Will Mary-Kate Make Her Own Wedding Dress?

AS a fashion designer and one of the world's most photographed women, you might think that Mary-Kate Olsen had been planning her wedding dress ever since she got engaged to Olivier Sarkozy in March - or even long before - but, despite recently making a wedding dress for a friend along with her sister Ashley, it seems that nothing could be further from her mind.

"I'm, like, not even there yet," she said. "I think it may be a matter of getting five or six, or making two or three and being stressed out. That seems kind of far away. We'll take one step at a time."

The Olsens were speaking as they prepared to open the first shop for their The Row label, which - rather than basing it in their adopted fashion homeland, New York - is in their hometown, LA.

"We've always wanted our own store; it's always been part of the plan," Mary-Kate said. "It was a toss-up between New York and LA, and when this space became available, we jumped on it. It used to be a hair salon and my sister and I used to come here, so we were very aware of the space," to which Ashley added: "We are from here, and The Row started here, so it was all very appropriate."

The store, situated on Melrose Place and all but hidden from the street, boasts a swimming pool in the courtyard - as well as the twins' offices. And, for the former CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year winners, this store is just the beginning of The Row's growth.

"What's more important to talk about is that every step is really imperative to the brand and we don't like to do everything at once," Mary-Kate told WWD. "We'll get into e-commerce sooner than later, but we want to make sure we do this right first. We will get into shoes in the next year. And hopefully men's. To us it's really about a lifestyle, and I think this store is a great starting-off point to express where we are going."