The Olsens Have Always Been Met Gala Dress Code Rejectors—And We Love Them For It

May 4, 2018

Of all the Met Gala dress code rejectors we’ve seen over the years over—and there have been several—few have been more consistent about subverting the theme than Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Well before they launched their fashion labels—first Elizabeth James, then The Row—the Olsens began carving out what would become their red carpet style signature: a mix of unfussy glamour, quiet luxury, and bohemian ease that is now synonymous with their designs.

In 2005, the year the Costume Institute celebrated the house of Chanel, the Olsens were just finishing up their freshman year at New York University. Rather than donning threads by the French label, they opted, instead, for delicate lace dresses—a creamy white vintage slip for Mary-Kate and a golden, glitter-flecked party frock by Oscar de la Renta for Ashley. In 2009, the event highlighted the model as muse, and fittingly, Ashley arrived in a sleek white column of her own design for The Row, which could be considered the exception that proves the rule given that the Olsens often seem to create collections closely aligned to their own personal style. Mary-Kate, on the other hand, went rogue in a vintage Christian LaCroix gown that was nothing short of show-stopping, thanks to silver metallic thread, tiers, and hints of lace throughout.

Come 2011, when the invitation called for anglomania in honor of the exhibition, “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty,” the Olsens bucked the English status quo in vintage designs from French houses. Mary-Kate chose a flame-red gown by Givenchy topped with turquoise jewelry, while Ashley settled on an off-the-shoulder Dior column with voluminous full sleeves. Mary-Kate was the only Olsen in attendance in 2012, the year that honored Schiaparelli and Prada. She opted for a darkly sophisticated black dress by The Row that fell to the floor, even though the surrealist designer is famously known for her love of shocking pink.

Perhaps the most blatant example of Olsen rule breaking came in 2013. This time the theme was “Punk: Chaos to Couture.” Rather than turning up in anything studded, leather, or shredded, the Olsens swanned in wearing looks that read more regal than rockstar. Ashley wore a vintage Christian Dior haute couture caped dress made of diaphanous pale orange chiffon, while Mary-Kate topped a silky vintage Chanel slip with a vintage Balmain robe coat that was embroidered with pink roses and trimmed in sumptuous fur. In a sense the Olsens brought a bit of their own chaos onto the Met Gala red carpet, solidifying their status as the event’s most stylish disruptors.