Styleite Launches, Making The Internet Suddenly More Fashionable

With the introduction of new fashion and style website Styleite, the newest site launched by Mediaite founder Dan Abrams, the Internet just became more fashionable and stylish at the same time. Styleite aims to celebrate, cover and opine on everything from the taste makers in the fashion industry to the latest emerging trends on the ground.

Styleite loosely follows a structure similar to that of Mediaite: original reporting and curated content lives alongside a Power Grid ranking individuals across many categories in the world of fashion. Of the newly launched site, Abrams says “I don’t claim to be an expert in fashion, but I do know that our innovative user generated community, ‘power grid’ and original content make Styleite a unique web property in the world of fashion and style.”

In her welcoming letter, Editor in Chief Verena von Pfetten describes the site thusly:

I love fashion. I live for style. And I am constantly amazed at the rolodex of known and relatively unknown models that eats up at least half of the hard drive space that is my brain. But I don’t wear heels, I rarely spend more than $100 on a particular article of clothing (jeans, leather jackets, and coats notwithstanding), and I’ve never been photographed for having anything resembling “street style.”

Conversely, our Senior Editor Ruthie Friedlander lives in six-inch heels, color-coordinates her closet, and — I quote — “would rather survive on peanut butter than not be able to afford Purple magazine.”

Styleite is a fashion and beauty site for anyone who is exactly or, more importantly, not at all like us. Which is to say: it’s a site for everyone.

The fashion industry is a tough nut to crack. At times exclusionary and intimidating, it’s run by a select group of movers-and-shakers who, let’s be honest, have little-to-nothing in common with those of us actually on the ground, in the stores, and buying the product. But that isn’t to say there’s no relationship at all; for starters, we’re all familiar with Meryl Streep-as-Miranda-Priestly’s gloriously cut-throat monologue* on cerulean blue. But, more importantly, that disconnect doesn’t mean that those of us on the ground don’t care what walks down the gilded runways in Paris, London, New York, and Milan.

It’s a paradoxical world — one that prides itself on being aspirational and yet thrives on being attainable. It’s also considered frivolous and superficial, and yet within its mirrored walls are found incredibly revealing reflections of our cultural identity. (The Lipstick Effect, anyone?)

And to that end, we hope to take all of those conflicting facets and offer a nuanced and synthesized view on the news of the day and the industry itself — from media to beauty, retail to runway. You can live in your American Apparel hoodie while still being skeeved out by Dov Charney; I know I am…and, sadly, I do.

We’ll also offer an unbiased eye on the people who make fashion happen with our own Styleite-ized version of Mediaite’s Power Grid. Using a proprietary algorithm, our Power Grid ranks the almost 2,000 people who keep the rest of us in our Lanvin flats and Levi’s jeans: from the models to the designers, the executives to the editors, we’ve (hopefully!) got everyone you need to know on file, and we think you’ll be surprised to see where more than a few of them fall.

Finally, like I mentioned earlier: I’ve never been photographed for my oh-so-keen sense of style, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have any! And the same goes for you, which is why we’re introducing Style Sheets, Styleite’s very own interactive, insanely addicting, and super inspirational photo community. Upload a daily (or weekly, or however so often you’re feeling particularly stylish) photo, tag it by specific brand and article of clothing, and voila: you’ve got your very own Style Sheet! The best part is that the whole community is searchable, both by user and by clothing. Just bought a new pair of skinny jeans? Take a scroll through the J Brand page to find some style inspiration from users just like you.

Actually, scratch that. The best best part is that if you happen to find something you like, we’ve included handy-dandy links that will direct you exactly where to buy it. (Consider this a preemptive apology to your credit card statement.)

So, play around, enjoy, and be sure to tell us if anything looks funky. Fashion isn’t just a one-way street — and neither is Styleite.

Yours,

Verena
Editor in Chief