Martha Shares How Her Style Has Evolved Over the Years—and Reveals the Meaningful Piece She Still Has in Her Attic

Her attic is "chock-full of rack after rack" of her favorite looks, she said in a recent interview.

From running her own clothing line to making her recent debut on the cover of Sports Illustrated, it's safe to say Martha is a fashion icon. Her sense of style has been carefully curated over the past few decades—and though it has changed with the times, her aesthetic (polished practicality meets effortless glam) has always been uniquely Martha. In a recent interview with Footwear News, she opened up about how her style has evolved throughout her illustrious career.

Martha's love of fashion started well before she became a household name. During her college days at Barnard College, Martha sewed her own clothes. She recently found a jacket she made from a Chanel pattern in the early 1960s. “It’s the most beautiful fabric," she told Footwear News. "I started off sewing from patterns from a little shop on Park Avenue. The woman who owned it would buy them from Chanel and Balenciaga and Lanvin and everyone, and brought them to the States with the fabrics, and then sold them to her clientele.”

Her strong sense of style carried into the early days of her career, evidenced by the refined looks she's worn on many of her books' covers. “I’ve always been quietly fashionable in a modest way,” she said, pointing to her debut book. “For Entertaining, it was a vintage dress, and I think the first five covers of my cookbooks were Laura Ashley.”

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Martha's style has evolved past hand-sewn vintage dresses, but craftsmanship and quality are still top of mind when she shops for clothes. “I’ve always loved well-made clothes," she said. There are, of course, a few gems she simply can't part with. "My attic is chock-full of rack after rack of clothing," she said. “I have my first Armani suit that I bought when I started my own company, and some beautiful Armani blouses."

Footwear was (and still is!) equally as important to Martha. Her early favorites included Susan Bennis and Warren Edwards. "They made amazing alligator pumps,” she said. “I can’t wear them anymore. But I can still fit into my Manolos. He’s always been my favorite designer.”

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In recent years, though, Martha has been become a fan of platform shoes—which she typically chooses over less comfortable stilettos. “I like the Clergerie platforms for everyday dress up because I can walk in them,” she told Footwear News. She even showed off her new favorite footwear choice at a gala in Bedford, where she rocked a pair of bold Valentino platform boots. “People kind of laughed at me and said, ‘Wow!’ But they are gorgeous and they’re comfortable," she said.