Olsen Twins Strike a Pose

Wed., Feb. 15, 2006 3:00 PM PST by Sarah Hall

Descriptions of Mary-Kate Olsen's, shall we say unique, brand of style have ranged from "fashion icon" (per the New York Times) to "bag lady" (courtesy of Mr. Blackwell).

Now the pint-sized thesp has another vote in favor of her ability to put together an outfit, after she and twin sister, Ashley, were tapped to appear in an ad campaign for Badgley Mischka.

The print ads featuring the couture-clad Olsens will appear in the April issues of Vogue, Elle, InStyle and Vanity Fair magazines, as well as in stores and on the Internet.

"Ashley and Mary-Kate have grown up to become America's young style icons. They have an amazing sense of fashion and individuality that intrigued us," the design duo of Mark Badgley and James Mischka said Wednesday in a statement.

The sisters, who attended Badgley Mischka's fall preview at New York Fashion Week, were enthusiastic about their new gig.

"We have been fans of Mark and James for years and were honored when approached to appear in the campaign," Ashley said in a statement, while Mary-Kate described the clothes in the designers' fall collection as "glamorous, beautiful, colorful and fun."

The campaign will mark the first time that the Olsens have promoted a brand outside of their own Dualstar Entertainment Group, which markets everything from Mary-Kate and Ashley toothpaste to a tween clothing line.

When she's not posing in red carpet wear, Ashley, who's currently a sophomore at New York University, has decidedly less glamorous tasks on her hands, including homework.

Mary-Kate, on the other hand, is taking a leave of absence from her studies, in part to recover from a painful breakup with ex-boyfriend Stavros Niarchos, who's now dating Paris Hilton.

"I miss him and I love him, and I don't speak with him anymore," Mary-Kate told W magazine in an interview published in December. "It's a hurtful and painful subject."

Once her healing process is complete, Mary-Kate reportedly plans to return to school and complete her studies, either at NYU or a West Coast university, though she has unusual curriculum requirements.

"I need to be able to go to yoga and work out and just read scripts and go on auditions, because that's what makes me happy...Like, papers don't really make me happy," she told W.

With a reported worth of $150 million each, we're thinking both Olsens can afford to stick to what makes them happy.