From the time Martha Reed moved to Taos in 1953 to her death in 2010, she typified the fashionista designer and diva. She popularized the Navajo (Dine) fashion of broomstick skirts and velvet shirts with silver button covers, now known the world-over as Taos style. This Southwestern fashion style is defined by timeless elegance based on the legacy of ancient designs and the independent spirit prominent in Taos residents. Martha was the founder and owner of the fashion store Martha of Taos, from which she dressed clients world-wide, including the Wurlitzer Family, Mabel Dodge Luhan, Dorothy Brett, Lord and Lady Escher, Greer Garson, the Duke and Duchess of Albuquerque, Ann Miller, Clu Gulager, Jeanne Kennedy Smith, President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter, and Dennis Hopper and Daria Halprin.
Those who knew Martha well celebrated her as a true diva, enjoying her parties and distinctive fashion flair. Martha was the daughter of Doel Reed, who established the Department of Art of Oklahoma State University (Martha's alma mater), and whose prints and paintings may be found in collections of the Carnegie Institute, the Library of Congress, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Seattle Art Museum, La Biblioteque Nationale, and the Victoria and Albert.
Upon her death, Martha donated her residence to Oklahoma State University; it was renamed Doel Reed Center for the Arts in honor of her father’s legacy. Today the center offers OSU art courses and serves as a residence and retreat for visiting artists to the High Road to Taos and Northern New Mexico.