Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen [1]'s style has evolved since their days as little Michelle Tanner on Full House, when their fashion choices consisted mostly of denim dungarees and large hair bows. Whether you first met the fraternal twins then (when they were just six-months-old), got hooked on their Dualstar Entertainment straight-to-video movies [2] (it's a three-way tie between Billboard Dad, Our Lips Are Sealed, and Passport to Paris for me), or you tuned in as they built their Elizabeth and James and The Row fashion empire, chances are you've been privy to the twins' red-carpet style for quite some time now.
As a '90s child, I grew up with the Olsen twins [3] — everything they wore, I wanted to wear, too [4]. Two decades later and not much has changed on my end, but the twins have totally transformed. In their younger years, Mary-Kate and Ashley showed themselves to be masters of colour and print [5], but today, they've matured into masters of sharp tailoring, high-impact details, and clean, contrasting palettes. The latest proof? The twins took home the Accessory Designer of the Year award at the 2019 CFDA Fashion Awards. Take a walk down memory lane and see just how dramatic their style evolution has been.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in April 1997
At the height of the '90s [6], Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen [7] played to their twin strength: matching floral looks.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in September 1998
At the ABC Fall Kickoff Party, the duo wore matching spaghetti-strap tops and knee-length skirts [8] in contrasting shades of red and blue.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in July 2001
The sisters chose the same silhouette (halter tops and wide-leg trousers) but different colour palettes for the Rush Hour 2 premiere in Los Angeles.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in March 2002
We had to do a double take here. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen [9] leaned into the twin thing at the Vanity Fair Oscar party [10], wearing matching black lace cocktail dresses and strappy heels.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in June 2003
Their cool take on colorful, easy, breezy maxis was on full display at the Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle premiere in Los Angeles.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in April 2004
Mary-Kate opted for a deep-V, flutter-sleeve navy minidress with beachy accessories while Ashley paired a striped halter top with silky trousers at Nickelodeon's 17th annual Kids' Choice Awards.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in April 2004
When they received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the twins chose two equally flirty, feminine looks [11] for the occasion. Mary-Kate wore a summery lilac-hued dress with navy peep-toe pumps and Ashley went with a white flutter-sleeve cocktail dress with textured metallic heels.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in May 2005
For their first-ever appearance at the Met Gala [12], Mary-Kate evoked a bohemian vibe, wearing a sheer white vintage dress with heavily layered red necklaces, while Ashley channelled her ladylike side in a gold, strapless Oscar de la Renta dress with metallic shoes and jewellery.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in May 2006
Not all red carpets lead to ultraglamorous looks [13], but we love that Mary-Kate and Ashley can show off their casual side [14] just as well.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in January 2007
The Old Hollywood glamour was in full effect at InStyle's Golden Globes afterparty in Los Angeles — just look to the luxe fur coat, lace bodice, dramatic makeup, and enviable accessories for proof.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in May 2008
While both wore Diane von Furstenberg on the Met Gala red carpet, they went two different styling routes. Ashley rocked a sexy black, form-fitting gown, complete with side cutouts, while Mary-Kate shined bright in a gold, floor-skimming, Grecian-inspired gown.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in November 2009
It's all in the details [15] here. The saffron Manolo Blahnik pumps, boxy bags, bold leopard-print trapeze coat, and pork-pie hat hit all the right notes at the Tribute to Tim Burton at The Museum of Modern Art in NYC.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in February 2010
At the Elle Style Awards in London, Ashley stunned in a vintage ivory Christian Lacroix gown, vintage clutch, and Fendi shoes. Mary-Kate went for dark and sultry in a black Lanvin gown, Proenza Schouler clutch, and Bulgari jewels.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in June 2011
For the 2011 CFDA Fashion Awards [16], the twins stepped out in much more colour than we're used to. Mary-Kate wore a Chanel jacket with a The Row dress and Louis Vuitton shoes, while Ashley paired her pastel blue The Row dress with gold Manolo Blahnik heels. To top it off, they both accessorised with The Row bags.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in May 2012
While they're no strangers to a yin and yang outfit pairing, the twins clearly coordinated on the orange rust-coloured accessories front at the Fresh Air Funds Salute to American Heroes in NYC.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in September 2013
Spotted at the Lexus Design Disrupted Event in NYC, the twins focussed on their shoes [17]. We love the laser cutout detailing and sweet bow-tie accents on their respective Manolo Blahnik pumps.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in May 2014
These polished looks (the impeccable tailoring! the pinstripes!) felt like a slight sartorial deviation from Mary-Kate and Ashley's norm, and we're all about it. Both chose voluminous, floor-skimming silhouettes for the 2014 Met Gala, but mostly, can we talk about Ashley's Chanel jacket-turned-gown?
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in May 2015
If it hasn't already become abundantly clear, no Met Gala [18] is complete without an appearance from the Olsen twins. In 2015, the designers matched in dramatic black gowns — both vintage Dior by John Galliano.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in May 2016
At the 2016 Met Gala [19], Ashley Olsen [20] was a vision in gold while Mary-Kate stuck to her M.O. of wearing chic black pieces.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in June 2017
Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen [21] opted for classic button-down The Row silhouettes and complementary clutches for their turn at the 2017 CFDA Fashion Awards [22].
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in June 2018
It's fitting that the Olsen twins took home the Accessories Designer of the Year award at the 2018 CFDA Fashion Awards [23] given their consistent accessory A-game [24]. While they're both in black head-to-toe The Row here, Mary-Kate punched her look up with a bold wide belt, circle back and cool black boots and Ashley chose an oversize clutch and bow-tie, point-toe pumps.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in November 2018
We love when Mary-Kate and Ashley play colour opposites. At the WSJ Magazine 2018 Innovator Awards, Ashley opted for oversized, boxy white separates and black accents, while Mary-Kate wore a long black tuxedo-inspired coat with red snakeskin boots.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in April 2019
Once again, Mary-Kate and Ashley posed in complementary black ensembles at the Youth America Grand Prix's 20th Anniversary Gala in NYC. This time, the twins styled their outfits with a mix of classic accessories: a croc-textured top-handle bag, slim pocket clutch, red mules, and minimalist jewellery.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in May 2019
Double the leather, double the tough moto-inspired The Row vibes, as evidenced at the 2019 Met Gala [25].
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in June 2019
At the 2019 CFDA Fashion Awards [26], Mary-Kate punctuated her all-black The Row uniform with an aqua envelope clutch while Ashley chose a skin-revealing black pump to make her monochromatic The Row look pop.