Sarah Jessica Parker was one of the decked out guests at last night’s Met Costume Institute Gala, the theme of which was “Punk from chaos to couture.” It was all about how the punk movement had influenced fashion, and few designers really captured that, in my opinion. In the livestream from the red carpet on Vogue.com (which you can watch there, it’s still available, also the Fug Girls liveblogged it!), they interspersed the interviews with pre-taped segments with designers like Ricardo Tisci of Givenchy. The designers kept saying “pink is the color of punk,” which sounded ridiculous to me. Isn’t black the color of punk? It sounded like an excuse to create the same old gowns, although there were notable exceptions.

Out of all of last night’s ladies, I give Sarah Jessica Parker props for really trying to work it, for trying to capture both high fashion and punk in her look. She was in an abstract print Giles Deacon dress paired with custom-made Louboutin velvet plaid shoes and a custom Phillip Treacy headdress. Some may say she looked ridiculous, but given the theme of the night she nailed it. She also looked like she was having a lotof fun. Her date was Hamish Bowles, the International editor of Vogue.

In contrast, here’s Ashley Olsen looking like a yellow ghost in vintage Dior. This is not punk, this is just some bizarre fairy dream. How does this dress even translate to the theme? (We don’t have pics of Mary-Kate, you can see her equally baffling look here.)

Emmy Rossum was in Donna Karan Atelier. This is a lovely princess dress which would be stunning at a big red carpet event, but again it’s not “punk” per se. Maybe they tried to capture that with her updo and heavy makeup. It’s kind of a miss for this event, but for anything else it would be lovely.

Nina Dobrev wore this kind of amazing Monique Lhuillier black lace bustier pantsuit with a tulle skirt and leather underbra. The outfit was very spot-on for the event, and I would have liked to see her punk it up a little with some daring shoes and more risky hair and makeup. It’s a little too “pretty” but still one of my favorites.

Photo credit: WENN.com and FameFlynet

When we’re talking about ‘affordable’ purses, everything is incredibly relative when it comes to the Olsen twins. Through their Elizabeth and James line, these two have purses that cost astronomical sums. There’s a patchwork fur monstrosity that retails for $17,000, an unremarkable alligator backpack that costs more than any car I’ve owned, and some purse “art,” by controversial artist Damien Hirst that costs $55k for some pills hot glued to that same alligator backpack. So now these two are going “downmarket” with purses that retail for $125 for the itty bitty clutches to $625 for the purses that can probably hide an entire human head, judging from the giant bags they normally carry. Is that an improvement? Here’s more:

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, 26, may have been the masterminds behind The Row’s $55,000, prescription pill-encrusted, crocodile-leather backpack, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care about the little people. According to WWD, the child stars-turned-designers will be launching their first line of bags for their more affordable brand, Elizabeth and James, this summer.

And what constitutes “affordable” to the famously wealthy twins, whose business empire has an estimated worth of $1.5 billion? Their small leather goods will be priced in the $125 to $395 range and bags will cost $395 to $625.

Calling them leather goods is perhaps doing them a disservice, though: Among the materials the fashion-forward sisters have chosen for their accessories are haircalf, New Zealand lambskin accented with stamped lizard trim, and Italian suede.

“We wanted the price point to be strong,” Mary-Kate told the trade publication. “The price point is below [Alexander] Wang and [Phillip] Lim but above Marc [Jacobs] and Tory [Burch].”

“And Rebecca Minkoff,” Ashley added. “We wanted these bags to be affordable.”

[From US Weekly]

Well, as for whether they’re ‘affordable’ that’s up to debate. I shouldn’t talk as I love Coach purses and I’ve carried them for over 10 years. I usually get a new one about every 18 months or so, but I bargain hunt and use coupons. (Coach sent me a credit recently for a purse I mailed in to them to be repaired for a broken zipper. I would have actually preferred to have had the purse fixed, but of course I just upgraded to a newer model. They send great coupons by email too! I got $100 off. I sound like a commercial, right?) So I have no room to talk when I stretch my budget to carry Coach purses that cost about the same. The Olsen twins want to move into a new market and they’re working on it. It’s not a bad idea, actually, and will earn them more positive publicity as compared to their luxury stunt purses.

Photos are from May and October, 2012. Credit: FameFlynet and WENN.com

The Olsen Twins are known for their wildly overpriced fashion line, The Row, which earns accolades in their industry no matter how fug and oversized it may look to us outsiders. The twins’ purse line has some of their priciest items. They’ve put out an alligator backpack that sells for $39,000, no joke, and a really horrid-looking fur patchwork monstrosity that goes for $17,000. Now they’ve really outdone themselves with $55,000 purses featuring what looks like real prescription pills and random colored dots stuck on the outside. They’re the $39k alligator backpacks with added features designed by English artist Damien Hirst, known for his controversial exhibits featuring cut out cows and various animals floating in formaldehyde. (I saw one of his earliest butterfly and cigarette butt exhibits after the poor butterflies perished, and I found it rather beautiful. Later I learned how the butterflies died and felt awful about it.)

So on one level I understand that this is art. On another it’s easier to pick it apart as just a bunch of pills and dots hot glued to a really expensive purse. You could give similar criticism to a lot of modern art and I tend to enjoy it in museums, so who am I to say?

TooFab notes that the proceeds from the bags are going to charity, at least some unknown percentage will. So it’s not that bad I guess. Here’s more:

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen somehow found a way to top their ridiculously-priced (but completely sold out) $39,000 handbag — by releasing a line of new ones retailing for $55,000!

Starting December 12, nine limited edition handbags from the Olsens’ fashion line The Row will go on sale online and they’ll all cost you more than a pretty penny.

The bags, created by artist Damien Hirst, are covered in prescription pills and made from black patent leather Nile crodocile skin. Only 12 of each bag will be made.

And while the price is INSANE, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to UNICEF. No word on how much, exactly.

The pill appliqués are definitely controversial, as they seem to glamorize drug use.

[From Too Fab]

Hirst has a lot of stuff that looks like this, like his paintings Valium and LSD, which consist of colored dots. I don’t think he’s glamorizing drug use by sticking pills on these bags (as TooFab goes on to claim) so much as creating social commentary on its abuse by the elite. Or something. I was more annoyed by the $39k alligator backpack on its own. Some might argue that this elevates the bag to “art.” At least it’s going to charity. You can see more purses here.

Header image credit: FameFlynet

Here are Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, 26, (Mary-Kate is the one with her hair in a bun) at The Wall St. Journal “Innovator Of The Year Awards” at the MOMA last night, where they were one of the honorees. The two were honored in the fashion category, namely for having “an eye for nearly monastic classicism that’s redefining American luxury.” Is that what you call their overpriced hobo chic look, “monastic classicism”? I shouldn’t snark, the Olsen sisters have been highly successful with their line The Row, and some of their looks are quite flattering and pretty, albeit out of my wildest dreams price range. They were also named the CFDA womenswear designers of the year earlier this year, so they’re winning accolades in their industry. It’s really quite an accomplishment, especially if you consider other former child actors their same age.

As for their outfits here – they’re typical Olsen looks. Baggy, monochrome clothing that does nothing for their figures. Ashley is in a black deep v-neck silky sack dress and is carrying a clutch from The Row. I can’t get an exact price on it, but judging from their other clutches it probably retails for around $5,000. I would expect Mary-Kate’s bag, also The Row, goes for at least double that, although that’s just a guess. I think we would make fun of Mary-Kate’s blue suit, black shirt, and blue tasseled scarf even if say Glenn Close wore it. It looks like something Glenn would wear lately on an off night. I can’t confirm that both of their looks are head to toe The Row, but I’m assuming they are apart from the shoes and jewelry.

Anna Wintour was there – The Daily Mail has a photo of her posing with The Olsens in which they all look a bit stony-faced. Anna is in Christian Dior, which I actually kind of like in a 60s throwback-way.

Julianne Moore was in this terrible loose-fitting Alexander Wang dress with sheer panels on the arms and skirt. Look at the collar, it has a high-neck sweater type collar. It’s so bad! She paired this with Christian Dior gold-zipper booties that may have looked hot with a much better dress. This look is just awful. She fits right in with the Olsens, although they wouldn’t dare show so much skin.

Photo credit: Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com

Here’s some photos of Elizabeth Olsen promoting Silent House in March while wearing two different outfits from The Row, which is the highest-end line designed by her older sisters, Mary-Kate and Ashley. In the above photo, she’s wearing a felt jacket and matching trousers from The Row while departing Sirius Radio studios; and below, Lizzie is wearing a black dress from The Row paired with a Chanel jacket. I’m going to such lengths to point out that Lizzie is clearly sporting frocks from The Row because a story in this week’s Star claims to have talked to a family pal who says Elizabeth is refusing to wear The Row now that she’s all famous and stuff.

Naturally, Lizzie hasn’t promoted anything since Silent House, so she hasn’t been on the red carpet lately. In fact, she’s been quite busy shooting Very Good Girls with Dakota Fanning for the past few months, and all of a sudden this silly Star story pops up out of nowhere:

Sisters always fight over clothes — and the Olsens are no exception! “When Ilizabeth first started out she always wore Mary-Kate and Ashley’s fashion lines,” says a family pal. “But now that Elizabeth is famous, she’s wearing other lines.” And friends wonder if a sartorial smack-down is brewing between the twins, 26, and their little sis, 23.

While a rep for the family denies it, a source says their mom has had to tell the girls to stop arguing over who’s wearing who.

Only this A-list clan would feud over not borrowing each other’s clothes enough!

[From Star, print edition, September 3, 2012]

First off, Elizabeth is still a budding indie star and has always (at least, since she had her breakthrough last year in Martha Marcy May Marlene) worn The Row for some of her low-key promotional duties. However, she has made a habit of wearing other designers — including Emilio Pucci, Alexander McQueen, Calvin Klein, and Antonio Berardi — while attending premieres and higher-profile events. To me, this just seems like she wants her acting career to rest upon her own merits instead of making it all about a fashion show for her sisters. That makes sense, right?

For whatever reason, the tabloids have made a pesky habit of attempting to pit the younger Olsen sister against the twins. First, they made up stories about how Mary-Kate and Ashley were both totally jealous of Elizabeth’s acting success, which was refuted by the twins themselves. Then there was that story that Lizzie was living in squalor and refusing help from her sisters, when in reality Elizabeth merely lives in a tiny NYC apartment that’s identical to most NYC starter places.

Such stories will likely continue, but I remain convinced that Lizzie just wants to make it on her own and without climbing up on the backs of her sisters. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I bet Mary-Kate and Ashley don’t have an issue with Lizzie not acting as the unofficial spokesmodel for The Row every time she makes a red-carpet appearance.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN

Last year, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were widely criticized for offering a $39,000 alligator handbag/backpack through their high-fashion line, The Row. Allegedly, the 39K bag was “selling out” at Barney’s, and all of the divas had to have one. PETA complained, and everyone was like, “Ugh, conspicuous consumption sucks” but… I don’t know. I didn’t see what the huge fuss was about. No one was being forced to buy the bag. Of course it was ridiculously overpriced and of course no one needs a $39K bag. The Olsens took the criticism in stride, if “stride” means “completely ignoring their critics and going on to win ‘Womenswear Designers of the Year’ at the CFDAs.” And now the Olsens have one-upped their 2011 offering with a new $17,000 bag. Here it is:

OMFG. How hideous is that? I’m a purse person (as opposed to a shoe person), and you couldn’t pay me to carry that roadkill-looking thing. That was another reason I was meh on the $39K bag – I actually thought the bag was cute. Not “$39,000 cute” but cute. This one is just awful, though. Anyway, the Olsens are facing even more criticism. Because it worked so well the last time:

What Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (and Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and Reese Witherspoon to name a few) call fashion, PETA calls blasphemous.

The twin fashion designers received some flack from the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals after creating an almost $17,000—yeah, you read that right—backpack for their luxury fashion line The Row made of patches of animal fur.

And the animal-rights organization didn’t exactly sugarcoat their feelings on the situation.

“If it looks like a troll and acts like a troll, it’s probably a Trollsen Twin—or someone wearing one of their new $16,000 totes, which are made from the fur and skins of innocent animals,” PETA said in a statement to E! News.

“What the Olsens lack in creativity, they try to make up for in shock value. Sadly, it’s the foxes, calves, and alligators—who often have the fur ripped off them while they are still conscious and able to feel pain—who pay the dearest price.”

Meanwhile, the creation by 2012′s Womenswear Designers of the Year caught the eye of well-known stylist and reality star Rachel Zoe, who called the accessory next season’s staple item on her Zoe Report.

[From E! News]

Maybe the Olsens answer to last year’s criticism was to make a bag that was less expensive? No, they knew what they were doing by making a fur bag. They wanted the criticism. They wanted the scandal and controversy. All for an indefensibly ugly bag.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Mary-Kate Olsen dyed her hair! Right? That’s MK with the dark hair in the black gown, and Ashley is the blonde in the purple dress? Sure. That’s what I’m going with. Anyway, these are new photos of MK and Ashley at last night’s CFDAs, definitely the most low-key event as compared to the Met Gala. Both girls wore their own label, The Row. I hate to admit it, but I kind of like Ashley’s purple gown. It’s nice seeing her in such a beautiful color, and while the gown shows off nothing of her slender figure, I’m imagining this on a pregnant celebrity and I’m liking it. MK’s gown is just meh, though. I do like her as brunette, I have to admit. And the twins still spend too much time on the red carpet posing tit-to-tit. It’s not cute! But MK and Ashley did have a good night – they won the 2012 Womenswear Designers of the Year for The Row. Congrats.

Rachel Zoe, stylist and designer, was also wearing something from her own collection. I hate the dress, but I’m including these photos with the Olsen ladies because I think of Rachel Zoe as an honorary Olsen. All three women are so, so skinny and all of them hide their bodies in these bulky, oversized clothes. I’m not saying that ALL women need to show off their bodies and wear bandage dresses. I’m not saying that at all. But this oversized hobo-chic look has run its course. Buy some clothes that fit, for the love of God. And considering all of these women are “designers” – surely they can “design” something that fits?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

I know I’m going to be yelled at for this. It’s been years and years and I still can’t tell Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen apart. In these new photos of the twins – at last night’s Fresh Air Funds Salute to American Heroes – I think MK is the one in black and Ashley is the one in white? Right? Correct me if I’m wrong. And by “correct” I mean “caps-lock scream”. Both young women are wearing The Row, their elite label. Is it wrong that I kind of like Ashley’s (?) cream dress? Yes, that furry stuff makes her look like a Fraggle. But I like that look so much more than MK’s oversized black satin.

By the way, did you know that MK has a new boyfriend! He’s French. And he’s the brother of France’s (now former) president, Nicolas Sarkozy:

Ooh la la! Mary-Kate Olsen has found amour again with former French president Nicolas Sarkozy’s younger brother, Olivier Sarkozy, a source tells Us Weekly.

“It’s true, they’re dating, and she’s definitely interested in him,” the Olsen insider tells Us about her new romance with the 42-year-old Frenchman. Though Olsen and Sarkozy are seventeen years apart (Olsen is 25), the source says their age differences suits her just fine.

“MK is constantly complaining about boys not being mature enough for her,” the source explains. “She got the kids out of her system. Now being a businesswoman dominates her time, and she is rarely impressed with guys.”

A second source confirms Olsen and Sarkozy are dating and tells Us, “They are good for each other.

Page Six broke the news of the fashion designer’s newest fling Wednesday morning; a source tells the paper the pair have been seeing one another just over a month and that they’re “head over heels.”

The once-divorced Sarkozy split from his last serious girlfriend, actress Stella Schnabel, in March. On April 25, Sarkozy and Olsen attended a Knicks game together and hit the Hamptons over Memorial Day weekend.

Olsen’s most recent longterm relationship was with artist Nate Lowman, from whom she split in 2010.

[From Us Weekly]

The age difference bugs me, but I can also see how it works. MK and Ashley are so weird about men, and they’ve professionals for so, so long… I can see how a 25-year-old Olsen ends up with a 42-year-old Frenchman. It makes some kind of strange sense.

Uncomfortable sidenote: I feel like a bitch for saying this, but they need to pose differently on red carpets together – the tit-to-tit pose is really gross now that they’re adult women.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.

It was less than two weeks ago when In Touch Weekly claimed that Ashley Olsen and Johnny Depp may have been hooking up in Ashley’s NYC apartment. In Touch claimed that Johnny was spotted by many people coming out of Ashley’s building, having been in her apartment overnight (allegedly, although some reports claim that Depp was in Ashley Olsen’s building for business, and that he didn’t spend the night). It was a pretty gross story, what with Johnny seeming to be in the midst of a full-blown midlife crisis, and Ashley being all of 25 years old. I kind of bought the story because A) Ashley looks like Johnny’s type and B) Why not?

So, if you believed that story, I don’t know what you’ll make of this – the New York Daily News claims that Ashley and her former lover Jared Leto were “rekindling” their romance (“boning”) the other night:

ASHLEY OLSEN and Jared Leto were looking like they’ve rekindled their on-again, off-again romance on Sunday night. The 25-year-old fashion designer and the 40-year-old 30 Seconds to Mars front man — who dated briefly in 2005 and were reportedly spotted making out in 2008 — enjoyed a very flirtatious meal at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills.

The pair were escorted to a reserved booth around 5 p.m. and couldn’t stop touching each other. Leto played with the twin’s hair, caressed her arm and even playfully poked her with his fork. (We’re not touching that one with a 10-foot butter knife.) After Leto paid for their salads, the two snacked on each other some more: Olsen hugged him and put her head on his lap. Reps for Olsen and Leto did not respond by deadline.

[From NYDN]

Is it weird that I don’t have a problem with the idea of Jared and Ashley? They make some kind of crazy sense together, although I had forgotten that there were rumors about them back in day too. Now, I don’t think much of Jared Leto in general – he’s a try-hard, and I find him rather douchey, honestly. And I’ve never really formed an opinion about Ashley and Mary-Kate, other than my opinion that their “twin brain” is extremely creepy. Ashley could do better, I’m sure. But would she? Will she? Probably not. This is her type, I think. I’m sure at some point she’ll hook up with James Franco too.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.

Will I feel the wrath of the Olsen-stans if I admit that I still can’t tell Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen apart? Because it’s true. It’s also true that I’ve never tried that hard to differentiate between them. Why would I? They share the same creepy twin brain. And now that creepy twin brain knows what Johnny Depp looks like naked. Allegedly. According to In Touch Weekly, Johnny Depp and Ashley Olsen may have hooked up. Er…

Johnny Depp publicly claims to still be happily coupled up with Vanessa Paradis — his longtime partner and the mother of his two children.

However, In Touch can exclusively reveal that on February 27, Johnny was spotted making a hasty exit from an office building connected to Ashley’s apartment building “looking like he didn’t want to be seen,” a witness tells In Touch. In fact, an office worker confirms, “An e-mail went around to the employees saying Johnny Depp was using our building to try to avoid paparazzi.”

It turns out the star, 48, was secretly leaving 23-years younger Ashley’s loft after a sneak slumber party. Arriving in the afternoon of February 26, Johnny hunkered down in Ashley’s Tribeca digs until noon the next day — nearly 24 hours later. “It was quiet in her apartment, like it was just the two of them in there,” an insider recalls, and though no one outside can know what happened, “It didn’t seem like it was just a visit between friends.”

Whatever the twosome were up to during their overnighter, it certainly left Johnny exhausted. When the star finally left the next day, “he looked like he was out of it,” an onlooker said.

[From In Touch Weekly]

Was Johnny even in New York? I keep hearing stuff about him being in LA., where he seems to be on some kind of real-estate-buying binge. Anyway, while Depp going for an Olsen makes some kind of sense (he seems to like small, delicate-looking pouty types), I just don’t think it’s on. I still believe that Eva Green had something to do with Depp’s relationship (with Vanessa Paradis) falling apart, and my guess is that Eva and Johnny are still doing… something. Now, it’s possible he screwing around on Eva too. The tabloids claimed that Johnny has been surrounding himself with ladies as his midlife crisis blossoms even further. I guess I’m just hoping that Eva Green is the one to stick it out.

Whoops, I wrote all of that up before I saw these photos – Johnny leaving a New York apartment building on February 27th. Was he leaving Ashley’s place? They totally boned.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.