting “fat,” at VIOLET GREY, in 2023, the term is now “full bodied,” and we are delighted with some extra healthy “fat,” particularly in the winter months.
To book your VIP shopping appointment at the Store on Melrose Place, please call Brandon, Sima, and Jacqueline at (323) 782-9700—or just stop in!
1
The sticker shock wears off the moment your lucky recipient marvels at the glow-up this revolutionary device seemingly magically delivers. This is the single most wanted VIOLET CODE APPROVED product we've launched to date. It’s expensive, but the effects—priceless.
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2
I have given this gift since it first came on the scene in 2015, and dare I say I am forever known as a woman who knows how to class up the gifts under the tree.
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3
I think I’ve established my respect and awe for these unrivaled science-backed formulations. I am fairly certain that everyone on your list will be pleased with this present.
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4
Did anybody not watch the Netflix documentary?! I loved the fragrances (Portofino '97, Suite 302, and San Ysidro Drive) since before I devoured the television series, but after, I no longer viewed them as just expertly crafted, lovely smelling potions, but rather as love potions, inviting us to get intimately lost in the epic Beckham love stories, of which there is more than one—three, in fact—which is why all three scents should, in my opinion, be gifted together. Don’t try to pull them apart. They belong together.
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I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of getting to sit with the undeniable talent that is Fara the artist. Knowing the years of heart she’s put into her craft, observing her uncompromising commitment to excellence, I can say, it’s her, and only her, that could introduce us to a new lip product we can’t begin to fathom how we once lived without. Lived well, that is. Please note: It is no longer appropriate, in polite society, to apply one’s lipstick without a brush, preferably one made in Japan by Fara Homidi.
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Again, this is a gift that says to your recipient that you see her, him, or them as a person who subscribes to the notion that only the very best will do when it comes to furnishing one’s powder room.
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8
My affection for Diptyque’s rich and storied history in the art of fragrance has grown into an undying love for this house. Chic gift. CHIC.
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9
While she spared no expense and went through countless batches in her relentless pursuit to make THE body butter that prevents stretch marks for pregnant women, as it turns out, founder Hope Smith also made the best body butter for anyone who wants youthful, glowing skin from the tips of their toes to behind their ears. I love this gift, especially for people who haven’t tried it. They never go back. It's like they discovered the secret to what it takes to feel confident in the nude.
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Honey, I’ve tried all the shampoos. All the conditioners. All of them. This one was discovered by Sarah Brown and introduced to all of us. Thank you, Ms. Brown. Why give ‘em a cashmere scarf when you could give ‘em shiny luxurious gorgeous enviable hair.
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11
I rarely fall in love with a new personal scent, especially one from a brand-new house! Launched earlier this year, Aeir’s molecular extraits—the soulful creation of cool-kid artist duo Enrico Pietra and Rodrigo Caula—somehow embody old guard glamour and near-future technology.
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This woman, April, who created not one, but three hero must-have can’t-live-without skin care products, is a very serious woman. Like, she is thinking about each individual human with every drop and she will not give us anything but the most beautiful products that work. I’ve been giving her trio of serum, essence, and cleanser all year,, and you know I keep my own medicine cabinet well-stocked. Ten out of ten. No notes. Great gift.
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