An alternative clothing store in Easton offers the perfect style for Halloween and beyond.
“I just want you to feel good and happy in my clothes,” said Annemarie “Angel” Dralus, owner and designer of Angel’s House of Design.
Dralus opened the store about a year ago to “pursue her dreams” of working in fashion. Each piece is designed to capture “the essence and spirit of goth.”
“It’s the spirit of rebellion,” Dralus said. “It’s authentically being yourself in a world that wants you to conform.”
Alterations and tailoring are only one feature of the business, with Dralus making some pieces “totally from scratch” through her clothing line.
“As a designer, you have something to say and you say it within your work,” she said.
From tarot cards to southern rock ‘n’ roll, Dralus finds inspiration for her art in all sorts of places.
“My last collection was called ‘Confession,’ and it was really taking inspiration from Gothic architecture,” she explained.
Dralus said that there is “absolutely a budding scene” for alternative subcultures in Easton.
“They’re all sort of underground right now and hidden, but we’re collaborating and finding each other,” she said. Dralus mentioned COVEN, a monthly goth dance party hosted by the around-the-corner Lafayette Bar.
In addition to aesthetics, Dralus said that she values sustainability. Her business takes an “on-demand” approach to textile production, creating items only as necessary.
“This way we’re not creating garbage, we’re not making excess,” she explained. Dralus recently hosted a talk with the Lafayette Easton Alliance on Tuesday at the Dyer Center called “Cancelling Fast Fashion,” where she expanded on this idea.
While she’s mastered goth fashion, Angel’s creative abilities extend beyond her own style.
“When she makes something for me, she’s not making the same stuff that you’re likely to see at Angel’s House of Design,” said client John Laury, who described his style more akin to a “mythical high elf.”
“I lean on her to be a craftsman with experience that I don’t have to help make my ideas real,” he said.
“She’s a good example of someone following their true passion and dreams,” said Christine Nevadomski, another client and close friend of Dralus. “I had participated in a photo shoot for her store, and then I wound up buying part of the outfit because I loved it so much.”
Dralus’s business began as a “leap of faith” and a dream to represent “non-conformity.”
“I wanted to rebel from exclusivity and being outcast,” she said. “Part of my mission is really just to help people find their true, authentic selves, and Angel’s House of Design is a place where they can discover that.”