Sometimes, of an evening, I like to scroll through photos of the Olsen twins, just to feel something. Both Mary-Kate and Ashley have always had impeccable style, from the puddle-grazing bootcuts and battered Le City bags of the ’00s, to the deceptively expensive basics of just this month. I don’t believe there’s ever been a fashion faux pas from either one of them – even when they went to that flannel shirt-themed party with Nicole Richie at someone’s parents’ house. It was 2007! Everyone wore flannel!
These days, public sightings of either twin are fairly rare, so when Mary-Kate was snapped leaving her New York office in a long black coat and blocky shades, with a crocodile Margaux bag in tow, I once again found myself zooming in on her outfit. One of the more interesting elements of the ensemble? Her sandy lace-up desert boots.
Loafers are probably the dominant shoe trend of 2026, if we had to point to just one. They’re everywhere – from the boardroom to the (east London) club – and run the gamut from soft and ruched to blocky and sturdy. But maybe another shoe style has been overlooked all this time. Maybe we ought to be paying more attention to desert boots. It makes sense as a trend: slouchy brown suede has had street-stylers in a chokehold, and there’s a practical, utilitarian feel to the desert boot that feels quite now.
This isn’t the first time that Mary-Kate has stepped out in some unexpected footwear. While she’s partial to a £670 flip-flop or loafers from The Row, she also mixes things up a little with white Vans slip-ons or pony-skin flats. It stands to reason that this pair could be The Row’s Nicola boots, which’ll set you back a cool £1,500. For now, I’ll stick to Clarks.
