What is the ‘coastal grandmother’ trend ? Here’s why Martha Stewart says she doesn’t identify with it

‘I could never be in those [Nancy Meyers] movies’

(Getty Images for The Dwight D. O)

Martha Stewart has opened up about her style and detailed why she doesn’t relate to the latest coastal grandmother fashion trend, which consists of oversized, light-coloured clothes and large hats.

The 80-year-old business woman discussed the popular trend during a recent interview with InStyle. According to MarthaStewart.com, the celebrity chef has spent “decades” embracing the coastal grandma design of  “blue-and-white colour palettes with cable knits and linen”.

When asked how she felt about being associated with the aesthetic of a coastal grandma, Stewart said: “That’s good! I mean, I am a grandmother.”

However, when asked if she identified with that style herself, she confessed that she did answered, “not really.”

“I could never be in those [Nancy Meyers] movies. I work every day! I’m not retired yet, maybe when I retire in 20 years...maybe,” she added.

The coastal grandmother trend was inspired by the style in Meyers’ movies, including Diane Keaton’s vacation outfit in Something’s Gotta Give. The viral lifestyle term was first defined by Lexi Nicoleta onTikTok.

According to Nicoleta, there are certain styles that come with being a coastal grandmother, although a person doesn’t have to be an actual grandmother in order to be associate with the term.

“It’s a term that I coined for this aesthetic, if you love Nancy Meyers movies, coastal vibes, recipes and cooking, Ina Garten, interiors and more, there is a good chance you might be a ‘coastal grandmother,” she said in her video posted last March.

“And no, you don’t have to be a grandmother to be a ‘coastal grandmother,’ she added. “It’s for anyone and everyone.”

In the clip, she showed a picture of Keaton in the film, as she’s wearing a white cardigan, bucket hat, shirt, and khaki pants, while walking on the beach.

Nicoleta also referenced a picture of Meryl Streep in It’s Complicated, another of Meyers’ films. For her outfit, the actor could be seen in an oversized, blue button-down shirt, white hat, and dark jeans. Her character also stood in front of a garden while holding a basket of tomatoes.

The TikToker further explained the trend last month on Good Morning America, noting how she’s been drawn to that “sense of cosiness and safety” that she’s felt when “visiting a relative that lives at the beach”.

“It’s really just focusing on romanticising your life and cultivating little moments of happiness, reading on your patio or cooking in your kitchen or making your morning coffee,” she said. “It’s really in the details.”

Although Stewart doesn’t relate to the coastal grandmother trend, actor Anne Hathway has expressed how much she’s been embracing. Last month, she shared a photo on Instagram of herself wearing cream-coloured pants, a white shirt, black sunglasses, and a straw hat.

“I have been ready for #coastalgrandmother chic since before TikTok was born,” the Princess Diaries star wrote in the caption. “May this moment never end.”