Ashley Olsen and twin sister Mary-Kate sat down for an interview with Net-A-Porter recently to talk about their style, their love of fashion, and how their childhood acting job led to an entirely different career. And while the sisters don’t often give interviews anymore, many have been wondering how such famous people can get away with living in New York and still stay out of the public eye…and the paparazzi’s way.

“There is a threshold in New York, and once you pass that and are considered a New Yorker, they leave you alone,” she said. “But we’re at the office every day, then home or out for dinner, so there aren’t the opportunities for them to take pictures. For the most part you try and avoid it… [I do], at least.”

The sisters have faced quite a bit of scrutiny over the years for their bodies, their fashion sense, and their love lives; Mary-Kate made headlines last year when it was revealed that she’s dating Olivier Sarkozy, brother to the former president of France, who is 42 years old. But their jobs in the world of fashion have certainly kept them focused, and they say they owe a lot of that to “Full House”, the sitcom they shared a role on as children.

“[On Full House] we’d be in six-hour fittings three times a week, because we had to wear 12 different outfits,” Ashley said.

“We were designing clothes for ourselves as we were so petite,” Mary-Kate added. “So I think that is when we became obsessed with fit, and now the obsession has become a profession.”

The twins say they are more focused on their fashion line The Row at the moment, although they have three other labels to occupy their time. The Row earned them a coveted award last year: 2012 Womenswear Designers of the Year.

Image: David Shankbone/ Wikimedia Commons