Ashley: I'm Surprised I Didn't End Up Like Britney

Ashley Olsen grew up in the public eye, and her early career “was almost like I was in the army,” she tells Marie Claire. “That’s why I look at Britney, and I’m surprised I didn’t end up like her.” Instead of hitting therapy to deal with the outfits once forced upon her—genie costumes, cowgirl fringe—Olsen, 23, heads two fashion lines that are thriving despite the recession.

“You’re either born with a sense of style or you’re not,” she says—and she and twin Mary-Kate “love fashion.” Others agree: A Neiman Marcus exec says, “the girls keep nailing it season after season,” and their Elizabeth and James line “single-handedly brought the legging back into fashion.” The owner of Louis Boston agrees, saying higher-end line The Row “has become one of my stellar collections here.” (More Ashley Olsen stories.)