Wild world of fashion takes teamwork and tenacity
By Matt Robinson
Though they may not yet have the name recognition of their fellow twin fashion icons - Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen – Boston’s Ashley and Katie Hess are coming on strong with their curated fashion blog called The Party of Two. EMBED (http://thepartyof2.com).
By combining their brains and complementary senses of style (and sarcasm), the dynamic duo has been able to keep all four eyes on the fashion scene while using all four legs to keep two steps ahead of it. Perhaps that is why their college-bred brand is already part of AOL’s lifestyle collective group. “As such a strong role model, we would naturally do the same things our mother was doing,” Katie says, recalling following in her mother’s footsteps when she was nine years old by picking up Teen Vogue (which the twins refer to as “our monthly bible” in the pre –Internet era) as her mother read the “adult” version.
“When we were shopping for patchwork denim,” Ashley adds, “it was because she had just bought patchwork denim.” The twins also note that they never saw their mother in sweatpants or any other “comfort” clothes and that this had an impact on their sense of style and presentation as well.
“Even on her hardest days,” Ashley recalls, “raising twins and working a full-time job, she was always polished, put-together, and permanently in stilettos. Once I think we realized that the clothes around us, whether physically in front of us or visually on screen or in print, were making an impression on us, we took the reins from there.”
As celebrity was so prevalent even before the web, the twins also recall being inundated with images of popular people.
“Celebrities became our biggest outlets for inspiration,” Katie says, “and the middle school hallway became our runway.”
As the creators’ creative influences range from the domestic to the international, The Party of Two has a “fluid” sense of fashion.
“As a medium that’s constantly being pushed in a thousand different directions by new and old designers, trends, and influencers,” Ashley explains, “we don’t think fashion, or one’s sense of it, can ever really be a static entity. So understanding that it’s a shifting phenomenon allows our sense of fashion to be unpredictable yet always contemporary.”
“We don’t force trends to stick to a specific style or bar others because they don’t align with what we wore the previous day,” Katie adds. “We dress with the wave.”
As they are so “wave’ conscious, the twins also care for the environment and discourage “disposable” fashion.
“As much as we like the idea of fast-fashion,” Katie says, “we hope that design houses and large brands will remember to consider sustainability and think about their environmental impact.”
“We hope to continue inciting dialogue about sustainability in fashion,” Ashley continues, “and see it become more thoughtful.”
While their social consciousness is serious, the twins try to keep their business “wave” light and bouncy.
“We like to think we bring humor and light-heartedness to an industry that can tend to take itself too seriously,” Ashley suggests, noting how she and her sister hope to bring this easier-going, less daunting feel to their customers.
“When it comes down to it,” Katie chimes in, “we hope to propagate confidence. No matter how cheesy it might sound, dressing for yourself can be satisfyingly empowering!”
And while they hope to empower their customers and their colleagues, the twins are not shy to put themselves in that circle as well.
“We hope to grow our brand and our influence, not just locally, but globally,” Katie says, revealing the ambition and drive that have already made the twins so successful. “Anyone can create a fashion blog these days; we hope to see ours be counted among the superior soon.”
Matt Robinson is a professional journalist, writer, communications director, educator, coach, and parent. His food writing can be read at matts-meals.com and he can be reached at matthewsrobinson@mac.com