Take a sneak peek at Olsenboye, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s affordable teen collection for JCPenney

A celebrity fashion collection doesn’t have to be an oxymoron (we’re still waiting to see how Lindsay Lohan’s future as artistic advisor to Paris house Ungaro will pan out -- regular readers of All the Rage may recall that it didn't begin well). Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s forays into the rag trade have been met with kudos from the industry. In July, the 23-year-old sisters were inducted into the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America, along with Alexander Wang, Jason Wu and J. Crew’s Jenna Lyons, on the basis of their design work on luxury label the Row and the contemporary-priced Elizabeth and James collection.

Now the Olsen twins have set their sights beyond the racks at Barneys and specialty boutiques and targeted the suburban closets of American teens and tweens with their exclusive collaboration with JCPenney, called Olsenboye.

Olsenboye, an Olsen family name, follows the theme of an oversized-sunglasses-wearing globetrotter who gleans wardrobe ideas from young women in fashion capitals. In keeping with the theme, the department store visuals will feature travel trunks, passport stamps and luggage stickers.

The Olsenboye prelaunch lineup, which premieres Nov. 6 in 50 select Penney’s and online, features cropped blazers, jean leggings, oversized peace-sign graphic T-shirts, a striped waffle-knit thermal, hooded sweatshirts, bags and footwear. A full ensemble will debut in February, including handbags and shoes. The pattern-heavy collection is meant to be mixed-and-matched  -- florals, plaids and stripes -- in the trademark Olsen boho style.

Olseboye follows Penney’s reasonable price points, retailing from $20 to $50, and arrives in a wide size range, from 0 to 15.

Last Thursday (Oct. 22), when the Council of Fashion Designers of America celebrated its newest members at New York’s the Four Seasons, Ashley Olsen told the organization that she and her sister got their first taste of design by altering adult-size clothes to fit their then-preteen frames: “That’s really how we got into tailoring,” said Ashley. “We always loved it.”

 Check out the Olseboye video here.

-- Max Padilla

Photo credits: JCPenney

Comments

[Elvia]

Yeah, the news is everywhere. It's been thrown in our faces (at least mine) starting yesterday or the day before yesterday. It's pretty cool, like a good idea to get the retail business back on its high horse.

I love the marketing for the new line! They really put in thought w/ the cupcakes, clothing and trucks driving around NYC.

I'm a year younger than the Olsen Twins but I pretty much grew up watching them and I'm a fashion student myself so it's always great to see how the Olsen Twins are always going in the right path - a path that is inspiring to me.

I don't really like the tween/teen market but considering they've already taken the high-end road and now this is the next step, the big-money-making step as well, it's only foreseeable.

[benny]

just a straight rip off of styles that have been popular for the last 6 months...how is this good?