Lifestyle Giveaway, Day 3, New book by Olsen twins
We have twin copies of “Influence” by Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen (Razorbill, October 2008, Hardcover, 272 pages, $35) to give away here on Day Three of the Lifestyle 10-Day Giveaway.
The hundreds-millionaire duo interviewed 20 people who had some influence in shaping their young, high-fashion, roller coaster celebrity lives. The girls explore what inspires them and what inspires the artists and creative individuals who have inspired them.
The result is quite fascinating. It’s part-scrap book, part memoir and part teen fan stalker clips. The interviewees include Karl Lagerfeld, Diane Von Furstenburg, Lauren Hutton, John Galliano and Christian Louboutin. The simple Q & A formats for the interview transcripts document a who’s who of top pop culture icons, including a few you have probably never heard of, but should.
To be honest, I wanted to hate it, I mean, who hasn’t had enough of these two, but the imagery is beautiful and the interviews are compelling (even if some of the artists come across as way to above it all and stuck on themselves). It’s the scrap book, I’d like to make of people I’d like to meet. Of course, I’d choose a few different folks.
However, the biggest icons referenced in the book are actually Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley who work as actresses and fashion designers and I can’t say that I was the least bit annoyed by all the stark evocative photography and telling insights into the oversized life of these two twenty-somethings.
Question #1: Who is Bob Colacello and which widely-acclaimed artist did he teach the girls about with vivid, lurid first-hand details? WE HAVE A WINNER. Congratulations, Vincent of the Central West End.
Question #2: Who would you like to meet and interview for your own “Influence”-style scrap book and why? You can name up to three people. Please try to keep answers under 50 words. Congratulations, Tara of Fenton.
Post your answer to ONE of the questions below in the form of a complete sentence or two. Spelling counts and there’s extra credit proper sentence structure. I’ll announce the winners of the first question as soon as one is confirmed. I’ll announce the winner for the second question tomorrow at 10 a.m.
You can submit answers until 10 p.m. tonight. We like the number 10 around here, in case you didn’t notice.
Just in case you don’t win the book, you might want to check out the column on fashion as culture by Robin Givhan of the Washington Post exploring the mystique of the Olsen twins. Among other things she writes:
They were blessed — or cursed — with early fame thanks to “Full House,” a terribly unfunny family sitcom that ran from 1987 to 1995. And no matter what they have achieved beyond that, those images remain the most potent ones in the popular imagination. All their projects since taking control of their mega-millions seem to be part of a constant battle to move beyond that youthful success. To be adult. To be serious. To be individuals.
But they are trapped by the big-eyed adorableness…
Come back tomorrow at 10 a.m. for more giveaways.
Check the other Lifestyle blogs Parents Talk Back by Aisha Sultan and Steals & Deals by Karen Deer for more giveaways every weekday at 10 a.m. until Nov. 21.
A wayward soul from Las Vegas, Nevada, who now calls St. Louis home and believes that fashion is relative and capricious, but style is always in favor. 
I would love to interview Barack Obama because he is definitely an inspiration to all of us. I would also love to interview Angelina Jolie and discuss her many charity efforts.
Bob Colacello is a special correspondent for Vanity Fair. He reminisces about Manhattan’s tight-knit art community of the 1970s: Studio 54, exclusive dinner parties, audacious artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and, of course, Andy Warhol’s infamous factory scene.
Bob Colacello is an American Writer. He wrote for Vanity Fair magazine and has established himself as one of the most prolific biographical writers in the United States. Christian Louboutin is the widely-acclaimed artist whom Bob Colacello taught the girls about with vivid, lurid first-hand details.
Bob Colacello is an American Writer. He wrote for Vanity Fair magazine and has established himself as one of the most prolific biographical writers in the United States. Andy Warhol is the widely-acclaimed artist whom Bob Colacello taught the girls about with vivid, lurid first-hand details.
Bob Colacello was the editor of Interview magazine during its Andy Warhol heyday. Warhol was also the widely-acclaimed artist whom Colacello taught the girls about with vivid, lurid first-hand details.
Oprah Winfrey is one of the people I would love to meet and interview for my own “Influence”-style scrap book because I’ve always been motivated by her life story. It’s amazing to look at everything she has accomplished even though the odds were against her.
THE CORRECT ANSWER: Colacello is best known as the former editor for Interview Magazine and he taught the girls about Andy Warhol. And, yes, winners from yesterday were handicapped, but are still eligible to win. Thank you all for continuing to participate.
The person I would most like to meet and interview for my “Influence” scrapbook is Michelle Obama. Since this is a style column, I would love to talk to her about her style, but also her role as a first lady and a working mother. She has such grace and style. I am sure I could learn a lot. Yes I can.
