Reese Witherspoon's Southern Goop—Draper James—Finally Launches
Photo: @draperjamesgirl/Instagram
The Reese Witherspoon experience is officially for sale!
The actress officially launched Draper James on Wednesday (though we caught it last night, because if there’s something new to shop, you can guarantee we’ll be the first to know), her anticipated (note the absence of highly or hotly, people are just plain curious) lifestyle website, joining the the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP and Blake Lively’s Preserve. So with these two already providing the necessary amounts of material for mocking, why would Witherspoon enter the dangerous world of high-brow e-commerce? Because she’s a Southern lady.
“I started this company to honor my Southern heritage and in particular my grandparents who were, and still are, the greatest influences in my life,” she wrote on her site’s website, draperjames.com, which is named for them. “My grandparents taught me everything I know about gracious Southern living. From them I learned to dress and act like a lady, to take pride in my home, to reach out to help a neighbor, and to always invite everyone in for a visit.”
The company, which sells housewares, hostess gifts, accessories, clothing, jewelry, and more, abides by the following mission statement: “Whether it’s Nashville or New Orleans, Beaufort or Birmingham, there is a special breed of charm and grace that’s signature to the American South. With Draper James, our goal is to bring contemporary, yet timeless Southern style to your wardrobe and your home, no matter where you live. We hope you will stop in to see us often—our door is always open.”
As soon as word got out that Drape & James was live, the site proceeded to crash with all the adoring Sweet Home Alabama fans rushing to their computers to place orders for Elle Woods-approved mint julep cups ($110), a T-shirt Tracy Flick might like with the words “Keep It Pretty Please” — a wise Witherspoonism: “You only get one life, so let’s make it pretty, please,” she said in a video promo for the site — (screen printed on it ($58), or a “Totes Y’All” tote ($155) that Melanie Smooter would totally carry.
Witherspoon is universally beloved. She’s America’s Freakin’ Sweetheart for gosh sakes. But is that enough to keep her from falling victim to similar incessant ridicule that Paltrow and Lively face? Possibly. I mean, the 39-year-old has gotten sloppy in an elevator and all was forgotten — she was even complimented for her sloppy cuteness — and immediately forgiven for DUI and disorderly conduct charges following an adorably self-deprecating on-air apology. Paltrow consciously uncoupled and has been public enemy number one ever since and Lively will never live down the fact that she changed her outfit 10 times in one day in an elaborate blog promotion. But Witherspoon seems to be able to do wrong and brush it off. I might not be buying a $250 wicker bag that she tells me “will never go out of style” (but I ask, when was it in?), but I’ve already started following Draper James on Instagram — and so have 20,000 others.
More from Yahoo Style:
BFF ALERT: Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara Are Inseparable
Celebrity Look Book: Reese Witherspoon
Ladies in Red at Met Gala 2015: Amal Clooney, Reese Witherspoon, Gigi Hadid & More
