Elizabeth and James : by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

[monique404]

Originally Posted by harlen

Monique--thanks for posting the lookbook! Everything looks fab!

No problem..anytime

[kimair]

Not content to launch men’s with only their designer label, The Row, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are tackling men’s wear on a second front — their contemporary brand Elizabeth and James, which is also expanding in each of its existing categories.

Elizabeth and James women’s wear launched for fall 2007 through a licensing partnership between L’Koral Industries, the former parent of Seven For All Mankind and the Olsens’ company Dualstar. It is now sold in more than 200 doors, including Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. The partners forecast revenue growth of at least 25 percent this year in just the women’s category. Elizabeth and James is also expanding the women’s shoe line it launched last season through a partnership with Steve Madden, and adding fine jewelry to its collaboration with jeweler Robert Lee Morris. (Think rose gold and diamonds.)

And now there’s men’s wear.

“We knew eventually there would be a guy, a James,” said Ashley Olsen. The label is loosely named after the twins’ other two siblings, reflecting a masculine-feminine balance always in play in the design of the women’s line. However, “in men’s it’s more about balancing uptown and downtown,” she said.

“That’s not literal, it’s just a reference to fabrics and the risks people are willing to take in the way they dress,” said Mary-Kate. For this first season, the duo said they took additional inspiration from “Oliver Twist” and Peter Pan’s Lost Boys.

The line has a rugged downtown flair, with mildly trendy silhouettes. As with The Row, the twins aimed to create unfussy, durable and solidly masculine clothes that are comforting on the body. There is visible softness in cashmere sweaters, frayed jersey tops and washed flannel pieces. Patterns include plaids and an American Indian intarsia, which covers a puffer vest.

A coat features a removable shearling lining “because dudes want options,” said Mary-Kate. “And if they buy a great coat, they want to wear it all the time, starting when they buy it.”

A pleated flannel trouser is expected to be a signature item and retails for $265. Prices for the line are at the high end of contemporary because the customer is “investment-oriented but not ready to jump to designer,” said Jane Siskin, chief executive officer of L’Koral.

Barneys New York will launch the men’s line in the U.S., even though the retailer doesn’t carry Elizabeth and James women’s wear.

“I think that speaks to the strength of the men’s line and the fact that it’s not leaning on the women’s business,” said Siskin. Furthermore, the sales plan is to target men’s specialty stores such as Odin, which will have no basis of comparison to the women’s.

wwd / february 26, 2009

[Thefrenchy]

Good news! I'm really liking the first outfit, totally what i'd wear. The cardigan looks great and so does the coat.

[Thefrenchy]

NAP NEWSLETTER

[knockturnal]

Elizabeth and James so much....they are simply just on point with whats fresh right now.

[emmylou]

I love this line, and i love that they are beginning to broaden their horizans into menswear.

[RedAzalie]

love silk shorts !

[stateofbliss]

Elizabeth and James' Olsen twins, Whitney Eve's Whitney Port design identical shorts

Great minds think alike, eh, Olsen twins and Whitney Port?
The celebu-designers rolled out near-identical blue and purple silk print shorts for their Spring 2009 collections. Oopsie!
"The City" star Port's Whitney Eve line features a "vibrant abstract print" pleated-front pair crafted from 100 percent silk for $200.
But Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have one too! The twins' Elizabeth and James line boasts of "bubble shorts" with front pleats crafted from ... 100 percent silk. Asking price? $245.
Port suggests the shorts can "add a little flair to your spring daywear," while the Olsen twins recommend their pair as a "polished yet fashion-forward alternative to a skirt."
The only discernable difference? A tiny bow and $45.

nydailynews

IMO, the E&J ones look like they'd be a much better fit and better quality, but that always sucks when two designers have almost identical prints.

Ahhh! I love the navy chiffon halter dress from the S/S 09 collection!!!!

[ms-nietzsche]

The hem is different too, from what I can tell from the photos. They both look like PJs to me either way

[lucy92]

i bought the elizabeth and james leather pants from last season (i think retail was around 650) havent worn them yet but they appear to run big. (stock pic from thisnext.com, other pics from ebay)

does anyone else own them?

i plan on wearing them this week.

i never thought id buy anything from an olsen (because i personally dislike them) but these pants were a good deal.

not sure what im going to wear them with perhaps a long black tank.

[Meg]

yes, there are minor differences in the shorts, but overall the print is nearly identical. I wonder if they have a designer in common.

lucy - that is a great purchase! they will look great on.

[modelcitizen]

those elizabeth and james cropped leather pants are amazing! a sheer long blank tank with a black strapless bra underneath would be perfect!

and i agree with knockturnal, they are completely on point. everything made is so simple, clean and refreshing.

[MissyJG]

It's amazing how well this line is doing with the celebs.. I prefer the E&J shorts. The other ones are too cutesy for my taste.

[Lazareanu]

wow i lovee the oufits! so inspirational

[couturecouture]

I love almost everything from this line. Haven't purchased anything yet though. They have some amazing dresses. Does anyone know if they carry E & J at the Troy, MI Neiman's?