How do we feel about Olsenboye?

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the business mavens behind The Row, Elizabeth and James, DualStar Entertainment Group and a ‘tween clothing line at Walmart, have announced their newest business endeavour. They are launching a new affordable and chic fashion line called Olsenboye, which will be sold exclusively at JCPenney starting in February.

I suppose with Gaultier designing for Target and Jimmy Choo for H&M, a budget friendly Olsen brand for the trend conscious was inevitable. Their partnership with JCPenney makes sense, especially after their recent efforts to be a household fashion giant. I’m sure you’ve seen Who What Wear’s "Schooled in Style" series, which shamelessly shows eager viewers how to incorporate JCPenney brands into each season’s trends.

Although the brand leans to the “overly-trendy” side, I must admit I was lusting after a BE & D Ruffled Platform Sandal that has the same look and feel as one of the line’s shoes.

Items in the collection will include denim, bottoms, tops, dresses, skirts, shorts, jackets, handbags and shoes and will retail from $20-$50.

Below: Ashley Olsen and Mary Kate Olsen looking chic as they promote Olsenboye at Good Morning America.

Watch this Olsenboye promotional movie below if you can stomach three cheery hipster-wanna-bes frolicking around NYC.

Michelle Obama's Fashion Fetishes

The First Lady of Fashion: gorgeous, statuesque and mix-and-match master to boot. She certainly has a soft spot for Thakoon and Jason Wu, but the item in her wardrobe that shows up most often is her Azzedine Alaia belt. Above you can see her dressing it up leaving Air Force One or casual while strolling the White House lawns. While many public figures won't be caught dead in the same outfit twice, Michelle Obama makes a point of reusing her favorite items. Recycling clothing is a part of the “Mobama” style. It's a well-known fact that Mrs. Obama is relatively economical about her First Lady wardrobe choices (as far as previous First Ladies go). Remember the buzz that arose when she wore that White House/Black Market dress?

Another fashion favorite of Michelle Obama's is florals. While each look is individually tasteful, elegant and stylish, seeing them all together in the below photo is kind of a flower-power overload.

Anyways, in terms of heightened fashion-biz buzz it's clear the First Lady is well on her way to leaving a stylish legacy on par with those other White House legacies, Jacqueline Kennedy and Nancy Reagan. Stay tuned for more "Mobama" fashion updates.

Rio de Janeiro for the Weekend

As if Brazilian models (Giselle Bündchen, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Ana Beatriz Barros, to name a few...) don't bring Brazil enough attention already, the fashion community and a few rockstarlettes are hightailing it to Rio for the weekend to bring attention to Rio as a fashion center. According to WWD, "Donatella Versace, Francisco Costa, Riccardo Tisci and Marc Jacobs, along with a slew of models and musical performers, are touching down in Rio de Janeiro for Oi Fashion Rocks to be held Saturday night at Rio’s Jockey Club."

Fashion Rocks will feature Versace, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs and Calvin Klein’s fall 2009 runway collections paired with performances by Diddy, Ciara, Grace Jones and Mariah Carey. The idea is to spotlight Brazil, so there will be plenty of local flavor courtesy of designers Alexandre Herchcovitch and Lenny, as well as musical acts Stop Play Moon and Daniela Mercury.

I don't know about you, but the weather is supposed to be pretty gloomy here in DC this weekend. Anyone have any extra frequent flyer miles?

Brazilian designer Alexandre Fall 2009 from life.com

Marc Jacobs Fall 2009 Collection from style.com

Wholesale Gossip Girl-Inspired Fashion?

I don’t know about you but this sounds fishy to me....

In a recent press release LightInTheBox.com announced that they’ve recently launched fashion selections inspired by Season Three of Gossip Girl.

“LightInTheBox.com has been working with designers to make the clothes inspired by the TV series accessible and affordable to people around the world.”

Oh I get it, they’ve let Eric Daman and the world’s hardest working designers do the heavy lifting and now this morally-devoid company is riding on their coat tails. Copyright laws and designer credibility means nothing to you? Ok, just wanted to make sure.

Nordstrom Rack to Open Store in Pentagon City

Nordstrom announced it will open a Nordstrom Rack, a unit of the company's off-price retail division, in the Pentagon City area of Arlington, Va. Scheduled to open in fall 2010 at Pentagon Centre, the new store will be the closest Nordstrom Rack to downtown Washington D.C. Thrilled shopping saavy Washingtonians to ensue...