GRAMERCY — Inside the Diana Warner Studio on Thursday night, a tall, waifish brunette stood in the opening of a dressing room, grinning as she modeled an asymmetrical blue dress. A cluster of people had gathered around her, gushing over the style and the fit and urging the woman to buy.
Standing among them was Diana Warner, the namesake and mastermind behind the boutique that opened June 1. Thursday night was her first Fashion’s Night Out event.
Warner doesn’t ask much of her customers. She wants them to have fun, to hang out for awhile on her velvety in-store couch. But one of her requirements is that customers who try something on give an in-store fashion show.
It’s just for kicks, for customers to have a little fun when they’re shopping, said Warner, 29, who said it's part of what makes her store “the happiest little boutique in New York City.”
Warner, a tall blonde with a Tennessee drawl, flitted around the store throughout the evening, chatting with friends and explaining the finer points of designer denim. A selection of booze and DJ’s tunes inevitably loosened some purse strings, and a few free giveaways were waiting in the wings.
It took just a few hours for the event to rev into full swing inside the narrow, brick-walled store on East 21st Street near Park Avenue. The preparation, however, took days—and more than a little help from Warner's family and friends.
Around 3 p.m. on Thursday, Warner’s father, Bob Bundy, was navigating through foreign parts of Brooklyn to pick up speakers for the DJ. Her mother, Ellen, was making a run to the liquor store and the grocery store. She also strung white lights up the staircase leading to the store’s entrance.
“All week long, we’ve been getting ready,” said Ellen, who admitted she missed her home near Knoxville. But she said it was worth it to help her daughter.
“This is her dream, and you know, for your children, you do whatever it takes to help them achieve their dreams,” Ellen said.
Warner studied oil painting and drawing at the University of Tennessee but found herself spending most of her time making jewelry. She made a business around that. Now her necklaces, pendants and bracelets are sold in 700 stores, including her own.
Warner also stocks her boutique with clothing and accessories. Her focus is on femininity and color, especially at the start of summer but with fall fashions as well.
“It still feels like you walk into a Crayola box sometimes,” she said, looking around her store.
Apart from aesthetics, Warner said she is attracted to pieces that tell stories.
One of Warner’s most popular jewelry designs is a pendant that reads “Le cancer fait chier,” which roughly translated means “f--- cancer,” Warner said.
The inspiration for the piece came in part from Warner’s brother, who once suffered from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Although he is now in remission and beginning a graduate program at Yale University, his condition was once critical.
Word got around that Warner's brother was sick. One day, she found herself talking to two breast cancer survivors who suggested that Warner make some jewelry that said “f--- cancer.”
“Well my mom gets mad every time I say that word,” Warner replied. “What if I said it in French?”
That spunk and sass infuse items throughout the store, which is filled with pieces from Southern artists and designers from Alabama to Brooklyn. A line of cards on her counter feature sayings like: “My face hurts from pretending to like you,” while a piece of art hanging on the wall reads: “Your day will go the way the corners of your mouth turn.”
Warner said even in just a few short months, she has developed a loyal body of customers. Throughout the event on Thursday night, she was texting back and forth with patrons who were updating Warner on when they would arrive.
Warner also keeps a container of free moon pies at the front of the store—a big hit with neighborhood kids who have learned about the complementary sweets. Husbands and boyfriends are particularly keen on the fridge stocked with beer that Warner keeps in her back office.
“Every day we’ll just have random dudes drinking beer on the couch while their girls shop,” Warner said.
“Our customers come hang out,” she added. “It’s fashion. It’s supposed to be fun.”
