There is something especially magnetic about two sisters who appear together and seem to have crafted their looks as part of one conversation. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have spent years demonstrating the power of this formula: they never need to dress exactly the same for it to be evident that they share a single aesthetic universe. And now Kate and Rooney Mara seem to have found their own version of sister dressing.
Their run at the Venice Film Festival 2026 has ultimately confirmed it. Since they arrived on the Lido, the actresses have not stopped appearing in outfits that, while not identical, maintain a clear connection between them. Black and white, clean lines, contrasting fabrics, and small shared details have managed to make each appearance work almost like an image built by two.
It’s not surprising that this has happened exactly now. The sisters present at the 83rd edition of the Mostra Bucking Fastard, Werner Herzog’s film that marks the first time they work together on cinema. In it they play two sisters whose connection is so intense that they speak and move in unison. A synchrony that, curiously, seems to have jumped from the screen to their wardrobes.
Kate and Rooney Mara Have Made Coordinated Looks Their Best Strategy in Venice
What’s interesting is that they didn’t fall for the most obvious trick of wearing the same dress in two versions. On the contrary. Their outfits work precisely because they respect each one’s personality, but always include some element that connects them.
At the Bucking Fastard photocall they made it especially clear. Rooney Mara chose an asymmetric white design by Stella McCartney, with clean lines and a play on volumes that matches the minimalism that usually dominates her wardrobe.
Kate and Rooney Mara coordinating looks at the Venice Festival.
Kate, in contrast, opted for a McQueen mini dress that mixed white and black lace, transparency, and a much more elaborate play of textures. Two completely different dresses that, seen together, seemed to have been chosen to complement each other. Even the white sandals served as a link between the two looks.
This time the two chose black, though again in very different ways. Kate Mara wore an Armani Privé sequined gown, with the bodice in a light shade, geometric neckline and a large pearl as a detail, along with a Cartier pendant, while Rooney chose a black Louis Vuitton lingerie-inspired look that finished in a spectacular voluminous hem worked with ruching.
Why have they become so popular at the Venice Festival?
That is probably the detail that makes the formula so attractive. Kate and Rooney do not seem interested in appearing as twins, but in finding common codes that allow two distinct styles to work together.
Kate and Rooney Mara at the Venice Festival.
Rooney has long been faithful to a recognizable aesthetic, dominated by black, white, minimalist lines, and a certain romantic darkness. Kate tends to allow herself a bit more play, whether through long minis, embroidery, sheer panels, or textures. In fact, they even work with different stylists: Rooney with Ryan Hastings and Kate with Johnny Wujek.
Even before the official appearances, Kate had already made clear that Venice was going to be a good showcase for her style. The actress was photographed on arrival in a total white Calvin Klein look accompanied by a bandana in the same tone, a minimalist and simple proposal that showed you do not need to wait for the red carpet to build a good image.
Are they then the new Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen?
The comparison is inevitable, although it makes more sense due to how we understand the four as style duos rather than a literal similarity between their wardrobes.
The Olsen sisters have for years turned that coordinated-without-effort look into one of their signature traits. Mary-Kate and Ashley rarely dress the same, but when they appear together there is an evident coherence between them. They share a similar inclination toward neutral tones, oversized garments, minimalism, and discreet luxury that also defines the universe of The Row, the label they founded together.
Kate and Rooney Mara with white looks at the Venice Festival.
Kate and Rooney Mara are still far from occupying that place within fashion, but in Venice they have shown that stylistic chemistry between sisters can be as interesting as the individual look. And perhaps there lies the true connection with the Olsen sisters.
Venice has just discovered a new fashion duo
Perhaps up to now we thought of Kate and Rooney Mara mainly separately. Rooney with one of Hollywood’s most recognizable images and Kate with a somewhat more changing, but equally interesting, style. However, Venice has changed the way we look at them.
In just a few appearances, the sisters have turned the promotion of their first film together into a small exercise in stylistic coordination. And it doesn’t seem a coincidence that the film speaks precisely about two extraordinarily connected sisters: while their characters speak and move in unison, they have found in fashion another, much subtler way to do the same.
Are they the new Olsen? Probably it’s too soon to say. But if anything their run through the Mostra has taught us is that from now on we must pay as much attention to what they wear apart as to what they decide to put on when they appear together.
