With a résumé that boasts A-list actress, fashion designer and successful entrepreneur (not to mention her role as new mom and wife to Ryan Reynolds) it would seem that everything Blake Lively touches turns to gold. But the star isn't entirely satisfied just yet.
Nearly a year has passed since the launch of her lifestyle site, Preserve, and looking back Lively wishes she could have done things differently. In an interview with TIME, she admits, "People hacked into our site a week and a half before it was meant to launch, so the site leaked. The site's not close to what I want it to be…If I had my dream, I'd put it on hold for six months or a year and then relaunch it."
Lively's primary pain point: the design. While the layout was originally conceptualized with an immersive content-meets-commerce experience in mind, there was a disconnect with the functionality upon execution. As the actress explains it, "It's an e-commerce site that's a confusing experience—the UX and UI feels like a Matryoshka doll. Our site wasn't designed to be navigated the way it's being navigated now." But the grow pains of Preserve aren't slowing Lively down. "Every layer of the company can and will be improved," she insists.
Meanwhile, veteran entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow has strong opinions on her industry colleagues' pursuits and how the media portrays them. In addition to Lively, celebrities such as Reese Witherspoon and Jessica Alba have also launched successful lifestyle sites within a short span of time (the latter of which just hit a $1 billion valuation.) The trend towards stars leveraging their personal brand is undeniable. But don't lump the Goop founder in with the group—she finds the comparison offensive. "People are grasping at straws to tie us together and I get it, because it makes a good story, but I'm slightly offended by this sort of generalization that happens with myself and Jessica and Reese and Blake," Paltrow told TIME in a separate interview. "I feel there's something slightly misogynistic about it."
Both Lively and Paltrow lament the tendency of the media to pit women against each other, but we can't help but think Paltrow's comments might come across a little divisive as well.
Sarah Lindig is the senior digital editor, overseeing special projects for Harper's Bazaar.
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