In ‘The Madison,’ A Loro Piana Trench Coat and White Gucci Loafers Mark Michelle Pfeiffer As An Outsider

In Taylor Sheridan’s “The Madison,” Upper East Side matriarch Stacy Clyburn (Michelle Pfeiffer) recalls a heartfelt conversation with her tycoon husband Preston (Kurt Russell) on a fishing trip in the vast, open lands of Montana. “You married a city mouse, honey,” she says, as she luxuriates in a bubble bath in their expansive Manhattan abode. “City mice stay in the city.” Stacy’s wardrobe—full of plush cashmere and silk, in rarified, dry-clean-only neutrals—further underscores her elite, chauffeured uptown lifestyle. To capture the specificity of the Upper East Side, Emmy-nominated costume designer Emma Potter scoured Instagram and New York City media coverage, while closely collaborating with Pfeiffer to shape the society doyenne.

“We had this inspiration in the back of our minds that was almost an ‘Annie Hall’ thing for certain moments,” says Potter, who also designed the first season of Sheridan’s “Landman.” “With the tailoring, oversized blazers, and loose pants.” Stacy’s affinity for quiet-luxury labels like Brunello Cucinelli, Hermès, Céline, and The Row served a purpose beyond confirming her one percenter status. “To capture the essence of a woman who, in this moment and in the way she’s dressed, feels completely out of place in Montana,” says Potter, who did the majority of high-end shopping for Stacy in Los Angeles before filming in Montana and Dallas/Fort Worth, which stood in for the much-maligned New York City.

When Preston goes missing in the Montana wilderness, along with his brother Paul (Matthew Fox), a frantic Stacy rushes to the Clyburn private jet still in ladies-who-lunch mode: a camel peak-lapel Chloé blazer, layered over a L’Agence striped blouse, and a flowing Loro Piana A-line trench coat—a signature piece that helped define the character. “That was one of the first pieces we found, and it really influenced her overall look,” says Potter. “The feel of it, the drape, the beautiful gold hardware at the neckline—to me, it perfectly encapsulated the aesthetic I wanted for her.”

Faced with the impending loss of her beloved husband, Stacy didn’t consider functional footwear for the elements, either, and wears her pristine white Gucci Princetown loafer-mules to the great outdoors. Sheridan wrote the Italian label into the script, but gave leeway in interpreting the style and heel height. “Michelle told us about these Gucci loafers that she had and loved,” says Potter. “The white just felt really right—taking it from the city and transplanting it into Montana—instead of a stiletto that doesn’t make sense in the field. What’s the next option you’d choose that you still wouldn’t want to wear hiking?”

In Montana—and saddled with adult daughters Paige (Elle Chapman) and Abigail (Beau Garrett), and their families, who weren’t exactly made for roughing it—Stacy surprises herself and quickly adapts. She kicks off her Gucci mules for rugged, terrain-ready boots with gusto. Meanwhile, Paige’s quarter-zip-wearing, Ivy League husband, Russell (Patrick J. Adams), confesses that he may not have the constitution for this rustic environment and lack of indoor plumbing.

Stacy also finds a new sense of closeness to the late Preston in wearing the clothing he left behind: a fleece-lined Filson utility shacket, a vintage-looking “Glacier National Park” long-sleeve t-shirt, and a Simms fishing cap. “In the script, Stacy puts on Preston’s boots and an old coat. Michelle and I talked about building beyond that to find other pieces that made sense,” says Potter, pointing to the gray cashmere hoodie Stacy throws on over her brown silk blouse. “To me, that was a piece that would have been Preston's from his city life. He probably was wearing that when he went on the trip.”

When Stacy and the family return to New York City, Stacy confronts her grief in therapy, and her best friend, Liliana (Rebecca Spence), plans a lavish memorial service in the grand Clyburn residence, hoping for closure. Stacy, now with her palatial walk-in closet at her disposal, dons a tweed, short-sleeve Oscar de la Renta dress.

Turns out, Stacy’s actually a country mouse, after all, and Montana keeps her closest to Preston. So she flies back—without even packing her Rimowa silver Check-In L—and wakes up, disheveled, but content, in the valley Preston named for her. She’s still in the same dress, but swaddled in his Filson jacket—ready for the confirmed second season. “It’s not very often that you get to play with literally watching how the clothing is going to change the character throughout the episodes,” says Potter.