The Olsen twins–all mature and sophisticated–have put in a rare public appearance together at the New York Fashion Week.
Now that they have dropped the eyeliner, leather, and skimpy tops of their younger years for muted class, they are almost unrecognizable.
Of course, age alters you, but the change adopted by the now-reclusive billionaire fashion moguls has left them unrecognizable.
The Olsen twins have ditched the eyeliner and skimpy tops of their younger years
Image credits: Christopher Polk/Getty
The 39-year-old pair can be seen posing with W Magazine’s editor-in-chief, Sara Moonves.
Both former actresses wore their brown hair open, parted in the middle, and down their shoulders.
Mary Kate appeared to be wearing a plain gray tracksuit top with a voluminous printed scarf around her shoulders, along with black pants, matching square-tipped boots, and a large handbag.
Ashley, on the other hand, pulled off her version of classy business in what appeared to be brand-new acid-washed jeans, pointed boots, and a long coat to match.
Over her shoulders, she wore a light greenish, relatively conservative scarf.
The last time Mary Kate and Ashley put in an appearance together was in 2024
Outlets like People observed that the appearance was rare, with the previous being in the same city in 2024.
Grainy images captured from opportunistic angles at the time depicted the sisters dressed thickly on a night out with their younger sibling, Elizabeth, who was 34 at the time.
“All three Olsens were bundled up in chic dark coats and accessories. Elizabeth topped off her look with a chic beanie,” the outlet narrated.
“And it wouldn’t be the Olsens without oversized bags on their arms!”
They are now at the head of luxury fashion brand The Row, which has been raking them in billions of dollars
The two’s most recent sighting at the NYFW comes more than two decades after they starred in their last movie, New York Minute, together in 2004.
While this was the last onscreen performance, Mary-Kate would continue her career in the spotlight until 2011.
Then, in 2006, the Olsen twins established their fashion accessories brand, The Row.
A year later, in 2007, they brought out a second initiative called Elizabeth and James.
Covering the two’s entrepreneurial escapades, Business Insider reported in 2024:
“The Row brings in between $100 million and $200 million annually, while Elizabeth and James earns around $89 million annually.”
It has been more than two decades since the two last acted together
In 2012, the twins, aged 26, made remarks interpreted as their official retirement from acting.
Speaking to Women’s Wear Daily (via Huffpost), Mary Kate said, “We still feel welcome in the [entertainment] industry,” Mary-Kate said.“But it’s not the one we’re in.”
This statement was congruent with one made by Ashley to Elle in the UK, when she said:
“I don’t have to have a pretty face. I’ve done that, but now it’s important and liberating to be on the other side of the lens. I don’t like to be the center of attention anymore.”
Their success is credited to their experience with garments on set
Their fashion lines had already taken root when they made these sentiments known.
“For 18 years, Mary Kate and Ashley would have to change outfits up to 12 times a day,” a blogger named Valerie wrote in the same year.
@retrobrx Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen through the years #marykateandashley #olsentwins #throughtheyears #evolutionchallenge #fyp ♬ Cheri, Cheri Lady (Special Dance Version) – Modern Talking
“In the process, they learned about fabrics, tailoring, and fit. Viola! – Experts in fashion were created naturally over time.
“Sure, they started their first line for Tweeners at Walmart but today they have a high end line called The Row. A purse can set you back $35,000.”
They are known to keep private lives
Their younger sister, Elizabeth, while respectful of their choices to stay out of the spotlight, has offered titbits of information on her reclusive child star sisters.
She took her interviews at E! News on a journey down memory lane, all the way back to her childhood.
“It’s an amazing feeling, being the younger sibling to twins,” she recalled in 2022. “If I was spoiled by one, the other one wanted to match it.”
While it appears that Elizabeth has surrendered no more, perhaps a better explanation lies in Ashley’s statement: “We don’t dive into that world. We don’t have Instagram or Facebook.”
