Upon hearing the announcement that Blake Lively was launching a new site, Preserve, everyone wondered two things: Do we really need another celebrity lifestyle site? And how will it differ from Gwyneth Paltrow‘s Goop? Vogue magazine gets the scoop on her latest venture in its August issue featuring Lively on the cover (her third for the fashion bible).
The magazine describes the site as “part digital monthly magazine, part e-commerce venture, part video blog.” Blake will be selling items crafted by American artisans (aka people who hand make their goods) — promoting wares that have a folksy, small-town charm. You’ll find apparel, accessories, home goods and food on Preserve, which aims to inject a little more life into the artisanal economy.
If you’re already drawing comparisons between Preserve and Gwyneth’s Goop venture, Blake is quick to dispel such likening, stressing that the site is “not trying to show you the perfect life or the aspirational life. It’s real life.” She goes on to explain, “It’s the thing that blindsides you on an idle Tuesday that’s tragic but that also makes you who you are. It’s not about me.”
I take it that means no $500-a-day dieting tips or crazy-expensive, limited-edition designer wares. No, Blake’s site is all about bringing American-made artisanal goodness to the masses.
“I’m sure there will be plenty of people who will say horrible things. I’m sure this interview will be picked apart. But you can’t worry about it. There have been so many things written about me that are untrue and horrifying… People like to gossip. They bond over it. They don’t bond over complimenting famous people. I’m always the first person to defend Gwyneth Paltrow. Or any woman in a position of power, like Martha Stewart or Oprah, who gets burned. Because they have paved the path for so many other women who are doing something they believe in.”
Blake’s site is due to launch later this month.
[via Vogue]
