In the pantheon of well-dressed famous women, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are the high priestesses of excellent style. It's not just that the Olsen twins are fabulously stylish themselves — though they very much are — but that they operate The Row, the ultimate quiet luxury label and perhaps the singular best reason that there are so many ultra-stylish women out and about these days.
The Olsen twins proved their mettle once again on November 3, when they were seen stepping out of their New York office in a rare pair photo. The sisters have only been lensed together a handful of times their year and this is the first imagery to simultaneously juxtapose their distinct approach to dressing in fall 2023.
Much like the groundhog's shadow forecasting a bitter spring, we can't properly begin the autumn season until until the Olsens bless us with typically excellent layered outfits. It's been an agonizing wait, too, as we've gone weeks — months even! — without dual Olsens 'fits, even as the weather's cooled.
But they didn't disappoint, folks.
Carrying matching crocodile leather handbags, the Olsen twins demonstrated with utter ease how easy it is to make heavy layers look downright graceful.
Let's begin with Mary-Kate, who wore a green beanie and exquisite maroon velvet coat over similarly textural dark pants and blue Valstar sneakers.
This is advanced stuff folks: Mary-Kate balanced her clothes' neutral tones and deep textures with vivid color that doesn't stun as much as much as breathe life into an otherwise understated outfit. Her narrow sunglasses are a deliberate cherry on top; like her bag, they're an intentional whisper of wealth — some dare call it quiet luxury.
Ashley Olsen, meanwhile, made a rare outing in a comparatively colorful look — green coat, baggy washed-out jeans, and what appears to be COMME des GARÇONS' Air Max 97 sneaker. Ashley is more likely to stray from black clothes than her twin but this is a particularly flashy look for her.
Just further evidence that, though the Olsens are very much masters of dark layers, they don't fear color. They enjoy it, as a matter of fact, and capably bend even vivid hues to their will, purposely dabbing a splash of brightness atop their otherwise muted wardrobes. It's all about shade selection.
There's so much to unpack otherwise — the proportions of the long coats vs. the relaxed ankle-length pants, the purposely subtle handbag flex, the long scarves — but at a certain point you've gotta just step back and admit that the Olsen twins' outfits speak for themselves.
It's so easy to use the Olsens as stylistic inspiration because they dress with such purpose, such confidence, such clear-headedness that anyone who isn't in utter control of their personal style — i.e. all of us normal folks — must simply look to them as living beacons of good taste.
Witnessing Olsen outfits, especially the first real ones of the season, is as close as any style-conscious types get to a religious experience, at least on the fashion front. No wonder everyone wants a piece of their brand.
