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Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen: Their Allure Photo Shoot
The designers discussed their need for control over their business empire—and what it was like to grow up in the spotlight. Check out these exclusive behind-the-scenes photographs from the cover shoot, shot by Peter Lindbergh at Metrodaylight Studio in New York City.
Mary-Kate and Ashley showed up to their cover shoot separately but wearing similar clothes (black skinny jeans and long, oversize tops). The designers, who have three clothing lines—The Row, Elizabeth and James, and Olsenboye—more than 60 employees, and a Council of Fashion Designers of America award to their name, are launching two fragrances for Elizabeth and James this month. "We still get the question," Mary-Kate said. "The question of: 'So do you like designing?'" "'How involved—'" Ashley began. Her sister finished Ashley's sentence, an Olsen habit: "'How involved are you?' It's not like you wake up one day and have a huge company with four or five different companies within the companies." On Ashley (left) and Mary-Kate (rightBlack cashmere wool coats by The Row.
"The Olsens came in with a clear vision of what they wanted in a fragrance," perfumer Pierre Negrin explained. Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black is comprised of "a good-grade sandalwood from Australia" and vanilla. Negrin said that the Olsens spent more than a year sniffing "200 different kinds of sandalwood" to create the scent. Because both designers became so familiar with the development process, their second fragrance, Elizabeth and James Nirvana White, "only took a month," said Honorine Blanc, the perfumer behind that blend of bergamot and "a palette of musks," which she said "are more subtle than the musks of the '70s." Both perfumes will be available exclusively at Sephora for $55 to $75. Here, makeup artist Fulvia Farolfi and hairstylist Diego Da Silva touch up Mary-Kate. Gold necklace by Beladora. Gold charm by Fred Leighton.
Mary-Kate and Ashley's first Allure cover, in 2004, featured the twins together. This time, each sister got her own solo moment—Ashley's cover shot is pictured here. "They came in looking gorgeous, so we did beautiful skin," said Farolfi. "The look was mainly about the brows," so she filled them in with a taupe brow pencil, blended berry-brown blush under each woman's cheekbones, smudged a brown eye pencil on the sisters' lids and just under their lower lashes, and dabbed a clear lip balm on their lips. The look can be re-created with Dior Powder Eyebrow Pencil in Sable Sand, Dior Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil in Intense Brown, Dior Vibrant Colour Powder Blush in Brown Milly, and Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Awakening Lipbalm. Da Silva prepped Ashley's hair with Wella Professional Velvet Amplifier and blow-dried it straight. On Ashley: Her own shirt. Gold necklace with gold charm by Camilla Dietz Bergeron.
For Mary-Kate's cover shot, pictured here, Da Silva applied Oribe Après Beach Wave and Shine Spray to her dry hair, ran a cool blow-dryer all over, then raked it back with his hands for a "natural sexiness." Mary-Kate joked about her own sexy-hair past when asked about her worst hair mistake. "Extensions. I woke up one day and I said, 'You know, I don't want to wear a bikini top this summer, so I guess I'll get hair that covers my breasts.' And it did!" On Mary-Kate: Viscose jersey blazer by The Row. Gold necklace by Beladora. Crystal-enamel-and-gold charm by Fred Leighton.
Within four years of launching their fashion line The Row, annual sales were around $12 million. On hold, in other words, were the Olsens' college careers and passion for acting: "I was reading scripts, and ultimately I just said to the people who are representing me, 'I need to do things 100 percent. I don't feel like I can give you 100 percent of my time,'" said Ashley. She had by then realized, she said, "There's a lot of compromise in the entertainment industry." After a few appearances on the TV series Weeds and a 2008 turn in The Wackness with Ben Kingsley, Mary-Kate concurred: "I am not great at not being able to control the end product." On Ashley, left: White shirt, her own. On Mary-Kate, right: Black viscose jersey blazer by The Row. Jeans, her own.
The two still appear in the tabloids occasionally—especially Mary-Kate. (She is dating Olivier Sarkozy, the 44-year-old half-brother of the former president of France.) But their faces are no longer out there, and the appeal of privacy is evident in their fragrance inspiration. "We wanted it to be very pure and happy and—" Ashley began, referring to the ad for their fragrances. "—intimate and sensual," Mary-Kate finished for her. Long before the scents were created, they dreamed up this idea of solitude, the thing they crave most. They "started exploring," Ashley said, "what nirvana meant to us." Mary-Kate's ideal vacation is either "home" or "the middle of nowhere," and Ashley's preferred holiday "is about seeing no one." Here, Ashley on set with her publicist, photographer Peter Lindbergh, and Allure creative director Paul Cavaco.
Lindbergh, here reviewing images on set with Ashley and Mary-Kate, first photographed each woman alone. Then the two posed together. Modeling complete, the Olsens gathered their things, even offering to pack up their racks of clothes themselves. The Allure fashion team did the honors before the sisters left together.
. Totally unexpected but they look gorgeous. I love how they perfectly captured the difference in their styles.
