I’ve always felt 2004’s New York Minute, starring Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, is a criminally under-appreciated piece of cinema. Was it Oscar-worthy? Perhaps not. But 20 years later, the slapstick comedy still hits all the right notes. For starters, it’s the last movie that the Olsen twins ever acted in before becoming full-time fashion designers and launching The Row—that’s history in itself. But it also features a legendary cast including Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin, exceptional cameos (paging Simple Plan fans!), and some great (and very Y2k) fashions, too.
If you have yet to take in the wild ride of a film, allow me to quickly summarize it for you. The plot follows two Long Island teen sisters Jane (Ashley) and Roxy (Mary-Kate) who simply can’t get along; Jane is more prim and proper and driven by succeeding at school, while Roxy is more of a free-spirited chick who loves rock music. The twins decide to skip school to trek into Manhattan for their own personal missions: Jane is gunning for a school scholarship and Roxy wants to track down her favorite rock group. Various misadventures ensue.
Roxy and Jane are polar-opposites in every sense—including when it comes to personal style. All of the movie’s looks, costume designed by Christopher Hargadon, play up their sartorial differences. Jane, for instance, traverses the Big Apple in smart, buttoned-up outfits including a teal skirt suit and a lavender jacket and shorts set. Roxy, meanwhile, is way more edgy and boho: She wears pieces like ripped jeans, graphic tees, velvet coats, and even a saucy little red beret. We get it: They’re twins, but they’re individuals.
As a gemini (it’s Gemini Season right now!), I have to say: I deeply relate to both of the siblings’s clashing wardrobes. Geminis are the masters at indecisiveness, after all: One day I may want to be sleek and chic like Jane, and the next, you may just catch me in a leopard jacket and lace camisole like Roxy. When it comes to Jane and Roxy’s differing aesthetics, the film draws a clear line in the sand—but can’t one be both? There’s beauty in cultivating your own fashion identity, but there’s also beauty in experimenting. You can be both a Jane and a Roxy.
It’s also funny watching the film back now, given that both Mary-Kate and Ashley are very much on the same fashion page today. At The Row, they’ve cultivated a minimal, stealthy-chic vibe that’s all about embracing subtle details. Off-duty, they are their own best fit models, sporting quietly-luxurious bags and sandals worth thousands. (How funny would it be if they stepped out New York Minute-style today—one embracing minimalism, and the other extreme maximalism?) Their clashing on-screen styles, brought to life through campy costumes, is precisely why the movie remains my guilty pleasure. When else can you watch Mary-Kate shopping for gas station sunglasses?
