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With so much fashion existing online, there’s something refreshing about trying pieces on in-store after eyeing them first on a little screen. Enter Just Browsing: We’re taking you into the fitting room as we preview the newest collections from some of our favorite high-street brands and contemporary labels. We’ll get into fabric and quality, fit and feel, and so much more as we make our way through the shop floor. Happy scrolling (and strolling)!
“New York is Violet Grey’s boyfriend,” founder Cassandra Grey tells me over email. Melrose Place may have been the first outpost of her beauty retailer, but her dalliance with Manhattan is just as long-standing as with Los Angeles.
It was in New York that she dreamt up the business plan for Violet Grey. “I was inspired by Zitomer, Barneys, Bergdorf, Central Park, Saturday Night Live, Bobby Short, the Barbizon Hotel, the beauty closets at Vogue and Allure, and, of course, Net-a-Porter,” she lists. “The Carlyle, where I lived with my late husband, holds a special place in our story. It was in The Gallery bar that I first pitched beauty brands, investors, potential team members, and Vogue’s beauty editor with nothing more than a stapled mood board, a dream, and the kind of ear-to-ear smile that only comes with naivety.”
A little over a year ago, a dream location just off the corner of 78th Street and Madison, steps from The Carlyle’s outdoor café, presented itself. “It felt so perfectly on-brand, it was almost too good to be true,” she says. “We knew we had to have it—a place for our community to call home.” Grey and investor Sherif Guirgis found the space before they bought back the company from Farfetch in 2024. “At the time, we weren’t in a financial position to sign a lease, and we nearly lost it,” she says. “But where there’s a will, there’s always a way.”
The location opens into a garden entrance, which, per Grey, is a quiet nod to the alleyway approach of the Melrose Place outpost. Bill Sofield, who designed that store, played a pivotal role in this one too; the pair drew upon “the Dorothy Draper–inspired Deco iconography of The Carlyle with the signature Hollywood Regency of John Elgin Woolf that defined Melrose Place” for something that Grey hopes feels like an extension of that legacy. Complete with a Paul Poiret sofa plucked from Sofield’s warehouse, the complete works of Colette from one of the oldest bookstores in Paris, and a collection of Polaroids from old cover shoots and Hollywood parties, the space transports you to a glamorous vintage home without getting lost in time.
Lining its walls are a series of armoires and vignettes featuring a tight edit of your favorite cosmetics brands. It is the curation, after all, that sets Violet Grey apart from other retailers. People come to Violet Grey for Grey’s point of view and the thoughtfully considered, meticulously reviewed cosmetics that stock its virtual and physical shelves. The team, Grey hints, is even currently working on a few exclusive New York collaborations. “Stay tuned,” she says. Until then, below, a look at all the beauty products I played with in the boutique.
The New and Now
When visiting the store, I beelined to cosmetics I either hadn’t heard of or had yet to test. It was my proper introduction to Madame Grey, the fragrance house founded by Grey herself. The first product is an extrait de parfum, a sultry, warm, ambery blend meant to encapsulate “the one that got away.” While its sculptural glass bottle (handcrafted by Waltersperger in France) felt too much of a treasure to sample (it’s limited edition, mind you, with only 1,100 bottles in existence), I did partake in a spritz of its Pour Cheveux Strip-Tease hair perfume with the same scent. Then, I finally gave Fara Homidi’s cream bronzer a try, warming it into my face with its accompanying brush before slathering on Lilis’s dead-skin-sloughing peel and a dollop of Habelo’s nourishing hand cream.
Great-Skin Central
Anyone looking to repair, renew, and rejuvenate their complexion will delight in the offerings here. Violet Grey’s skin-care collection manages to mingle heritage labels with up-and-comers to ensure that even the most knowledgeable enthusiast can discover something new. Perhaps you hadn’t yet sampled Augustinus Bader’s Elixir, crafted with its beloved TFC8 complex and an exosome-rich concentrate to smooth fine lines and improve skin texture. Or maybe you’re a big Angela Caglia fan who didn’t know she offered two gold-plated cryotherapy wands for reducing facial inflammation. On my trip, I stumbled upon NakedBeauty MD’s gold-infused sheet masks and Poiret’s firming cream—two finds I’m predicting to be new staples in my routine.
Brilliant Body Works
With my skin freshly exfoliated following the aforementioned Lilis body peel, I was keen on replenishing moisture. Mutha’s body butter was just the ticket. It’s one of the richest butters on the market, packed with 100% naturally derived ingredients, including shea, cocoa, and mango butters; a little goes a long way. I layered this with my favorite body oil by Costa Brazil, shown above, which left me undeniably glowing.
Makeup Must-Haves
One of my favorite areas of the store was the makeup section. It was a Victoria Beckham Beauty playground over there, offering a sampling of what felt like its entire assortment. I took a moment to swatch colors from its Eye Wardrobe palette, run my fingers through its shimmering Lid Lustre pots, and draw a few strokes with its vibrant Satin Kajal liner. I was spoiled for choice with Westman Atelier too; I lined my lips with one of its recently debuted lip liners then finished off with a swipe of Ami Colé’s lip oil.
A Fragrance Station
When I was first getting into fragrance, I looked to Violet Grey for those obscure, IYKYK scents. Vyrao, the perfume brand founded by Yasmin Sewell, launched in 2021 at the retailer, where it remains home to some of its bestsellers—like Georgette, a spicy take on rose. I stopped for a sniff along with a few new-to-me scents by Perfumehead and Reservation Parfums. Before moving on, I gave myself a proper spritz of my darling Choux Choux by Liis, which is as sweet and delectable as the pastry that inspired it.
A Facial Escape
“To give New York its own sense of magic, we invited Melanie Grant to take over the upstairs space, offering our close friends her world-class red-carpet facials,” Grey says. Here, the London-based aesthetician, who often treats the likes of Victoria Beckham and Dua Lipa, transforms one’s complexion. A week before my proper browse, I delighted in my own customized treatment. It featured an otherworldly massage and red-light-therapy session complete with goodies from Chanel’s Sublimage collection; its La Crème locked in hydration before my sunny day ahead. When I seemingly floated back downstairs and into the courtyard, I felt like some better version of myself.
Hair-Care Heroes
Here, Violet Grey shows off its hair-care bestsellers to suit any hair type, length, or concern. I got up close and personal with Leonor Greyl’s Masque Quintessence, which houses a hydrating treatment of jojoba, cupuaçu butter, and mongongo oils inside its dazzling gold tub. Though I couldn’t apply the mask in-store, I did utilize R+Co Bleu’s Featherlight Hairspray to try to combat the poufed-hair effects of NYC humidity. I brushed the product through my strands with Yves Durif’s petite brush (a favorite of Vogue associate shopping director Talia Abbas) ahead of a dime-size amount of Virtue’s glossy oil.
