fashionologie

The Row Pre-Fall 2012

Christina Perez — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:26:59 PST

>> If a sleek downtown type became smitten with the English countryside, this is what she'd wear: trim button-downs tinged with jockey details, super-slim jodhpur leggings, turtlenecks made of leather, textured wool dresses, and lots and lots of fur. The Olsens are calling it "equestrian-meets-aristocrat" - we're calling it exactly what we want right now.

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The Row Spring 2012

fashionologie — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:42:58 PDT

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Ladylike Box Bags Look Right - For Now and For Fall

Christina Perez — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 12:17:37 PDT

>> Hey, boxy lady. Lanvin, Celine, and Kenzo all showed hard-structured bags for Fall 2011, and ever since Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen turned up to last month's CFDA Awards sporting a pastel pair from The Row (left), this retro-inspired silhouette has been topping the hit list. Polished enough to go from office to evening, and streamlined enough to look chic with almost anything, this compact style will also take you straight from Summer to Fall with ease.

While Fall 2011 collections won't hit stores until August, that doesn't mean you can't capture a little box magic right now - J.Crew, Alexander Wang, and Akris all have similar ladylike options available now. To get in on the trend, look for super-structured satchels with single top handles, cross-body straps, and sleek, minimal hardware - or just click through to see a few of our favorites.

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The Cashmere Toms Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Designed for The Row Are Now Available

Christina Perez — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:15:01 PDT

>> Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen can now add shoes to their ever-growing repertoire. The duo has teamed with Toms to offer three takes on the brand's classic espadrille - all with a luxurious, Olsen-cool slant, of course. Made from Italian-sourced wool, leather, and/or cashmere, the Toms + The Row shoes come in an urbane palette of soft greys and plaid.

Retailing at either $140 or $150 - about three times the Toms mainline collection - the selection isn't quite as affordable as your usual pair of slip-ons, but, just like the main line, each pair sold will also benefit a child in need. "Toms + The Row customers will have the ability to give back and create change with a single purchase," expains Ashley. Mary-Kate adds, “Having the opportunity to be a part of something so meaningful has made the collaboration with Toms special to everyone at The Row.” Click through to see the three new styles, available online now at Toms.com.

Courtesy Photo

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Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Fete The Row Handbag Launch at Barneys

fashionologie — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:57:16 PDT

>> Last night, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen feted their new handbag collection for The Row at Barneys, both wearing The Row - Ashley in a colorfully embellished gown and Mary-Kate in a blue blazer. The range, which hits Barneys mid-August, features everything from a lizard clutch to the $4,700 Twin Mini crossbody bag - which Barneys fashion director Amanda Brooks wore for the occasion - to a $39,000 crocodile backback. “We didn’t want too much branding; we didn’t want an It bag,” says Mary-Kate of the nine-style collection, which runs $2,350 to $39,000. After the intimate cocktail, where they were joined by sister Elizabeth Olsen, the twins headed to uptown restaurant Crown for an even more intimate celebratory dinner.

Images via Billy Farrell Agency

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25 Birthday-Worthy Pieces from The Row and Elizabeth & James

fashionologie — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:33:25 PDT

>> The Olsen twins turn 25 today, and even though we're huge fans of their personal styles, we're even bigger fans of their fashion lines. Whether it's the sleek black silhouettes of The Row or the free-spirited stylings of Elizabeth and James, the two labels have us totally hooked. So, in honor of Mary Kate and Ashley's 25th, we've rounded up 25 of our current favorites from both lines - all available right now online.

photo courtesy of Wire Image

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The Row Resort 2012

fashionologie — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:33:32 PDT

>> Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen sourced white '40s suiting and the pervasive mariniere stripes of The Row's Resort 2012 collection from the Luchino Visconti film Death in Venice. “We included a lot of cotton,” added Ashley, “because we wanted things to feel clean and fresh." The twins also unveiled a fine jewelry collaboration with Greek jeweler Ileana Makri, featuring an evil eye motif on diamond and sapphire bracelets, cuff links, rings, and anklets, the latter of which they have apparently been fighting over wearing.

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Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Talk John Galliano, Full-Fledged Runway Shows, and Twitter

fashionologie — Thu, 26 May 2011 12:44:12 PDT

>> Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are wary of the press - and they keep their presentations for The Row very intimate, in part because, Ashley says, "I don’t like being around a lot of people." But they sat down with Style.com recently to talk lengthily about everything from Twitter to that moment when they first genuinely burst on the fashion scene - when they started going to NYU. Of that time, Ashley says of their highly-layered "bobo chic" looks: "That moment for us was us waking up, going to school, and not wanting anyone to take our picture. Kind of a piece of protection." And Mary-Kate adds: "For me, it was so cold, like the wind chill. How could you not put on 20 things when you’re going from Los Angeles to walking through the snow? . . . I think it was probably that. And laziness." More highlights from the interview, below.

On hanging out with other designers: A: "I mean, honestly, I don’t leave my house." MK: "We’re either here or at the house." A: "I’m friendly with a lot of people, but when it comes down to it, you won’t see me actually in that [scene]."

On joining Twitter: A: "That gives me so much anxiety." MK: "We’ve spent our whole lives trying to not let people have that accessibility, so it would go against everything we’ve done in our lives to not be in the public."

On doing a full runway show for The Row: A: "I really don’t like going to runway shows. I don’t like being around a lot of people, I don’t like being in crowds, so that’s another more personal part of it. It’s hard for me . . . [But] there are a couple of shows that I’ve been to that are just stunning . . . so if you’re going to the right thing at the right time, it can be fantastic." MK: "We just feel bad for all of you guys who have to schlep everywhere and then write your reviews in the car on a BlackBerry."

On selling one of their brands to a fashion conglomerate: A: "I think it depends on the brand. Right now we have no plans for anything. The main thing is we’re really focused on making the strongest brands we possibly can at the moment, and we’re just getting into accessories."

On why their Spring 2011 presentation for The Row got canceled and moved to Paris: A: "Samples were really delayed based off of new techniques we were using, and we decided instead of putting a halfway thing together and rushing through it, to move it, and we were fortunate to be able to move it to Paris. Thank God for our team. Everyone pulled together, and we were able to deliver a beautiful presentation in Paris . . ."

On the design process for The Row: A: "It all starts with the fabrics . . . Then we go into kind of silhouette development, so we start figuring out our silhouettes, what we’re liking, what we’re leaning towards, an evolution of the previous season, certain pieces, so it really starts with this stylized proportion. Then, through that process, we start our pattern making off the silhouettes that we’re liking and the consistent themes that we start finding, the shapes. So we start twisting the fabrics and then we start trying different fabrics and patterns. And once we have all the fabrics, we have about three weeks to produce the collection."

On The Row's brand consistency: MK: "If you go through our entire collection, you’ve seen it all before. Meaning, pieces repeat. That fur T-shirt, for example, that’s this T-shirt [points to plain one she’s wearing] from a couple of seasons ago, so it’s always consistent. It’s just about how we can evolve and also give the option to either buy this version or that version, creating a story."

On their long hours spent managing multiple brands: A: "I don’t think it’s the creative process that has ever gotten to us. More than anything, it’s about trying to find balance with work and how we can personally stay balanced while having our corporations grow, and I think that’s been the biggest thing that we are constantly aware of. We have to put boundaries on scheduling. We work crazy hours every week, so it’s been more about figuring out when we need to put our foot down. 'We can’t add this extra meeting. It’s one too many meetings in a day; push it later.' So it’s been about that. And with The Row, it’s about how to elevate the process with growth without putting too much on the overhead."

On being women designers: A: "I think the way being women has helped us in our designs is that we do a lot of research on what women like, what women don’t like."

On whether there will be more women designers in the future: A: "It doesn’t seem that way. Like when you look at the up-and-coming designers, there’s not a lot of women."

On John Galliano: A: “I think he’s an amazing designer.” MK: “I think he’s a brilliant designer.”

Get That Rose Glow - Our Top Pink Picks for Summer

Christina Perez — Mon, 23 May 2011 11:44:51 PDT

>> This season, the quintessential "girl" color gets a much-needed update. Spotted on the Spring 2011 runways of everyone from Costume National to Valentino - and in every shade from barely-there pastels to super-bright magenta - pink is definitely the hue of the season. But don't expect to find the bubble gum pop and saccharine sweetness of Summers past - this season's take is unexpectedly edgy and all grown up. Look for pieces with modern, pared-down silhouettes and surprising details: accessories in unpredictable materials; dresses in clean, breezy shapes; and jewelry that walks the line between delicate and tough. Click through to shop our top picks from Cacharel, Prada, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Matthew Williamson and more in the slideshow.

Left to Right: The Row Spring 2011, Celine Fall 2011, Blumarine Spring 2011, Cacharel Spring 2011, Valentino Spring 2011, Loewe Spring 2011, Costume National Spring 2011

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Lara Stone, Penelope Cruz, Natalia Vodianova and More Pop Up on the 2011 Cannes Film Festival Red Carpet

fashionologie — Mon, 16 May 2011 08:33:43 PDT

>> The first couple of days of the Cannes Film Festival brought us appearances by the likes of Karolina Kurkova, Diane Kruger, and Alexa Chung; with the weekend past, Natalia Vodianova and Lara Stone have joined the fun in Calvin Klein, Tilda Swinton brought out a Haider Ackermann look, and more than a couple of Chanel couture looks hit the red carpet. All that and more in the slideshow.

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