WInter Inspiration

Sorry for the Tumblr like feel of this post, I just wanted to post some of my favourite looks for winter (and of course Rihanna had to sneak in too!)

Back to Black

Sorry for the terrible lack of posts! I'm trapped in dissertation madness right now, but very much enjoying it. I'm in such a classic mood right now, but I'm also stuck just wearing black all the time. Luckily, Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen have really perfected how to mix different fabrics whilst making all black still look fantastically modern and put together. They seem to really be in tune with their style right now, and I love how luxurious and wearable this look is:









Oh, and want a piece of The Olsens style? Head on over to my-wardrobe.com, where you can view Elizabeth & James online, and for perfect minimalism head over to netaporter.com to view the Olsens luxury label The Row.

An Olsen megapost

How do they do it? They stand at a nose over 5ft 1 and still manage to layer perfectly without drowning in fabric. I imagine it's the years of practice, but they've got this down to a fine art. I love how their outfits seem almost coordinated, and this looks like an editorial shot to me. Mary Kate's trousers are a perfect fit, and I love the simple white shirt Ashley has on. They are by far the most interesting celebrities to to me, both in terms of style and personality.
I often browse over at my-wardrobe.com to the Elizabeth & James department because it reminds me of the the twins used to dress, whilst The Row is how they dress right now. It makes a perfect mix for fans too. My two favorites were:


Brocade James Blazer & June Silk Blouse

Although The Row remains my personal favourite, and serves as a strong point of inspiration for fall:


Celebrity aside, it's amazing to think these girls are only 24 and producing clothes like this, I can't wait for fashion week to roll round and see what they produce next.

I remember so vividly when this video came out in 2007, and being amazed at how they produced such stunning basics:


Oh, and need advice on how to get the Olsen's look? Head over to the My Wardobe Facebook page every thursday between 3 & 4pm to visit their style surgery, and get direct advice from their wonderful team of experts.

Purple Rain

This has to be one of the most intriguing paparazzi pictures of an outfit ever. It's Ashley Olsen attending a pre-Golden Globes party, and the only shot is of the back of her dress! Purple is so underused on the red carpet, and I love her Chanel Hair clip.
It's such an old school look, and it appears that she is holding velvet gloves in her hand too. I'm sure the dress is vintage, and she really seems to be into prim and proper style at the moment:



For such a petite girl, she really wears this dress well. The purple lipstick stops the look from being too Victorian, and it finally seems like something new on the red carpet. For such a Victorian inspired look, it looks so modern.

Oh, and it's not just Ashley who's inspiring me right now, Mary Kate seems to have regained her knack for choosing perfect street style looks. I love nothing more than wearing all black, and she's bought back the Balenciaga Fall 2006 boots that I continue to dream about and desperately try to find on Ebay (In a Size 7 if anyone is selling!)

The Row

Any celebrity line makes me feel a little weary. I admit some of my style icons are celebrities, but it just feels so cheap to cash in on their own style (or a style that has been created for them by their stylist). That's all a celebrity fashion line seemed to do: want colourful and trashy? Go to Jessica Simpson. Want trendy but not too fashion forward? Go to Kate Moss.
So when The Olsen twins - sorry, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen - announced they were creating two fashion lines it made me a little uneasy. Mary Kate & Ashley's style is difficult to replicate well, and to be honest unless you are a billionaire it's hard to run round purposefully looking like you don't earn any money. However, as there style has developed from the layered NYU years a real dichotomy has developed between their style, and as they have grown older I err on the side of Ashley's classic minimalist look. Something I think her line - The Row has actually created some interesting garments without just aping Ashley's style.


It would have been far too easy to manufacture some plaid shirts and imitation Balenciaga boots and sell them for half the price to their many followers.
The Row was a line I followed the progress of and through reading interviews with Ashley it's clear how much real involvement she has through it. From her Marie Claire interview from 2008 when the interviewer followed her around sourcing materials and changing hemlines it seemed, from the outside at least that Ashley was more involved than the average celebrity producing a clothes line.
So, when an interview with The Hampton's magazine came out this week with Ashley it was interesting to get an update on where exactly her position within The Row was currently at.

"That's the thing about celebrity brands these days," Olsen says. "People think they can define a brand by just a name, but the product has to speak for itself. It doesn't really matter whose name is on it. That's the truth. It's the work behind it. It makes you step up to the plate."

Firstly, the price points within the brand (T-shirts start at $600) have meant a level of exclusivity to the brand, the average Olsen fan simply can't afford these clothes. As a result of this the line has been popping up in Paris Vogue editorials as well as being worn by the likes of Lauren Hutton (who modelled the lookbook) but the clothes have best been modelled by Ms. Olsen herself, who showcased her talent and eye for creating clothes beautifuly at this years Met Gala:


The Row is stocked at Harvey Nichols, La Bon Marche in Paris and Barney's in New York and this, Ashley says it something she is very proud of. For the child star turned fashion icon she also describes her typical day in the office:

Olsen and her team will introduce a men's collection this fall, and she's at work every day from 8 am to 8 pm editing look books, draping garments and running the company. "I understand what it takes to make a brand and to have an eye for product that sells. I don't have the time to step away for a month. I hold myself accountable every day."

If what Ashley says is true then I think she maybe the only celebrity to create such a respected brand, I really hope this will become a model of how to create a celebrity brand - through hard work and building up the brand and not using the celebrity to just promote the brand. Unfortunately, I don't think this is a likely occurrence but I, for one think The Row is one of the most promising new brands there is.