Web Spy: Covet

By Laura Dondero

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, TFLN…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like Any Clip, Live Mocha, and ThredUP) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

I’ve always dreamed of having my own personal shopper or stylist.  Don’t get me wrong, I loooove to shop, but searching through racks and racks of clothes to find something I like can get exhausting, especially with those overly perky sales people breathing down my neck. And it might be nice to sometimes have things picked out for me by somebody else.  Too bad that dream is unlikely to ever become a reality (that is, unless I win the lottery).  Or, at least that’s what I thought before I found out about Covet, a free site that works as your very own online personal shopper.

How does it work?

The first step is the Stylyzer™.  You are shown a series of two pictures of celebrity looks at a time, and you simply choose which is closer to your individual style for each pair.  Once you’ve answered quite a few of these questions, you can continue on to create your style profile.  You can also choose to answer more questions regarding your clothing and shoe sizes, brands you love and hate, and your price range for each product category.  There’s even the option to specify specific types, colors, or patterns of clothing you don’t like so that you won’t get those suggested to you.

Covet will then create your style profile based on your Stylyzer™ results, which breaks your personal style down into one of five categories: classic, sporty, contemporary, couture, or edgy (all of which have multiple sub-categories).  However, Covet knows that not all of us fit into one style type, so they give you the option to choose as many other style categories you feel like you identify with.

You’ll then start to receive personalized e-mails from Covet at the subscription frequency you choose (daily, twice a week, or once a week).  Each e-mail includes clothing, accessories, and shoes that fit your style and preferences–and best of all, it’s all on sale!  If you see something you like, just click on the link in the e-mail to take you directly to the online store where you can purchase it.  Each email also includes “love” and “hate” buttons you can click on to ensure that items sent in future e-mails are even more tailored to your personal style.

Most of us can’t afford our very own Rachel Zoe, but with this website you don’t need her. (Not to mention, it won’t creep you out in a bikini…) The only problem I have with Covet: because it’s tailored to my personal tastes, I want to buy everything in each e-mail I get!