The Essential List 15. Leah Melby Clinton's Late Summer Signatures

The In Kind Editor-in-Chief shares an elevated canvas bag, a dummy-proof curling iron, her favorite ballet flats, and how she went from a career in magazines to launching her own.

Today, I’m excited to feature Leah Melby Clinton, Editor-in-Chief of In Kind. Leah has worked as an editor and contributor at titles like ELLE, Glamour, Harper’s BAZAAR, Esquire, Town & Country, and Marie Claire.

I find it fascinating to talk to fashion editors because they’re exposed to so. much. product (see below for details on gifts and the beauty closet). As a fashion editor, you often have to choose products to feature based on what’s new or what will generate the most clicks and sales. So, it’s always interesting to discover an editor’s personal favorites when there’s nothing at stake.

First, Leah shares her late-summer essentials (because, need I remind you, we still have almost another month of summer). Then, I share our Q&A about Leah’s transition from the 'golden age' of magazines to carving out her own niche in the publishing world, the pressure to turn side projects into businesses, and the inspiration behind her newest venture, Diana.

---

Rue de Verneuil bags This French brand is so cool — understated and classic and simple. As a bag person who also worked as a fashion editor, I’m always preaching the value of high-quality canvas bags: The price is so much lower than leather, and you don’t treat them too preciously (they look cooler once worn in, anyway). I have a medium size that fits my computer and a small denim one I love carrying for everyday.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm Injecting spa-like rituals into your nighttime skin routine sounds like a good idea, but I’m often just trying to speed up the time before I can get in bed with my Kindle. This feels beautiful on and makes me give in to 30 seconds or so of relaxing facial massage. I love it.

Margaux The Demi Jane Versatile shoes are worth their weight in gold. This Mary Jane version of a classic ballet flat feels both on-trend and classic right now, and the leather is so. soft. I wore mine steadily last year (swapping out for the mesh version in the warmer months) and am just starting to really mix them again.

The Beachwaver I’ve owned mine for probably a decade now, and with very small forays away, it’s been my go-to hair tool ever since. It’s a mechanized curler, which feels somewhat dummy-proof and helps avoid the uncomfortable feeling of holding a curling iron aloft. I air dry, curl, and ignore for as long as possible.

Sezane “Gaspard” Cardigan I now own this in three colors—two stripe variations and one charcoal. Cardigans are an unsung wardrobe hero: you can wear it open over dresses or tees, buttoned as a shirt, wrapped around your neck or over your shoulders… I even love how it makes my PJs feel fancier when I pull it on in the morning, and I’ll wear it as a cover up over my gym stuff when I head to a Pilates class.

March Hare “Kimsey” watch Watches are so elegant (and they let you ignore your phone since you’re no longer trapped by needing to know what time it is—sad, but true). I love classic styles that look like they’d belong in any decade and can be passed down. This thin, ladylike version is from a sister duo who are just lovely, and the price point can’t  be beat. You can swap out straps, too—I have this double wrap on my list so I can wear it two ways. [Ed. note — they’re currently having a 25% off summer sale]

---

---

I was introduced to Leah through a mutual friend and was immediately impressed by her style, curiosity, passion for writing, and her talent for creating spaces where women can connect and share. I was thrilled to chat with her about her background, side projects, and how she manages to balance it all!

Tell me about your background and what you’re doing today.

I always wanted to be a magazine editor. I love writing, and I was that nerdy kid with a journal. In college, that's what I studied, and I stayed on this fairly straight trajectory. Most of my career has been in editorial or media, where you tend to bop around from title to title or publishing house, but I stayed in the space of writing about style, personal style, and shopping throughout all of my roles.

I left editorial life to work on the brand side at Margaux when I was pregnant with my first child. After having my daughter, I went back to work for a few weeks, then COVID hit and remote work started. I really missed writing and editing, so I thought, "I'll just do it." I made a zine that was Photoshopped and I sent it out to friends and family. It was fascinating to see that it resonated with people and we've steadily grown from there. Now, In Kind is a biannual print magazine.

At the beginning of this summer, I started Diana, which is a private membership community for women.

I've always had a full-time job while doing In Kind, which I like a lot. It's necessary for me financially, and my astrology chart shows that I’m a plate juggler, so I really enjoy having lots going on. We often do founder round tables in In Kind and in this upcoming issue it’s focused on people with a side hustle and how they manage it. It's nice to hear from people that the two can feed each other so well. We often feel stuck in this world where if you have a side project, the goal should be to leave your job, raise money, and make it your main thing. And that's great, but it’s also important to acknowledge that some people might want it to stay as a side project. You put a lot of pressure on it if it has to make money to sustain you.

I appreciate when women talk about this. One of the women who spoke at a conference I attended last January said, "You shouldn't leave your job until you can make what you were making before and also pay someone else." When you're older, you realize that's a lot of money. We often aren't realistic enough about it, and when you put that pressure on it, it doesn't necessarily ruin things, but it can change them a lot. We've had a lot of discussions about what we want to do with it. My husband — like many husbands — is the practical one, saying, "If you want this to be a business, you guys should stop making a print magazine." But then why would I do this at all?

It’s been interesting in 2024 to think about a mindset shift. Maybe I want In Kind to be more of an artistic project, something that feeds that part of me without the pressure of needing to become a full-time career. We’re reading The Artist’s Way in Diana, and it's been interesting to try to claim the title of "artist." It feels like artists are painters, sculptors, but art is just creativity. It feels pompous to say In Kind is a piece of art, but it is something we love doing and I think it's beautiful. My husband and I had this weird moment where I realized that maybe I do want it to be art. I don't want it to drain my checking or savings accounts, but I also don't want to make the sacrifices and business decisions that would turn it into a full business, because it would leech a lot of what we love so much.

You worked at magazines during their golden age, what was your favorite part of the job?

Aside from my first position, I was always more of a digital editor. I worked at ELLE twice — the first time I laddered up to the Editor-in-Chief, and the next time they had made a big split and I laddered up into the digital side. So, I feel like I got to experience both aspects.

That first role with the Editor-in-Chief was before the full digital shift. I remember when Vogue didn’t even have a website—it’s so bizarre to imagine that now. Digital teams and websites were looked at as the ugly stepchild of the industry. It’s funny because now we all know that the stories that really work are things like "10 Black Dresses Under $200." But back then, print editors would look at digital content like that and say, "What is this?"

I also remember when Instagram came out. As an ELLE editor, you’d go to a market appointment to see a new season of clothing and your job was to take a picture with a crappy Instagram filter and post it to ELLE’s account. It’s so crazy now to think of how different things were.

But in general, working in magazines back then just felt like the best job in the entire world — partly because it was so cool and buzzy, but I also couldn’t imagine how anyone could not want to do this job. I’m curious, I love writing, I love talking to people — so for me, it was perfect.

The glossiest, best part was definitely the gifts and the beauty closet. When I left media, it was hard — I hadn’t bought a single beauty product in a decade. I hadn’t bought underwear, jeans, or bras in a decade either. There were so many things that people would gift you to consider for a story or to get familiar with a brand. The beauty closet was always stocked — everything from cheap drugstore stuff to really nice items. The first time I had to buy mascara after leaving, I thought, "This is the end of an era." You kind of take it for granted and forget that it’s not real life.

Now that you publish your own magazine, In Kind, and have total editorial control, what are you most excited to write about?

Part of why we started In Kind was because media became so digital. I would pitch ideas to friends who are now editors-in-chief or digital directors, and they'd say, "That's such a great idea, Leah, but no one will click on it." They didn't have the budget to pay for it, and it wouldn’t get any traffic. So, it's nice to have the space now to do those kinds of stories.

That’s also why In Kind is a magazine — it’s not content I'd want to read on my phone; it’s something you really want to sit with. That was the drive behind creating it in the first place — I had a child and realized there was no content I wanted to read. Our audience is people who had their kids later in life, had careers they really liked, and were very much their own person. Motherhood didn’t completely subsume their identity.

I wanted to be really thoughtful about asking questions like, what happens to your ambition when you have kids? What happens to wanting to prioritize yourself? I thought that maybe after having babies, something would just switch on where your selfishness would decrease. You wouldn’t want to buy clothes because, internally, you knew you had to save for college and other things. But that doesn’t happen. You still want to do your workout class and pay for your priorities. I enjoy writing about those things, especially motherhood, from that perspective.

I also really enjoy bringing founders and business owners into the mix. Like I mentioned with the founder's roundtable, it's important to highlight the people behind everything. As consumers, we get used to just buying and moving on, but it’s eye-opening to realize there are women who have worked really hard on their companies — that product came from them. Stitching together the full backstory of these businesses is something I really enjoy. It feels different, and it’s exciting to interview people, to be curious about their stories, and then share them with others.

What inspired you to start Diana, your latest venture?

I just couldn't find what I wanted. I live in a suburb that's not where I'm from, so I don't have family here or high school friends. When we had our babies and with remote work and COVID, I felt lonely — not in a sad, dramatic way, but just a sense of isolation because I didn’t really have friends nearby. When you're a certain type of person, wired a certain way, and you live somewhere that isn't a big city, it's hard to find people who get it. I assumed others probably felt the same way.

It's been a great summer. We have a group of about 30 women from around the country. The idea is to have a chat room where you can talk to people who get where you’re at, whether it’s entrepreneurship, juggling a job, having young children, or feeling that kind of loneliness. There’s a real gift in meeting people who meet you where you are right now, without knowing you from your past.

Mini retreats are peppered in to give you a sense of community, knowing that it will look different from what it used to. One of our members said it best: "I wanted to meet soulful, like-minded women with a plan and a set calendar." It’s not like waiting for the friend in your group to plan a vacation — where it's always hard to coordinate. This is more about having something already on your calendar that you can just go to.

So many of us now are talking about family, children, work, and relationships, but it’s also about feeding your soul. When you're younger, you make friends through repetition—at work or in college — but now, with remote work, much of that is gone. And people are so busy. The idea of a friend matchmaker feels silly, but when you’re so busy, it’s hard to find the time to connect. I’ve done that — trying to have a coffee with a mom from school you think you’ll like, and then realizing you don’t actually have chemistry.

If you can find your community, knowing you’re already attracted to some idea that brought you together, then you’re probably already going to get along. You’re not wasting your time. It sounds negative, but it's just that it’s hard to find time to get lunch with someone only to realize, "We’re not going to be close," and that’s okay, but it feels like a wasted three hours of planning, driving, and meeting.

How do you balance a full time job and two side projects with two kids and everything else going on in life?

My brain starts to shut down at night, so that's not when I want to be writing or doing anything creative. We're just closing the issue so I’m much more apt to get up early in the morning before the kids are awake and write.

I’m really lucky in terms of support. My mother and father-in-law live 40 minutes away, and our kids are their only grandkids. They’re the ideal grandparents — obsessed with the kids and love spending time with them. They’re often here during the week to help with my youngest, who isn’t in school yet, and they usually come over one day on the weekend too. On those days, they’re in charge. My husband is also entrepreneurial with his own company, so it’s pretty much like, "Okay, if I hear intense crying, I’ll go down, but otherwise, I trust them to handle things." It’s definitely different, but it’s lovely, and I never forget what a gift it is to be able to hand over control and focus on my work.

I remember an old colleague telling me about how her parents weren’t keen on helping with childcare. It made me realize how lucky I am.

We were actually just chatting about balance in our Diana group chat. One of our members was talking about streamlining communications and how to balance everything. It was interesting because some people were like, "I do not have my work email on my phone. I shut it off after work hours." I think that's great, but I’m in the other camp. I believe you have to figure out what works for you.

For me, being able to brush my teeth and answer a quick email works. It’s not about being a workaholic; it’s just how I’m wired. I’m also happy not looking at my phone sometimes, but I don’t think I could function if I had to clear everything after 6 p.m. I feel like I’m always doing something somewhere, and it’s important to realize that there’s no right or wrong way to balance it all — you just have to do what works best for you.

Caddis Miklos Reading Glasses

What is the last thing you bought that you feel really good about, and how did you find out about it?

I've been trying to be better about not buying as much stuff, but I recently ordered this Gap Sherpa trench coat — it's like a teddy bear coat — because it was on sale. It just arrived, and I tried it on, and it actually looks really nice. The price was right, too. As someone who works in marketing, I was fascinated by a review I saw where someone said, "This coat’s amazing, buy it before it sells out like it did last year." I was like, "Done." It was such a great review, and I was happy for Gap —  I’m really pulling for Gap these days.

I also bought another pair of these blue light-blocking glasses that I really like. I found out about them because Gwyneth Paltrow has them. They’re really heavy and well-made and I can't tell if they actually work or if it’s all in my mind, but even if it’s just the latter, it's still doing something. I wear them when I’m editing or writing. These are now my upstairs pair, and I keep the other one by my computer downstairs. It feels indulgent, but also great, especially since I’ve been doing so much work on In Kind.

I did that thing where if you love something, you buy two. It might seem ridiculous or far too indulgent at first, but then you realize, "I wear these every single day when I’m at the computer, and I like them." It’s an accessory I’ll use more than any handbag I own. So, it’s totally worth it.

Thank you, Leah! I’m so impressed with what you’ve created at In Kind and inspired to see you building new things when what you want doesn’t exist. Also, you’ve sold me on chic, canvas bags.

Subscribe to

In Kind on Monday

and follow @leahmelbyclinton and @inkindmag on Instagram for more from Leah.

Let us know if you have any questions for Leah in the comments. If you have your own late-summer essentials, I’d love to hear it!

---

The Essential List is paywall-free and available to everyone. You can support this newsletter by liking this post, leaving a comment and sharing it with anyone who you think would enjoy it. Thanks for being here!