Sarah Jessica Parker Used to Find Fashion Inspiration on the Subway

To many, Sarah Jessica Parker is synonymous with her iconic Sex and the City character Carrie Bradshaw. But there’s so much more to the 51-year-old actress and mother of three: she’ll be launching her own fiction publishing imprint with Hogarth in 2017 and she’s currently starring in HBO’s new show, Divorce. One thing we’ll always equate Parker with however, is her enviable sense of style, which she discusses with InStyle as the cover star of their January issue.

Before Parker was Carrie Bradshaw, she derived her fashion inspiration from the world around her. She told InStyle her main fashion influences were “street imagery and girls on the subway.” In order to find her own “version” of that style, Parker ventured to thrift shops, which she said, “played such a huge part in my life before Sex and the City.” Parker’s fashion sense came from home as well: “My mom was the biggest influence. She had pretty firm ideas about how we would dress.”

As much as Parker’s wardrobe causes envy, she doesn’t only spend her time shopping. She told InStyle, “I dress based on what I have. I’m not a huge shopper, but I love beautiful things. ” She went so far as to declare her wardrobe as “standard,” but she does admit that she has “wonderful shoes.”

Parker’s InStyle cover is available on newsstands Dec. 9. Read the rest of some of her highlights here.