F
or those who are besotted with all things interior, I bring you a new obsession: The Dreslyn Home, the newly launched home category on fashion and lifestyle e-commerce specialty retailer, The Dreslyn.
The online women’s specialty shopping boutique, based in downtown L.A., is already a go-to for fashion lovers who don’t need to broadcast their labels. Ready-to-wear and accessories from the likes of A.P.C., Rachel Comey, Raquel Allegra, Chloé, Comme Des Garçons Play and Helmut Lang as well as indie designers from Building Block, Caron Callahan, Ryan Roche, Common Projects and more draw in a devoted digital clientele.
They may enter into its sleek, minimalist cyber doors for the fashion labels, but they stay for the chic, well-curated mix of fashion and content that speaks to the type of woman who does not spend most of her day posing for selfies. And when she does, you can bet her Instagram feed features more art than it does arse.
“There’s a whole wave of feminism happening right now and we’ve been able to tap into [the spirit] of women who are doing amazing things,” said Dreslyn founder Brooke Taylor Corcia.
“Our angle has been to find real women who work in the arts, work with fashion, or could be a chef, and to [discover] what inspires them. There’s something powerful and relatable in that.”
The woman who will vibe with The Dreslyn knows that Verner Panton (the design genius responsible for the iconic Panton ‘S’ chair) has no relation to Verner’s ginger ale and Beni Ourain (the Moroccan shag rug you see in every design mag) is a rug and not a restaurant where the chef grills in front of you and does funny things with shrimp.
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“Home is an extension of our vision for this customer,” said Corcia. “From the get-go, we knew we wanted to be a specialty store online, expanding into her desk accessories, her kitchen accessories with brands like Maison Margiela home goods and then also supporting our local designers.”
The home mix, like the ready to wear, is an equally well-balanced assortment of both established and emerging names with the kind of décor pieces that are on-trend but not trend-y. Mad for marble? We love luxe newcomer Well Received, a stationer whose thoughtful and innovative cards offer sophisticated yet playful paper takes on marble, ostrich, concrete, wood and other elements. The gift set ($350) that comes in a steel box is our favorite, but single sets run at a more accessible $30-$80. If it’s the actual stone you’re looking for, the private-label Dreslyn Home marble cheeseboards are gorgeous and ridiculously affordable at $75-$80 for a set of two. (One for you; one for them.)
If metals are your muse, head straight for the Tom Dixon pieces. The copper champagne bucket ($250) is a lust-after piece, but the gorgeous bone napkin ring set in brass ($55) and the candle gift set in metallic vessels ($120) is equally as fabulous.
That high-low mix that has become part of the way women shop for clothes is equally as prevalent in home decor, and we have shelter magazines such as Domino to thank for that. And that balance was important for Corcia to strike.
“You can have this elegant lifestyle that’s still affordable,” said Corcia. “The products themselves read as expensive and luxurious, but we’re not breaking the bank.”
The site also features functional porcelain keepsakes and jewelry displays by BDB New York; raw, natural bath products from Herbivore Botanicals; unique handmade ceramics from Mquan Studio, knitwear expert Tabula Rasa’s decorative pillows and throws; limited-edition work from photographer William Kaner and serving platters from Chris Earl, an L.A.-based designer from Papa New Guinea.
Supporting L.A.-based designers and newcomers is also key for the online site.
Said Corcia, “In L.A. there’s been a really recent upsurge in creativity, and a lot has to do with the recession and people taking chances. We really wanted to represent not only brands who are born and raised here, but also those who have a more minimalist style.”
Corcia, originally from Michigan, honed her own style working in magazine advertising for national magazines and and then joining the team that originally launched C Magazine ten years ago.
“[The magazine world] really opened my eyes to fashion as a business — even though I was bad with numbers,” joked Corcia. That changed when she met her now husband, a Canadian, and ended up moving to Montreal, where she became a senior womenswear buyer at SSense, where she helped grow the business 400 percent in three years.
It was there that Corcia fell in love with the online model, and when it was time to move back to the states, L.A. seemed the natural fit, she said. Together, the pair, along with Corcia’s brother, have not only made The Dreslyn a family affair, but embraced Downtown L.A.’s burgeoning arts, fashion and restaurant scene, choosing to both live and work in downtown’s Arts District.
“Truthfully, it’s really exciting to be down here,” said Corcia. “Every third day there’s a new coffee shop, and APC just opened and Acne. You feel that things are turning and changing.”
Images courtesy The Dreslyn.