Ashley Olsen is the Summer 2009 cover girl for Hamptons magazine, a magazine dedicated to the Hamptons lifestyle. She talked to the magazine about growing up famous, why she prefers New York to Los Angeles and whether she’ll ever return to acting.

You can read the article online here.

“I’ve definitely had a past life of being a personality, and a very public one… But that’s not what makes me comfortable. I’m not an actress. I’m not a public figure or acting as one,” she said of her more public past.

She also talks about how hard she and Mary-Kate worked to make their fashion line a success.

“It hasn’t been easy by any means. I started with T-shirts,” she says of the origin of the Row. “I wasn’t sure it was going to become a company. It was more something I was doing for myself creatively.”

Ashley believes in her products because they are more than just a brand or a name. She feels the quality of the Row and Elizabeth and James speak for themselves.

“That’s the thing about celebrity brands these days. People think they can define a brand by just a name, but the product has to speak for itself. It doesn’t really matter whose name is on it,” she says. “That’s the truth. It’s the work behind it. It makes you step up to the plate.”

If you want to read the full article, head to the Hamptons magazine website or pick up a copy of the magazine or wait until they post the interview online. The interview with past cover stars are up, so I’m sure it’s a matter of days!

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Happy birthday, Mary-Kate and Ashley! Today, the girls celebrate turning 23 years old! Born in 1986 in Sherman Oaks, California to David Olsen and Jarnette Fuller, the girls have accomplished so much during their lives.

In the past year alone, Mary-Kate starred in The Wackness, made a guest appearance on Samantha Who? and was a Tribeca Film Festival juror.

The girls collaborated to release a book, Influence, and expand both the Row and Elizabeth and James into menswear, developed jewelry and a shoe line for Elizabeth and James.

Many of these projects have been in the works for years, but they only became realized recently. I’m so proud of Mary-Kate and Ashley and all they’ve accomplished. They’ve grown into sophisticated, intelligent and successful young women. I’m excited to see what the coming year has in store for them!

Images: Newscom

Ashley Olsen looked crisp, clean and stunning at the premiere of The Hangover last night atHollywood’s Grauman’s Theatre. Ashley made the rare red carpet appearance to support her boyfriend, Justin Bartha, who stars in the film. Ashley didn’t want to steal Justin’s thunder though, so they walked the red carpet separately.

I don’t think anyone in Hollywood does minimalism as well as Ashley is right now. She pairs a simple Calvin Klein dress with snakeskin sandals and no accessories (except her glowing skin and a smile!) and looks fabulous. She’s also debuting the hair cut she got while she texted Marie Claire. I like the shorter ‘do. Do you?

The Hangover is about a bachelor party in Los Vegas gone horribly awry -so awry that the groomsmen lose the groom-to-be. Hilarty ensues. The Hangover has opened to very positive reviews and I’ll admit I’m excited to see it. Justin plays Doug, the missing groom, so who knows how much screen time he’ll get. Regardless, it should be fun. Justin was adorable in the National Treasure films.

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Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have been spotted enjoying themselves in Las Vegas this weekend. According to the Vegas Eye, Mary-Kate started her weekend by spending Saturday night at night spot Tao.

Ashley had a more subdued time, spending Sunday at Tao Beach before joining MK for lunch at Dos Caminos.

They met up again for dinner at LAVO, where they partied the night away.

The Las Vegas Sun reports the girls showed up at LAVO around 10pm with 10 friends. They ate dinner in a private room at the back of the restaurant before joining the rest of the crowd.

The twosome were apparently in town to celebrate a pal’s birthday. Hayden Slater’s 30th birthday is today and he’s a close friend of both Mary-Kate and Ashley’s. Perhaps the party was his?

This reminds me - Mary-Kate and Ashley’s own 23rd birthday is coming up in two weeks! What do you think they will do? Last year, they went to Coachella together, an unexpected trip that looked like great fun!

Image: Newscom

Fashionista is reporting that Ashley Olsen is going to grace the cover of Hamptons. Hamptons covers exactly that - the luxurious lifestyle of the New York summer getaway community. It is published weekly during the summer and also produces a winter and spring issue.

Ashley will be talking about her and Mary-Kate’s high end line, The Row, which is a great match for the readers of Hamptons.

Previous cover girls include Bridget Moynahan and Kelly Ripa.

I’m really excited to see what the issue looks like and what sort of things Ashley is going to talk about. Is she going to dish about her favorite summer activites? Or keep it strictly business and promote the Row?

Ashley is also making an appearance in the June 2009 issue of Marie Claire.

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I’m glad to see that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are hanging out a lot lately. The twosome was spotted at the LAX airport earlier this week and now E! Online caught the pair enjoying brunch after taking a yoga class together.

The girls were with some friends and stopped by a diner right after class to grab a bite. This didn’t impress other patrons, as some mentioned the girls’ state to E!

“They came in all sweaty in their workout stuff with yoga mats,” their source said.

Who is this patron? Why does that even matter? My yoga studio does not have showering facilities because it’s in a really old building. I’m sure there are hundreds others like that. And it’s not like they went to a fancy place for brunch.

What do you think? Were MK and Ashley rude to not clean up after their workout? Or is the complainer just whiny?

Image: Newscom

Ashley Olsen is in the Summer 2009 issue of VMAN magazine - the issue with Joseph Gordon-Levitt on the cover. The photo shoot is very different; Ashley wears a brunette wig and the overall look is very edgy and sexy. PopSugar has the entire spread online, which you can see here.

The spread is called “The Other Face Of Ashley Olsen” and was shot by photographer Sebastian Faena. In the article, Ashley talks about her two fashion lines, Elizabeth & James and the Row, her transition from acting into fashion and more.

Ashley is officially over acting. This is not surprising, as she’s clearly found an industry she loves and is great in.

“I’ve been transitioning from acting as a kid to doing something that I’m choosing for myself-to be part of the fashion industry,” she said. “That’s what I want for my future. It has nothing to do with my past, nothing to do with anyone else’s agenda. And I followed my heart the whole way.”

Ashley does understand that the line is viewed differently by the public because she came into the fashion world as a celebrity.

“But the outside perception is very different because you do have celebrity brands,” she says. “People like Jessica Simpson and Kimora Lee Simmons, and those are celebrity brands because they have their names on it.”

Ashley also talks more about the structure of her and Mary-Kate’s business. Ashley oversees the day-to-day operations, but Mary-Kate has a lot of say because they are business partners as well as close sisters who see each other several times per day.

The issue should be on newsstands now!

Image: Splash News Online

At the Cartier 100th Anniversary celebrations a few weeks ago, the celebrities and designers in attendence were asked what their favorite gift of jewelry they received was. Designer Zac Posen had a surprising answer. His favorite piece was “was two lion claws” given to him by Ashley Olsen.

Ashley and Zac became friends when she interned for him back in 2005. She was a student at The Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University. The special program encourages students to seek out internships in areas of interest. Ashley applied for the internship, just like any other candidate.

The twosome are now friends and fellow designers. I wonder if Zac had any inclination as to how far Ashley would go in the fashion world. Her two lines, Elizabeth & James and The Row, are both doing very well, commercially and critically.

Image: Newscom

After attending the Costume Institute Gala this Monday night, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen hit the after-party at Bungalow 8, one of their favorite New York City nightspots. Ashley’s boyfriend Justin Bartha joined the girls there too.

Ashley and Justin didn’t change from their Gala wear. I hope Ash took good care of her pristine white dress! Can you imagine going to a nightclub wearing that? I sure can’t!

Mary-Kate changed out of her vintage LaCroix dress. I don’t blame her. While the dress was beautiful, I’m sure it’s not the best thing to be wearing for a fun night out!

MK and Ashley have both been spotted out and about in NYC this week. I don’t have access to them, but you can see MK running errands in Soho here and Ashley hitting the gym near her apartment here.

Images: Splash News Online

Ashley Olsen looked positively regal at last night’s Costume Institute Gala. She stepped out in a long white dress that was very demure in the front, but had a sexy and dramatic back. Ashley walked the red carpet with her boyfriend Justin Bartha, who cleaned up nicely in a tuxedo!

This year’s theme was “The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion”, which celebrated the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit of the same name. The exhibit celebrates the role of the model in fashion, as a model, a muse and more.

Tons of stars came out to celebrate the event and the fashion was spectacular! Pop Sugar did a great job of covering nearly every starlet who stepped out last night, so if you want more coverage, be sure to check it out!

Image: Splash News Online