Since its launch in January 2011, The Coveteur has become a weekly read for fashion fans obsessed with the personal style (and fabulous closets) of some of the fashion world’s most photographed personalities. Since its inception, the site has documented the apartments of style luminaries from Rachel Zoe to Leandra Medine (a.k.a. The Man Repeller), and this week, the site unveiled its new beta iteration, which includes more social components and a new e-commerce element. We spoke to the site’s CEO, Janet Bannister, as well as president and creative director Erin Kleinberg to get the inside scoop on the site’s big changes, and what readers can look forward to next.
What’s New on The Site:
The new version of The Coveteur has two key new elements. One: A functionality for users to create their own virtual closets by “coveting” various photographed items throughout the site. Readers can then share their virtual closets with their friends, and explore others’ closets for inspiration. Second: Shopping has been integrated into the site in a major way. Select closets feature pieces that can be shopped right from the photo—for example, a long red jersey dress inspired by a similar style featured in Leandra Medine’s closet.
Bannister laughs that the e-commerce was certainly one of the more time-consuming elements to get right—”It was a challenge,” she admits—but it was a key element to perfect. “Rather than the typical way—directing you to another site to complete the transaction,” she explains, “Here, you stay on our website. You can check out and shop on our website.”
Currently, The Coveteur team is working with a select group of e-commerce sites that includes Les Nouvelles, Joie, Alex and Chloe, Loeffler Randall, and Fragrance Mint, but they’re looking to add many more in the coming months.
The site also has twice as many photos now, according to Bannister. “The photos are larger, and there’s more emphasis on the ability to discover.”
Whose Closets Have Been The Most Popular:
For Kleinberg, the success of the site has a lot to do with the general public’s fascination with stylish people and personal style, in general. “It’s not about the trends, it never has been.” she says. “It’s about living edited, and having those great pieces that you can always go back to.”
So whose closets most fascinate their readers? Rachel Zoe, for one, though that’s no surprise. More surprising was the popularity of Suzanne Rogers, a Toronto-based style icon who was probably less well known to the general public before she was profiled on The Coveteur. “She is an avid fashion enthusiast,” says Kleinberg. “It’s part of her DNA. She has all this demi-couture and knows a lot about the items—she goes to Paris, she sees how everything is made.”
A recent profile on a fictional character, Cher Horowitz of ’90s cult film “Clueless” (played by Alicia Silverstone), also made the most popular list. “We curated the post so it was more shopping-oriented,” says Kleinberg. “Everyone wants to get the look … it’s a total other thing to have a curated shopping experience.”
What to Look Out For, and Who the Coveteur Dreams of Profiling:
The biggest company news for The Coveteur, other than the relaunch, is a new investment from an unlikely source—the rapper Drake. ”We love it, he’s so great,” says Kleinberg. “We’re hoping to shoot his closet, too!” (WWD reports that personalities like chef Mario Battali and singer Pharell Williams have also agreed to be shot.)
Overall, things seem to be opening up for the site’s founders, so we wondered who they dreamed about shooting next. “Maybe go on the tour bus with Madonna and see all of her costumes,” mused Kleinberg. “We could call it The Coveteur Bus!”
“Stephanie (the site’s Marketplace Editor) wants to shoot Fran Drescher, and I believe her dream has just come true,” Kleinberg added. “We love fashion, but we just shot Hugh Hefner and that really impressed me a lot. Giovanna Battaglia would also be great. Getting into Anna Dello Russo‘s house. There’s a lot of people.”
