The Coveteur: Private Spaces, Personal Style

by Stephanie Mark, Jake Rosenberg (Photographer)

Based on the wildly popular fashion website, The Coveteur is a photography coffee table book offering exclusive access to celebrity closets and homes.

Genres: Fashion, Nonfiction, Photography, Lifestyle, Coffee Table Books

267 pages, Hardcover

Published October 18, 2016

Reviews

[Marcy Graybill · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you're into Reality T.V. you may like this book. It didn't matter that I only recognized a few of the names/celebrities, the worst part was the photos were staged for artistic effect. The sub-title "Private spaces, Personal style" I thought would be pictures of the celebrities closets, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. But the pictures seem to focus on shoes. Not what I'm interested in. I'm just glad I borrowed it from the library instead of buying it.

[Shallowreader VaVeros · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a lot of shoe racks and a lot of shoes in this book. Pretty. But I got bored.

[Kayla Hollatz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to give it an extra star for the layout alone because it is divine but the rest of the book... it wasn't what I expected. With the tagline of "Private Spaces, Personal Style", I expected there to be a lot more substance about the spaces themselves and what makes up each space. Instead I found small non-story driven excerpts paired with tons of shoe rack photos. More of a book to look at than to read.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why did I pick this book? I judged it by its cover. A let down. I really tried but all I got was a headache. Lots of gorgeous, colorful, expensive clutter (shoes, handbags, art). Normally, I fall for all of these but here too much of a fun thing is no fun.

[Brianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Meh? Meh. Jessica Alba's got a cute closet but I found this uninspiring and uninteresting from the lens of someone looking for decor and style inspiration.

[Ekaterina T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn´t hate the book, but I didn´t love it either. Why 3 stars?
Positive aspects first:
The selection of the "interviewees"/hosts/wardrobe owners is mediocre. There are some real gems from the fashion industry, whom I haven´t heard of and who seem to be interesting and inspiring characters. For example, I bought the book only because it featured Linda Rodin, but I was happily surprised to learn about June Ambrose (celebrity stylist) or Michelle Elie or Camelia Craciunescu Huls.

Negative:
The photography editing....omg...or is it my book only? The colour editing is really off. Who on earth does it. The pictures a blurred and when you try to look at the pictures, the eyes get tired and finally you see a mess of shoes, expensive art (Keith Hearing, Basquiat you name it, useless pieces of decor, obviously featured because of sponsorship (I bet).
The Coveteur team featured many celebrities (no hate) whom we have seen too often and are just over-represented in the media e.g. Cindy Crawford (the picture taken of her on the beach...we have seen it a hundred times. The team could have tried something different, funny perhaps.), Mr. Hilfiger, Dita van Teese, Hugh Hefner...etc.
Whats with the shoes? Was the Coveteur team perhaps not allowed to take pictures of the closet? Somehow 90% of the pics are a display of high heels with different art objects, decor and books. Every single time.
Introduction of the interviewees,...well I think they tried to introduce the person, providing the outstanding work they accomplished and why they were selected for the project, but phrases like: " ...the enormous gnome [in Jessica Alba´s garden] (which, in our eyes, juuuust wasn´t complete without a white Chanel bag slung across it)..." No hate, if someone can afford luxury brands, but who on earth swings a white Chanel across a gnome in the garden? It was obviously meant to be funny, but I think it is a waste of paper and is ridiculous.

So why did I buy the book (btw the book is a nice hardcover with nice paper, just the colour editing is terrible)? Well, I expected something similar to:
The Bathroom Chronicles by Friederike Schilbach, or
Fashionable Selby by Todd Selby, or
Stylelikeu by Elisa Goodkind and Lily Mandelbaum, just with celebrities. A book with more personal touch.

[An · Rating 3 out of 5]

"About The Coveteur: Known for stunning photography, award-winning writing, and an intimate look at luxury lifestyles and global tastemakers, Coveteur was established in 2011 as a passion project to explore the homes and closets of global street style stars and influencers. Since then, the brand has evolved and expanded, offering a behind-the-scenes look at all things fashion, beauty, health and wellness, travel and lifestyle."

Filled with high-quality, glossy photos, The Coveteur is a voyeuristic look at the homes and closets of fashion icons like Karlie Kloss, Caroline Issa, and Tavi Gevinson. It features beautifully curated collections and serves as a great source of style inspiration. Makes a lovely coffee table book.

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book from The Coveteur team's forays into people's homes -- and closets, of course. The subjects range from Karlie Kloss to Tommy Hilfiger to Amare Stoudemire, all tastemakers in their own way. Gorgeous photos, lots of eye candy, well-written descriptions of the photo shoots. Definitely worth checking out if you're interested in fashion and interior design.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a neat book to get inspiration from.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Design inspiration.

[Mikela · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an interesting read, great coffee table book. The only thing I wish is that they laid it out more to their closet style from online. I'd prefer less spaces and more write ups to key components within their spaces. Other than that, fabulous and a great range of people also and nice to see no double ups from already online published {though Aidy would've made a great spot with how quirky yet cool her apartment is}