Fashion People – "Cigarette Wishes & Charvet Dreams"

Host: Lauren Sherman (Puck)
Guest: Marisa Meltzer (Vanity Fair)
Date: March 31, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features Lauren Sherman catching up with writer and Vanity Fair editor Marisa Meltzer. The conversation moves breezily through the insider world of fashion, with deep dives into Charvet’s enduring allure, French pharmacy cult buys, creative director merry-go-rounds, and the “fake news” around smoking’s comeback. Expect candid and witty banter, firsthand shopping confessions, and plenty of unvarnished industry insight.

Key Topics & Discussion Highlights

1. Behind-the-Scenes at Vanity Fair’s Big Party

[06:59 - 09:37]

• Marisa dishes on the Vanity Fair party (“the first person I saw... was Mick Jagger, and the second was Al Pacino...it’s pretty wild.” – Marisa, 07:05).
• The "summer camp" vibes and team camaraderie: “The most fun part was feeling like we were in kind of like, LA summer camp...like, there was dancing...a 2:30 am group photo. There were In-n-Out burgers. It was truly fun.” – Marisa, 07:37.

2. Vintage Shopping & Personal Style

[09:43 - 13:02]

• Lauren shares her Parisian fashion finds: a Yoji blazer, vintage Alaia skirt, and Yoji dress – all for surprisingly reasonable prices at a secret vintage shop.
• “This place is so good...I just—I’m not ready to say the name.” – Lauren, 11:21.
• Marisa recalls Paris shopping confessions, ordering custom Charvet shirts, and buying vintage furniture.
• Both reflect on shopping as a coping strategy amid global chaos: “We're all getting through world events in the only way we know...mine is through decorating my body and my apartment.” – Marisa, 13:38.

3. Taste in Interiors vs Fashion

[13:55 - 18:52]

• Discussion of Nordic Knots, a modern rug brand, and how upper-middle-class “normal rich people” shop for home goods.
• Both compare their own upbringing, family tastes, and the divergence (or not) between furniture/decor preferences and fashion style.
• Marisa: “It's actually cheaper to just go to Morocco and buy some rugs in Marrakesh or whatever...” (14:11).

4. Charvet: French Shirtmaking Icon

[20:49 - 27:35]

• A full breakdown of Marisa’s recent Vanity Fair feature on Charvet, the legendary French shirtmaker.
• Charvet’s legacy: founded in the 1830s, still owned by the Colban family, rarely profiled at length, and fiercely averse to commercialization.
• Notable details: original Charles de Gaulle shirt patterns, a working fax machine, and tales of glamorous regulars (Bernard Henri Levy, Sofia Coppola, Chloë Sevigny).
• “Charvet has been around for so long that they have, like, the original patterns from Charles de Gaulle...They still have a fax machine that I think is still in use.” – Marisa, 24:10
• The store’s unique pricing philosophy: “Of course, the stuff is not cheap, but it is still, like, priced...you can tell they’re pricing it what they think it’s supposed to be...It’s just such a special experience, and I hope that it doesn’t get screwed up.” - Lauren, 26:17
• Why Charvet refuses to change: “They’re not opening another location...not branching out into sublines or anything...I have high hopes: the more things change, the more Charvet remains the same.” – Marisa, 27:20

5. Paris Pharmacies: The Ultimate Insider Buy

[27:35 - 28:57]

• Marisa’s advice: buy Bepanthen, a diaper cream, for chronically chapped lips and irritated skin.
• “It kind of goes on as an oil, but then like a cream and just sinks in fast...I have them in every bag I own. It’s also cheap. It’s great.” – Marisa, 28:08

6. Creative Director Hires: Korege & the Philo Pipeline

[29:34 - 37:48]

• Lauren details the hiring of Drew Henry (Phoebe Philo’s former staffer at Celine/Burberry) to lead Korege.
• Debate about the risk/reward of hiring lesser-known but talented insiders vs seasoned big names.
• Marisa: “I think that hiring someone...big risk, big reward...is also speaks of the sort of potential that they want...I think Korege has so much— the archives, the house codes are very exciting.” (32:12)
• Both unpack the “classes” of creative director talent—Philo, Jonathan Anderson, et al.—and how brands develop (or sometimes squander) talent.
• The management challenge at huge brands: “It’s such a management job...making the right hires to do the shoes for the runway and the shoes for the stores and the...killer bag...” – Marisa, 35:52

7. The “Smoking Comeback”

[39:39 - 45:30]

• Lauren discusses her husband Dan Fromer’s piece on the uptick in smoking at fashion parties: “There’s just been so much smoking in our lives recently. All of our friends are smoking. At every party, people are smoking...” – Lauren, 39:39.
• Marisa reflects on its cyclical “cool factor,” social semiotics, and Instagram visibility: “I don’t know that more people are smoking. I think what it is, is that people are, are more conspicuous about smoking. Like celebrities are really signaling their edginess...” – Marisa, 41:45.
• Fake vs real cigarettes at parties, and the enduring iconography (“Mary Kate Olsen’s wedding, cigarette bowls were left out. And suddenly every party since...indicates decadence.” – Marisa, 44:55).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Charvet’s timelessness:
  “The more things change in the world, the more Charvet remains the same, which I love.” – Marisa Meltzer, 27:29

• On the joy of campy fashion parties:
  “There’s no better team-building, but also...seeing celebrities in the wild...like, you know, former Fashion People guest Tish Weinstock was there, looking gorgeous.” – Marisa, 08:14

• On the unique pleasure of patient shopping:
  “It’s nice to have to wait for things...I don’t know. It’s just a really special thing.” – Lauren, 26:22

• On trend cycles and risk-taking in creative direction:
  “The reward is higher when you hire someone who’s an unknown.” – Lauren, 36:11

• On the semiotics of smoking:
  “Smoking is kind of like a temporary autonomous zone where you can talk to anyone you want. It kind of breaks down social barriers.” – Marisa, 43:27

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamps | |--------------------------------------|---------------| | Vanity Fair Party & Celeb Sightings | 06:59–09:37 | | Shopping Confessions & Vintage | 09:43–13:02 | | Taste in Interiors vs Fashion | 13:55–18:52 | | Charvet Story & Shirtmaking Legacy | 20:49–27:35 | | French Pharmacy Essentials | 27:35–28:57 | | Korege & Fashion Musical Chairs | 29:34–37:48 | | Smoking’s Symbolic Comeback | 39:39–45:30 |

Tone & Atmosphere

Intimate, sharp, witty, and honest—with real-time friendship and deep industry knowledge on display. Both Lauren and Marisa mix insider authority with playful self-deprecation, making the episode accessible yet genuinely revealing for fashion diehards.

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

This episode is a treasure for anyone interested in the real conversations driving fashion, from how investment shopping happens, to why certain Parisian brands resist modern pressures, and how social trends (like the cigarette's dark glamour) weave into the industry's social fabric. Rich in both gossip and substance, it brings Line Sheet’s off-the-record tone to life, making fashion’s power players and hidden rituals clear and relatable.