@ElizAndJames Is Haute

The New Adventures of Mary Kate & Ashley

As a kid every night before bed I would sit in front of the television to watch the Michelle show. This hit was none other than "Full House" staring my favorite child stars, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. By elementary school I was reading "The New Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley", swapping VHS tapes of the twins solving mysteries at Sea World and aboard a cruise ship and rushing to Walmart (of all places) to buy pieces from my first colab line--made by none other than Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. As elementary school came to a close I went to see "New York Minute" in theaters, opening day, and then moved on with my life. Yes, I suppose I followed the twins lives via tabloid as they maneuvered through NYU and the many scandals that come with being a celebrity but for the most part I was over it.

At some point in time College Humor got funny and launched my favorite web series, ever -- "Very Mary Kate" and I began religiously tuning in to see how Elaine Carroll would lambaste MK each week.

Splash News

...and then The Row and Elizabeth and James were launched.

For those of you who have been living under a rock since 2007, The Row is the high end Olsen run label, specializing in minimalist apparel that the fashion savvy would die for. The label is infamous for it's super luxurious and super expensive fur, hide and combo of the aforementioned bags--first the alligator backpack (left) and more recently a animal patch bag that goes with their current collection. Though PETA members won't be rushing to buy anything for the Olsen sister's line, it would be hard to deny their natural knack for creating "what's next" in the fashion world.

While I wish I could talk about The Row all day, I honestly do not have that much experience with the brand given my lack of funds as of recent. Thankfully MK & A graced the fashion world with another chic line that has a much more manageable price point.

Elizabeth and James is one of my favorite RTW lines. Carrying pieces that feature the same lines and silhouettes that every minimalist loves in fashion forward prints any 20-something would impulse buy in a second. If you are a regular reader of C&CB you will recall me featuring pieces from their spring 2012 collection on several occasions. The reason is, not only that I adore the brand, but also because Elizabeth and James' collections are versatile. I got the navy pin dot maude suiting jacket this past spring and swear that I wear it with everything!

Piperlime

Piperlime

As you can see, this 70-esk blazer is ideal for dressing up or a casual shopping trip into the city with friends.

I cannot gush enough about how much I am obsessed with this jacket and when perusing Piperlime yesterday I found the matching overalls. Now I am not normally a fan of overalls and would never wear them with this jacket...but with a crisp white blouse, they would be super fly.

Ebay

The other thing I love from Elizabeth and James is their blouses. There are a lot of people who get comfy by throwing on a hoodie and sweatpants--I am not one of these people. To me there is nothing more comfortable than pulling on a soft pair of jeans and buttoning up a flowy blouse. A queue taken from their own lives, i'm sure, most of the clothing from Elizabeth and James is cut just a bit bigger than normal store sizes. This makes their blouses perfect for being classically casual.

Fast, rising stars of the fashion world -- Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are much more than just child stars with a clothing line. The two former actresses are full blown fashion designers and are leaving a big mark on the NYC garment district. I cannot wait to see what they do next.