As the daughter of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Apple Martin has always grown up under the LA-influence. Thankfully, for her, Martin’s mother was a care-free ‘90s darling, instilling in her kids not only proper manners and self-expression but also an incredible fashion taste. Since entering her 20s, Martin has admittedly taken to raiding her mother’s ‘90s closet but, apparently, Paltrow has some limits.
Paltrow’s cultural influence in the ‘90s is unmatched, from movies like Shakespeare In Love and The Talented Mr. Ripley to her iconic red carpet looks. One such dress, a black Calvin Klein Paltrow wore to the premiere of Emma in 1996, Martin brought out of retirement for the premiere of A24’s critically acclaimed Marty Supreme.
The Self-Portrait model told Vogue her mom “let her loose” in her closet as a Christmas gift of sorts, but with conditions. Some fits, like a sheer look recently copied by Millie Bobby Brown, were considered off-limits with a friendly, but firm, eight-word warning from Paltrow:
That is not appropriate to bring to college.
Maybe it’s the fact that this totally normal mom comment is coming from the Gwyneth Paltrow about her iconic designer wardrobe, but it made me laugh out loud. 21-year-old Apple Martin is a senior at Vanderbilt University and has admittedly stolen more than one item from her mom’s fashion archive. I'd imagine she's among the most fashionable people on campus so, while she says she gets to lead a somewhat normal life in college, wearing the literal blueprint for stylish ‘90s attire has to make her stand out.
How can she pass up the opportunity, though? Apparently, the Great Expectations actress has a closet full of designer pieces she wore back in her hey-day, from red-carpet gowns to chic Calvin Klein from dates nights with Brad Pitt.
A couple years ago, Paltrow shared a picture on Instagram of her daughter trying on her infamous “goth” Alexander McQueen outfit from the 2002 Oscars, and I bet the mother-daughter duo had so much fun playing dress up in that closet. It’s surreal for me as a pop-culture fan to see the iconic outfit worn on Apple Martin, so I can’t imagine how much deja-vu the Se7en actress experiences seeing her mini-me wearing them. I'm tempted to assume she loves it almost as much as her daughter, though:
My mom’s wardrobe from her 20s is just about my favorite thing in the entire world. It makes me emotional thinking about the things in that closet.
This “archive” closet does almost sound like a museum or a time capsule of sorts. It’s got to be worth a load of money, and I think I’d be afraid to touch anything, let alone try something on.
While some outfits have been donated to charity, much of Paltrow's iconic ‘90s wardrobe Paltrow was being saved for Apple Martin long before she was even born. Even so, the British model doesn’t take her clothing inheritance for granted, as she recognizes the cultural role these outfits played:
Obviously it’s fashion history and art, and God forbid anything ever happened to it.
Given how much Paltrow has contributed to fashion, I love that her daughter appreciates it the same way. Martin says that while her mom is thrilled to share clothes with her daughter, the Marvel actress always reminds her to be careful with them. After all, most of the pieces are one-of-a-kind, custom made for Paltrow, but it seems like Martin values these clothes just as much as the Hook actress.
Though Martin’s original dream career as a lawyer led her to graduating this spring with a degree in law, history, and society, she says participating in Vanderbilt’s theater scene has led her to want to follow in her mother’s acting footsteps. However, the way the GapStudio model gushes over Paltrow’s iconic ‘90s fits makes me think we could possibly see as a big player in the fashion world one day.
As for Paltrow, the Goop founder’s return to the big screen has sent waves through Hollywood. While she probably won’t pop up in Avengers: Doomsday, it'd be great to see her amid the 2026 movie schedule. If Marty Supreme proved anything, it’s that Paltrow’s still got it after her seven-year acting hiatus. Now that the Royal Tenenbaums actress is an empty nester, perhaps there’s room for more acting projects in her future. I’d love to see her and Apple Martin appear in a movie together one day.
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