Five Minutes With Drew Barrymore

Andrew Nodell

Updated Fri, November 10, 2017 at 12:00 PM UTC

Leaving the house perfectly polished is admittedly not always Drew Barrymore’s strongest suit.

“I can really rely on being a schlump in my real life,” she explained at the book launch party for “Christian Siriano: Dresses to Dream About” on Tuesday in New York. Last month, the actress-turned-entrepreneur launched a line of affordable apparel and accessories called Dear Drew on Amazon Fashion. This latest endeavor adds to a growing business portfolio that includes a line of beauty products and an eponymous wine label.

“I really wanted to do something that was everyday wear elevated,” said the 42-year-old. “What intimidates me as a woman is having to dress fabulously at certain prices.”

The mother of two admits she knows how to make herself “look taller and thinner” by choosing the right silhouette: “I’ve been in tailor houses since I was a kid learning from the best seamstresses — a gusset here, a dart there.”

Barrymore said the cut of her collection, which includes apparel, loungewear and lingerie priced from $28 to $238, is of the utmost importance to its commercial success. “Our whole intention is for it to fit you nicely and beautifully. It’s also very feminine and I forget sometimes to be feminine. It’s really empowering,” she said.

Coming from a parent-teacher conference at her daughter’s school earlier in the day, the former child actress noted “it’s a very romantic endeavor when you’re telling people you’ve made an effort, which is something I forget to do a lot in my real life.”

Comparing her dressed-down appearance for trips to yoga class as “so ‘Derelicte’ out of ‘Zoolander,’” Barrymore noted the need to have attainable day-to-day pieces readily available in her closet. “Our bodies feel different on different days,” she added.

Her Dear Drew collection includes handbags, jewelry and luggage, which she explained can provide a complete transformation. “If you put on something really basic and add a pop of an earring, it’s like lipstick — little details make a difference in your attitude,” she said.

Barrymore is undoubtedly skillful at building profitable brands — her company Flower Beauty, founded in 2013, is sold exclusively at 4,000 Wal-Mart locations in the U.S and 300 in Mexico. Next month, the actress will open a pop-up brick-and-mortar location for Dear Drew in New York’s SoHo neighborhood that she insists customers “won’t want to leave.”

“I’m just starting in apparel,” she admitted. “I like to show everything all at once and apparel is very rollout and seasonal so I’m getting used to that. Once you’ve made it, you kind of just want it out there. Patience is what I’m learning.”

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