Olsenboye: Mary-Kate and Ashley for JC Penney
Another day, another celebrity clothing line: Olsenboye for JC Penney, by twin wonders Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
The exclusive junior’s brand is tailored for teens and features denim, bottoms, tops, dresses, skirts, shorts, jackets, handbags and shoes all priced from $20-50. Hitting 50 select JCP stores and jcp.com for a limited time on November 6, Olsenboye will have a major rollout in 600 Penney stores come February.
Needless to say, the fashion world is thrilled. Mary-Kate and Ashley have truly earned the title “fashion designers” as the creative brains behind two critically acclaimed clothing lines, The Row and Elizabeth & James. While the Olsen twins attract enough media attention to fill whole tabloids, their clothes do anything but: the practical, inconspicuous pieces in black, grey and other neutrals in rich fabrics (cashmere, leather) are the epitome of understated luxury.
But those expecting lower-priced versions of the Row’s flawless leather miniskirt or Elizabeth & James’ impossibly soft tees shouldn’t hold their breath. With Olsenboye’s teenybopper demographic and kitschy travel theme (to be complete with clothes displayed in travel trunks and signage featuring passport stamps and luggage stickers), the line sounds like a far cry from the perfected classics of MK and A’s higher-end brands.
In fact, based on the recent press release, Olsenboye sounds like classic Mary-Kate and Ashley circa 1995: “The brand will also be supported by a strong interactive digital campaign that will leverage JCPenney’s teen hub on jcp.com (www.jcp.com/teen), JCPenney’s teen Facebook page (www.facebook.com/jcpteen) and Twitter, along with viral videos and even an Olsenboye theme song.”
Will the twins’ newly acquired design prowess and impeccable taste redeem what could be just another tacky celebrity department store line? Check out the Olsenboye teaser video on olsenboye.com and decide for yourself!
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