07.01.2010- Influence.

Browsing through my copy of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's 'Influence' this afternoon, it dawned on me just how much they themselves have had on the fashion world, certainly towards the latter half of the last decade. As well as being regular attendees at fashion weeks and galas, the girls have established their own fashion label, 'The Row', and a diffusion line, named 'Elizabeth and James', named after their siblings. As well as making waves in the world of high fashion, Mary Kate and Ashley are frequently cited as style icons; their unique approaches to dressing have inspired many fashion followers to replicate their looks, whether it be through carrying oversized bags, experimental accessorizing or perfecting the effortless, loose waves that have become the twins' signature hairstyle.

 

 

'Out of all of the amazing, talented, and awe-inspiring people I have been blessed to meet in this world, the connection I share with my sister influences me the most of all'

- Ashley Olsen

'Possessed of a pure heart, unrelenting dedication, consistent drive, and endless innovation, Ashley Olsen is a person who has- and continues to influence me and the people in her life to do better, work harder, laugh more, live longer, be stronger, and know that anything is possible.'

- Mary Kate Olsen

I am always changing my mind about whose style I prefer: the bohemian, creative looks which Mary Kate wears so well, or Ashley's sophisticated take on modern classics. Perhaps it is a measure of how influential both of them are that I find it so hard to pin down my favourite, and to exclude one in favour of the other seems horribly biased; after all, by their own admissions, each finds the other to be their biggest influence. 

Some of my personal favourite fashion moments from the Olsen twins:

Mary Kate, Vogue Italia, June 2007

 

At Jenni Kayne, Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week, Fall 2007

Mary Kate, Teen Vogue Event, April 2007

Ashley at the re-launch of MANGO's flagship store in NYC, November 2008

At the Chanel Cruise Fashion Show, May 2007

 Mary Kate, New York, April 2009

Ashley, VMan, Summer 2009

At MuchMusic, August 2009

Mary Kate in New York, February 2007

Ashley, Marie Claire, September 2007

 Mary Kate, YOU Magazine, June 2007

Ashley, Nylon, May 2007

At Chanel, Paris Fashion Week, February 2008

I just adore them both! Whose style do you admire the most? Answers on a postcard.

(Image credit: Penguin Books, olsen-fan.net and olsen-twins-news.com.)