Here are some photos of Reese Witherspoon posing for the paps over the weekend. I mean, I guess that’s what she was doing. The photographer was really close to her, she wore a cute mom outfit and she even smiled and gave the pap some angles to choose from in two different locations. To be fair, if my legs looked that awesome, I would be showing them off too. But for Reese, it does feel like this is Phase Two of her career. Phase One: movie stardom, A-list Oscar-winning actress and successful producer. Phase Two is the Gwyneth Paltrow/Jessica Alba/Jennifer Lopez/Jessica Simpson phase: branding “Reese Witherspoon” as a fashionista, a down-home relatable mom and country girl. Reese announced in March that she was launching her own lifestyle site with Southern flare (Country Goop!), and now E! News has more info:
Reese Witherspoon’s new lifestyle company is coming along quite nicely, thank you very much! And now E! News can exclusively reveal that not only is the Oscar winner’s Goop-like venture called Draper James (in honor of her grandparents and her southern roots) but her plans also include opening a retail store next year.
A trademark application includes hundreds of items to full under the Draper James empire, including bed and bath products, lingerie, handbags, kitchenware, fragrance and cosmetics, furniture, swimwear, pens, pencils, stationary, swaddling blankets and even plastic storage containers.
An official description of Draper James reads, “This multi-channel lifestyle brand founded by Reese Witherspoon will emphasize her southern roots and personal style. The first store will open in 2015.”
Reps for Witherspoon declined to comment for our story. Witherspoon announced about five weeks ago that she was developing a lifestyle brand and had just hired C. Wonder president Andrea Hyde as her CEO. Before C. Wonder, Hyde was CEO of French Connection and Nicole Farhi. Her impressive resume also includes stints at Kenneth Cole and Gap Inc., Estee Lauder and Calvin Klein.
Sounds like Witherspoon is on the right track to giving Martha Stewart and Gwyneth Paltrow a good run for their lifestyle money.
Draper James sounds like an architecture firm, right? Or two gay men (Buff Draper and James Scarfy) who run a profitable and fabulous interior design company. But sure, I’m sort of interested. I guess she couldn’t call it “DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM?” Or even “AMERICAN CITIZEN, INC.” Anyway, do you think Reese is making the right move by transitioning to phase of her career? She’s got an Oscar – surely she should be working more an actress? But I guess not.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
Isn’t this niche getting rather crowded? How many lifestyle sites or shows are really needed?
it’s all about wanting a piece of that empire money pie. everyone will try it.
Maybe she doesn’t care if it’s crowded because she just needs a front for some tax evading? And that would still be quite Goop-ish.
I know I don’t really sound like a girly girl… but I love women in general. I just can’t stand Reese Whiterspoon and her pointy chin. (and many other celebrities ooops)
Exactly.. She has great legs but if only they belonged to someone else. She just irritates the &**(&*( out of me. She reminds me of girls who were cheerleaders at my high school in Texas. Smiling nodding all teeth. NO NO she could be nice as anything but no just can’t. I also don’t even think she rates that much as an actress ok but never mind blowing ok in Mud but she wasn’t on the screen that long so not as irritable.
I think she should have waited a little longer for the drunken browbeating of a police officer to fade from memory. Maybe made a successful rom com and saved a kitten from a tree while endangering her own life, etc. People are still mad at her. (I’m not – she apologized and I thought she meant it). But I’m interested to see what she comes up with. Hate the name.
I think they all want to emulate Jessica Alba. She was one of the first celebrities to be clever enough and use the money made on acting jobs on something more prolific.
She now runs her own successful business like a pro but I don’t think many people liek Reese Whiterspoon. She has that bitchy face that fools no one. SHe might be as sweet as sugar but she has fakeness in her eyes.
The Honest Company is only 2-3 years old. Its all in the Martha Stewart mold. Sadly, even GOOP pre-dates Alba as a lifestyle brand by a long time.
After reading the name I automatically thought of “Diaper Genie” which seems to fit better for this crap.
me too.
Lol, genius
lol!
Ugh. I know it’s like we know the real “American” version of who she is and she’s ugly through and through.
That last photo sums her up for me, completely classless, keep your mouth closed when chewing gum, please.
She’s got her Oscar, but that was for the kind of role that was more the exception than the rule in her career – she’s seen that Julia Roberts couldn’t be America’s Sweetheart forever, so maybe it’s a smart idea to branch out when she’s still A-list?
And before another This Means War or How Do You Know sinks her to Jessica Alba level!
Celebrities with lifestyle brands just doesn’t seem right. It comes off as fake. Eventhough Reese has an Oscar, she was never a major star. She had a few hits but a lot of bombs.
She is box-office poison and needed another job. Of course she chose a job, where she can tell regular people how to live and what to put in their homes. Don’t you know who she is?
Hahha Birdie. That is perfect.
Ugh I’m so over her.
Not buying it sweetie.
Always liked her but a “lifestyle” brand? Really? Why celebrities think their “lifestyle” is something special amazes me. Frankly, I like my own!
I always wonder about this in the celebrity ‘lifestyle’ line. Wouldn’t the first and most important step be in having a life like hers be… oh, I don’t know. Start working as an incredibly young child actor, crank out movie after movie, bank the massive cash, find an Oscar vehicle to star in, and then run while there is still a shred of interest in my sinking career? I mean, if you don’t do/have that, pretty sure having a life like hers is gonna be a no go. Which, in all honesty… I don’t want. Only life I’m interested in living is my own as well!
I think I start my own “Wizz” lifestyle brand, dispensing such great advice as to how to get your beer cold real quick and how to remove oil stains from clothes.
I know you’re being facetious, but I need this advice in my life ASAP.
The Celebrity Lifestyle brand works like this: star has a pre-existing fanbase. A fanbase that will see a movie because she’s in it. Who will buy a shoe/purse/clothing/food/brand because she was photographed with said product. Star capitalizes on this loyalty of fanbase by launching a lifestyle brand that says: now you can live just like me by buying this product! Fanbase keeps lifestyle brand viable. The hope is that it will eventually go mainstream, outside of fanbase – a la Jessica Alba/The Honest Company. Business wise, it’s actually very, VERY smart and Reese is being super smart by carving out a niche in a market that’s already been cornered (branding as “Southern”) and opening a brick and mortar store later, which is just the cherry on top. This sets her apart and makes her different. Fame is fleeting and beauty doesn’t last forever. Especially not in Hollywood. I can’t hate on Reese for this, at all. It’s smart. She may or may not be a nice person (idk), but if all of those blinds are true, she’ll make one hell of a business woman. I just wish I knew who to contact to get my product into her store!
Who other than some midwestern/southern housewives will find her style appealing? Will she do some Paula Deen style cooking as well.
Those Midwestern/Southern housewives you speak of build empires.
she has none of the graciousness that could possibly give her “brand” the southernness it would need to differentiate her’s from everyone else’s.
goop really opened the floodgates for celebrities to make crystal clear how truly vain and insipid they are. and greedy.
that said, she seems like infinitely more control freakish (jacked up crazy control freakish) than most so maybe it will do well or be better done?
First of all Draper James sounds like a shart someone did in their panties.
Secondly, who reads those blogs anyways? What?is a lifestyle blog the new handbag line for this decade of irrelevant celebrity moms? It’s really sad.
Love her sandals – anyone know the brand?
Bless Reese’s heart. She tries so hard to be “classy” (I absolutely hate, hate, hate that word), but she’s really just white trash with money. It amazes me that she’s just as smug and pretentious as Gwyneth, but Reese gets a free pass.
I’ve never liked Reese, but what I really can’t stand about her is how much I love “Sweet Home Alabama.”
Spot on K.B.! Couldn’t have said it better myself. Plus all those old CDAN blind items about her (very) racist family & the public drunkenness snafu that was practically yesterday–my gut just shouts ‘not a nice person’ every time I see a picture of her. There has to be a better Southern Lady for a lifestyle brand than Reese.
1. I hate those sandals. That design with the strap never looks good on anyone, it gives the person the illusion of fat ankles while also looking like an alcohol moderating device.
2. The name of her company sounds like a little boys clothing/product line, which might be a smart move. Not sure how big the market would be but seeing how little girls seem to have better looking clothing (especially in the baby/toddler area), it could be an untapped market.
This seems to be the new thing for medicore actresses who cant get decent work anymore. Unless your as talented as Meryl Streep le kate Winslet it seems once you win an oscar your career is basically over. Jennifer lawerence got lucky with the hunger games and xmen but others wont be as lucky ( Lupita).
I’m not convinced. Sandra Bullock did Gravity after her Oscar which was an important career move imho after all her years of rom com typecasting. Charlize Theron is still around (and not only around Sean Penn lol). Natalie Portman gave birth to a child but I guess she still gets quite a few offers, plus rakes in the cash with her Thor movies. Helen Mirren does of course well but then again she’s Hellen Mirren. I think Jennifer Lawrence will do just fine even outside of the Hunger Games (and X-Men). Penelope Cruz isn’t out of jobs either. The same goes for Tilda Swinton, although she probably doesn’t really care about the Oscar. Oh and Cate Blanchett’s Oscar this year was her second one. So she isn’t doing too bad either.
I don’t believe in the Oscar curse. However I believe that quite a few actresses got an Oscar that were total newcomers or not such great actresses but thought that after they got the Oscar they can be real picky because.. well.. they do have the little golden statue at home. And it didn’t work out.
I think Lupita has a very good position right now – an Oscar for practically her first movie, everybody loves her, eyerone thinks she’s the next style icon. If she’s smart and as talented as it seems she can totally build on that.
Don’t care for the name, but I’m surprised they’re trying for retail stores.
Celebrity lifestyle brands are overdone, though hopefully this one won’t be as pretentious and overpriced as Goop.
Pfff…naming your brand after your grandparents is so 2007.
Tour of Attrition by Sexy of an American citizen on American Soil continues unabated!
Isn’t it interesting that years ago, at the height of her importance, this Declaration of Independence signer’s humble descendant was not papped this often?
I see she’s wearing her billowy short skirt, perfect for a Marilyn moment.
“Declaration of Independence signer’s humble descendant” : The New American Citizen rotflmmfao I Cannot stop cackling
This name makes me think of Don Draper and “Mad Men.” It’s as if Sally got married to a guy with the last name James and gave her and her husband’s son the middle name Draper.
Yeah, until I read the article I didn’t know why she was naming her company after a character on a TV show. (I know there are real people with that last name, but that was my initial, uncaffeinated thought.)
Glad I’m not the only one.
I’m not even a huge fan of “Mad Men,” but that name now has such a strong association for me.
It’s really sad that this is what her career is now
Does anyone shop with the honest company? How are the products?
wooley: I use their shampoo. It’s decent, though pretty drying for my hair. Smells good and sulfate-free.
I figure the reason she’s doing the lifestyle thing is because her acting career is lacking and even though several celebrities have branded their lifestyle (Martha Stewart, Jessica Alba, Paltrow), if she has a decent fan-base, it’s a smart move because they’ll follow her lifestyle tips and buy anything and everything she suggests. Plus, Goop is in the red big time and so may be dissolved. That’s one competitor out the door. My question is, what does Reese think she has to offer in the area of lifestyle? Sure, she has money and possibly even some southern charm, but style? She has never been known for style. Even if she did have a signature look, it wouldn’t be for the masses as Reese is built awkward – don’t mean that as a dig, just saying.
Exactly! It’s smart!
She’s differentiated thus far as branding as Southern and opening a brick and mortar. It remains to be seen if she’ll talk fashion or homey type stuff. My bet (and if she’s smart) would be homey type stuff. This is what her target demographic is interested in.
1. While I do like the style of the sandals, the strap appears to be too big or too wide for her leg, right? Also, are these gold, because I hate gold shoes or handbags, particularly worn in daytime with a very casual skirt, huh? Okay, the skirt looks very cute on her, but both of her “tops” are horrid, not well matched to the skirt at all. It looks like she threw this on and ran out of the house.
2. I actually loved Reese in all of her movies, she’s perfect for many of the parts she has played. But when she and her husband were stopped for drunk driving, I hated it when she blurted out an array of really stupid things!! Was this the Reese I always loved and thought well of? After that, I’ve backed off a bit on liking her or believing her to be more mature. Ugg, that was bad, but her husband was showing all of the maturity, not Reese.
I don’t understand the snark about the name Draper James. Obviously those are names with meaning to her- they have been in her family for several generations. She has a niece named Draper, for instance. What exactly is the problem with it?