Have you ever seen that one Madonna music video where she is dressed in diamonds singing about living in a material world as she steals jewelry from men in suits who are spoiling her? If you have, you would be no stranger to the glamorous and rapacious world of Covet Fashion (minus the men in suits, sorry).
The mobile app, serving as the adult-version of every dress-up game you used to play, depicts the notion of just how materialistic the world is and how, in order to succeed you need to, well, covet fashion. Competing head-to-head with real gamers around the world, the premise of the app is to level-up by using virtual cash to buy virtual clothing (which are animated versions of actual designer items) to compete in hundreds of publicly-rated style challenges.
The app allows players to create and join fashion houses to compete for prizes, borrow looks and chat. The most successful gamers are credited on the app’s home page for having the highest-rated looks, top closet values and style scores, and even the most friends. Essentially, possessiveness is a quality to be admired in this virtual empire. Not trying to brag or anything, but my avatar is probably the closest I will ever come to feeling like Madonna in Material Girl, and I’m not even mad about it.
Covet Fashion is not only a form of escapism to immerse myself in a world where buying a Jovani dress is no big deal, but it has taught me a lot about different styling techniques, emerging fashion trends, and even how to be a conscious spender (despite my Jovani comment made above). My unmatched dreams of travelling the world and styling for fashion week are satisfied to a considerable degree with Covet Fashion’s “Jet Set” feature, which allows you to participate in style challenges around the world.
My wardrobe has undoubtedly evolved since joining the Covet Fashion community in grade nine as the new-fashioned app highlights each season’s newest trends. I find myself obsessing over garments I never would have seen otherwise. These include the Good American Organza Trench Coat, the Nicole Miller Rio Sandal, and the JOSHA Asymmetrical Blazer. Every time I buy an item that I find on Covet Fashion, I feel like that girl from Mean Girls who says, “One time, I saw Cady Heron wearing army pants and flip flops, so I bought army pants and flip flops.”
Being an experienced editorial and runway stylist, I use Covet’s style challenges (and their specific themes and outfit requirements) as a way to actively demonstrate and improve my skills, especially now that I am working from home. Since all looks are rated, I am able to compare outfits with other users who scored higher and try to improve my technique for future challenges.
I have loved fashion for as long as I can remember and was fascinated with the idea of designing apparel and setting trends. Playing Covet Fashion for the first time when I was 14, however, made me recognize this new aspect of clothing I only considered after seeing the different ways users styled looks. It is the notion that fashion is intrinsically an extension of ourselves — our second skin. No two looks are the same because no two people are the same. Since then, I have viewed fashion in a different light, and instead of judging people’s wardrobe, I try to understand it. I don’t look at Covet Fashion as an ostentatious atmosphere anymore, but as a community of people expressing themselves through this glamorous medium.
For any fashion student looking to shop new designers, discover seasonal trends, participate in style challenges, or even escape into a world where coveting your neighbour’s goods is not condemned by the Bible, then Covet Fashion is the perfect app for you.