The Dreslyn’s Innate Style

6397 jeans, L’Agence pullover sweater, Robert Clergerie Epsos Oxford, all available at the Dreslyn.
L’Agence cardigan and Helmut Lang leather leggings, available at the Dreslyn.
Rachel Comey Quip jacket, Rachel Comey Bradbury pant, Illesteva Lou Reed aviator glasses, available at the Dreslyn.
Band of Outsiders Fair Isle horses sweater, Helmut Lang cropped stovepipe leather, Wendy Nichol straw ranger hat, available at the Dreslyn.
Illesteva Leonard and L’Agence raglan pullover, both available at the Dreslyn.
Brooke Taylor Corcia, founder and CEO of the Dreslyn.

Retail therapy.

Writer Steven Schelling

“People tend to think of Los Angeles style as either red carpet or Uggs and sweatpants,” says Brooke Taylor Corcia, founder of the Dreslyn. “But there’s a fantastic, creative scene out here, and it wasn’t being represented in the online marketplace.”

The former senior women’s wear and accessories buyer for Montreal-based online fashion retailer Ssense, Taylor Corcia brings years of technical, web-based experience to the Dreslyn, her online retail store. But it’s Taylor Corcia’s innate sense of style and online retail philosophy that have allowed the fledgling West Coast enterprise to increase its sales by 55 per cent each month since going live one year ago.

NUVO magazine: the Dreslyn

Taylor Corcia’s carefully curated aesthetic is built on layering minimalist pieces for a casual but oh-so-polished contemporary look. With a heavy nod to Pinterest and other social media platforms, the Dreslyn is designed to be a style resource as much as an e-commerce site; its site pages feature a wealth of inspirational images and designer interviews that bring “browser-window shoppers” in droves. It may not always translate into sales, but Taylor Corcia says this model of customer engagement offers something else of great value: credibility.

And repeat business. Upward of a third of first-time visitors return to shop. “Running a brick-and-mortar store is very different from an online business,” Taylor Corcia says. By positioning itself as a stylish “friend,” the Dreslyn has begun to bridge the gap with consumers who can’t speak directly to a salesperson or touch what they are buying.

“We may not be for everyone because we do have a very strong point of view,” Taylor Corcia admits. “But the ones who do understand us, trust us.”