It feels like Reese Witherspoon’s online “Southern Goop” venture has been gestating for a really long time, but in truth, this whole thing basically took about 15 months for her to pull together. And now it’s officially here: Draper James is online now. Go here to look at draperjames.com. If Goop.com is elitist nonsense and Preserve is hipster nonsense, then Draper James is Southern nonsense. Now that I’ve had a few minutes to browse the site… I don’t really hate it though. Is it full of ridiculously marked up items? Sure. $200 sleeveless blouses are not my jam. But the prices are positively peasant-y compared to Goop. And unlike Preserve, Draper James has a very straight-forward, user-friendly layout (possibly helped by the fact that they don’t have a lot for sale at the moment).
There are personal touches too, from Reese. You can see Reese’s “editorials” here, which are mostly just “fun” and “peppy” I’m-so-Southern shills. She even has a page for “Southernisms.” Yeah… I grew up in the South and I still live in the South, and no Southerner has ever said to me, “We don’t apologize for looking pretty.” You want to know a real Southernism? “The bigger the hair, the closer to God.” (Steel Magnolias got SO MUCH right about the South.) So, yeah… I think this venture is completely unnecessary, but it’s nothing Reese should be ashamed of. It’s fine. She’ll make some money out of it and she’ll play up her “I’m a cornpone gal, y’all!” credentials for a little while longer.
Meanwhile, In Touch Weekly has some minor drama between Reese and her ex-husband!
Reese Witherspoon and her ex-husband, Ryan Phillippe, have mostly gotten along since their 2007 split. But In Touch has learned that the former Hollywood couple have recently had some serious arguments over their kids, Ava, 15, and Deacon, 11.
“Ryan thinks Reese is trying to cut him out of the kids’ lives because she’s cutting back on his time with them,” a source reveals in the new issue of In Touch. “Reese has been blaming the kids’ busy school schedule, but the reason Ryan thinks she isn’t letting them see him is that she doesn’t like his lifestyle. She thinks he parties way too much and doesn’t want Ava and Deacon around that.”
But, according to the source, Ryan finds fault in her reasoning. “He doesn’t understand why Reese is trying to tell him how to live his life — Ava and Deacon are honor students, and when they are with him, they do their homework,” the source tells In Touch. “He takes good care of those kids and is very angry with Reese right now.”
It wouldn’t surprise me if this story was true. And if it is, Reese needs to stop with Miss Holier-Than-Thou routine. Ryan was the one who had to tell the kids that their mom was a nasty, belligerent, drunk AMERICAN CITIZEN to a Georgia cop and she got arrested. Is Ryan a perfect dad? Doubtful. But I think he loves his kids and he’s not bringing a lot of unnecessary drama into their lives. Besides, Reese needs her kids more these days for the endless stream of happy-family pap strolls she’s been doing to shill Draper James.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.
Whatever happened to Ryan’s career? This is a serious question.
it’s in that ABC crime show Secret and Lies, is doing fairly well and it ended the season on a series high in ratings and beat out the lead in
And I think – not sure – he just said he was not coming back for a second season
@mellissamanifesto He might be a super hero for Netflix show. This is a serious answer.
And no one cares!
I will be launching my lifestyle site Bossy Militant Vulcan next month so watch this space. Because everyone must have a lifestyle site.
I don’t get this trend at all. Just more clutter, more of the same old crap repackaged and regurgitated with a different twist for us to mindlessly consume. That said, I’d check out your site! 🙂
If there’s Vulcan stuff on it, I am SO THERE.
“How to Survive a Vulcan Pon Farr” should be the first editorial. LLAP.
And I will so subscribe to the site. Fierce!
Her shoe and bag game when she is papped gives me serious envy.
Meh to the website, I can’t be faffed with any of them. I would however be all over a Steel Magnolias lifestyle page
I’m stealing that idea and I’m not going to give you any credit for it.
DAMN YOU!!
(Can I be the first to subscribe?)
I will call you ugly names due to your idea thievin’ but will secretly read your site and buy its goods.
I too was born and raised in the south. I still live in the south. Granted there are different “southernisms” depending on where you’re from, but most of us aren’t the charicAture that Reese seems like she’s trying to be. I love her but I liked her better when she wasn’t too big for her britches.
As for Ryan’s career, he was in Secrets and Lies on ABC this year. It was a pretty descent show and he did a passable job. I just don’t think he has the chops to be more than a mediocre actor and he doesn’t have the looks to get by on a pretty face without talent.
“Big for her britches”? Now there’s a southernism.
My mom always threatened to “snatch a knot in your head!” That was harsh and scary talk from a quiet, Southern woman.
I love “too big for her britches.” My mom was from Missouri (I know people don’t consider that the South) and she had all these expressions, “I’ll be there in two shakes of a lamb’s tail,” “bless your little pea-picking heart,” “I’ve been all over hell’s half-acre trying to find it”… I always called them “Missouri-isms” but I don’t know if they’re more widespread in the South.
I’m southern and yes we say all that. Hell’s half acre is a fave.
My Texan mother has always said, “Bless his/her lil’ pea-pickin’ heart.” That’s worse than just a regular “bless your heart.” It means you’re SUPER pathetic.
Haha, I say ‘I’ll be with you in two shakes of a lamb’s tail’ and I am British. I wonder where that came from?
Well, I’m from New York, and we said most of those too!
Is it just me, or did she just recently REALLY start the whole oh I’m SO SOUTHERN campaign? I know she might mention it from time to time, but it seems like it’s just recently that she’s really trying to shove it in their faces. Bless her heart, we all know better.
The site looks ok, nothing terrible and nothing too exciting. Everything is a little pricey though- not quite Goop levels but not generally affordable.
It seems nice compared to a lot of other sites. Wonder what the quality is like.
Though I’m not seeing the Southern, besides the occasional “y’all”? Most of it just looks preppy.
Ages ago, my very Southern high school made it into The Preppy Handbook; this stuff is basic ‘Southern Prep,’ imo – almost like a starter trousseau for what the well-situated young belle is going to need for her debut year, her two or three college years, her entertaining/charity work year, and her first Mrs. year.
I’m a Brit, so these aesthetic seem history lesson in a way.
I’m not at all a fan of “American Citizen” Reece, however I’m also not a fan of eating crow.
I remember very few gave Jessica Alba or Jessica Simpson’s business ventures much time (and yes I know others do the primary work esp in Simpson’s case), but a few years on, look where they are now.
So we’ll see………………………
I liked the blue and white monogrammed cocktail napkins. Other than that, I saw nothing you can’t get all over the place. As a Southerner, I thought the “sayings” were silly, but I have sort of a thing about that.
It’s beautifully put together, I’ll give her that, and the prices do seem about right. There are so many great websites, though. Not sure what makes hers any different except for her name.
Yes, very easy to navigate, unlike Preserve. I had no patience for that.
curated cr@p -all of those sites.
as if these ladies in particular need anymore indulging or ego stroking.
it isn’t even about affordability. it is the idea of browsing something that’s supposedly from the heart and is a personal, deep down passion, which, considering the source(s), would be a complete waste of time. as if any of the 3 has a passion outside of themselves/money/fame or have anything well thought out or deep to offer.
^THIS
This seems made up to jump on the Reese hate train. I haven’t seen a bunch of pics of her with the kids lately, and kids that age are really busy with their own lives. Besides, he wouldn’t need her permission to see the kids – I’m sure there is a custody arrangement.
*yawn*
I just yawned, too. Bleg.
Meh. Some of it is cute but not cute enough for those prices. Some of it is borderline fug but mostly I’m bored. Say about Blake what you will but her stuff is affordable and some of it is seriously cute if you like that aesthetic. Goop is … it’s just insanely expensive. All in all, same cr*p, different celebrity.
Surprised I’m saying this, buuuuut, Preserve is actually better than this site.
My ranking: 1. Honest Company 2. Goop 3. Preserve 4. Draper James
yeah i like preserve too,sometimes the pics are beautiful there ,difficult to navigate though
Where is the name from? Is she a Mad Men fan?
I was thinking maybe middle names of her kids?
Sounds so contrived I can’t stand it. Harrumph!
It’s a combination of her grandparent’s names, I believe. Her website explains it.
I can’t believe I’m saying this but I actually liked it. The clothes aren’t to my taste but I liked some of the handbags and the jewelry pieces. As for Ryan and the kids, I suppose it could be true but given the ages I would imagine they really are busy. When I was 15, I had no time for parents. At 11, I was moping in my room with the door locked.
I finally saw Wild, and she was great in it.
That’s all I’ve got for Reese. I don’t care about her lifestyle site and won’t even check it out.
Life & Style is never really credible. I thought he said recently he and Reese were doing really good. Kids his daughter’s age are more into their friends than daddy and mommy and do have a ton of activities.
Wasn’t that a good movie? I really liked it, and her in it.
She really was great in Wild! I read the book and got a bit bored with it but the movie was really good. I think she did it justice and took a lot of risks as an actress that she had not before with the nudity and drug use.
My Deeply Southern relatives used to say this to me when I was young:
“Sweetheart, if you don’t have anything nice to say, then come sit next to me.”
Education through gossip, lemonade, and snapping green beans into a bowl.
Alice Roosevelt used to have that embroidered on a small pillow on her parlor ‘chat’ couch.
You describe perfectly how I got the best & juiciest parts of my early belle education.
Awesome.
Looks like Target for dumb rich people.
Nonsense. Her whole southern schtick was created by a marketing firm. She is so fake. The Reese brand is false illusion.
“Draper James???” Really?? Why, why, why did she give a middle of the road website peddling run of the mill, available in any catalog, crap such a stupid, affected name? I worked with someone once, a lovely smart woman from the south, who named her kid “Shipley Pearl”. For chrissakes. Why would you saddle a kid with such a stupid name. And same for this website. Draper James….good grief.
Reese, I love you, and I’m not dumping on the south, but they give everything these overly precious names….Draper James? Probably the name you’d give your next kid if you were still in the baby business. ::::sigh::::
I went and looked up how she came up with that name, and it comes from her grandparents’ names.
My mom describes women like Reese as having “a mouth full of pearls and a heart full of rocks.”
^^^ I like this ^^^
My Great Auntie used to advise, “Might not want to lean too far back in your chair, dear” if someone had just engaged in a little backstabbing.
Welp, she lost me. I just checked out her website and laughed outloud when I saw the “magnolia” earrings and ring. I guess this good Southern belle was never taught the difference between magnolia blossoms and rose blossoms.
Exactly. That necklace is hideous and those flowers look like roses and gardenias.
I perused the site yesterday and I liked it! SO much better than that mess on Preserve. But, I still think Goop does it best.
And as a fellow southerner, I am loving how you reported on this and am laughing because yes, the big hair saying is truly on point! Also this one, “bless her heart…” because that is a southern lady’s way of prefacing some harsh words! We can say almost anything if we start it off by saying “bless her heart”!
I wondered if CB would be dumping on Reese’s lifestyle site like they do with Goop. Full disclosure I subscribe to Goop, and do enjoy looking at the site (I glaze over the cleanses and Tracy Anderson though) I was surprised at Reese’s site, i thought it would have more. I also thought the prices were similar to Goop. But like Goop, there is a market, people pay money for those things, myself I am still using a purse (rotated on season and/or outfit) I bought on clearance at Walmart at least 14 years ago and still get compliments from the Kate Spade, LV and Couch wearing ladies at the grocery store.
She has some really cute dresses on there! Unfortunately, out of my price range but cute.
No need to check out her website, I already have a subscription to the magazine Southern Living. It doesn’t feel like she’s contributing anything new.
Puhleeze. What is it about these folks that convinces them we are so interested in knowing what their perspective is on anything? We watch a movie, listen to a song, see a TV show, maybe we like it, maybe like the performers. If it’s a strong enough interest, might even want to know more about the person to an extent. But I think most of us can handle our own lives without advice from some pretentious twit who thinks that having entertained us in one of the aforementioned venues makes them some kind of expert on all things related to humanity. Enough already.
Red dress looks stunning. Blue dress not so much.
That’s understatement, southern style, just for you Reese.
I like Ryan Phillipe and I think Reese is a bitch. Bet she sabotaged his career. He was good in Secrets and Lies but he’s character is dead so he can’t some back for another season.
I went through the site. $14 pencils!!! They’re “Southern Pencils.” Harummmphh! Jezebel’s all over Reese’s shizz:
http://jezebel.com/reese-witherspoons-southern-lifestyle-site-is-giving-me-1702619258
Reese trumpets: “They’re made in Tennessee!” I just found out: most pencils ARE made in Tennessee and sold at Staples for $3.29.
Maybe it will improve because it’s very pedestrian site.
I wonder if the Olsen twins are miffed as their collection is “Elizabeth James.”
Anyway, I live in Missouri and we consider ourselves Southern.
Everyone in the city with means has a horse farm.
Everyone in Mo monograms the crap out of everything. It is repulsive but it is not an odd sighting to see a women wearing monogrammed loafers AND a monogrammed bag AND top. I know, ridic!!
Race relations are horrid, just beyond.
So I’m not proud to live in the South.
I used to think she was such a great actress with movies like Election. Now I realize that character in Election is probably just her.
Hey, y’all….Laura Jeanne Poon has herself a fancy new website!!
Maybe someone here can help me: my sweet, Southern mother was very proper and NEVER cursed. (I take after my dad, hee hee!) But if she got mad, really mad, she’d say “Well, shoot a monkey up a Christmas tree! ” I’ve never heard anyone else say this ever! Is this a Southern thing? She died when I was young and no one who knew her can tell me the origins. But I like to say it, it never fails to make me smile.
I am SO tired of those littlle booties! They are ALL so ugly, and ne’er look good — especially with dresses!