Meet Me at Crafty

To launch the Meet Me at Crafty podcast, I knew the guest would need to get it. And few have vibed harder with me than costume designer Molly Emma Rowe, who started the year with Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy and now has Talamasca: The Secret Order airing on AMC. Who better to help lay the groundwork for what a Crafty podcast will look and sound like? (Spoiler: A lot like chatting with me at a bar.)

Stream Talamasca: The Secret Order

Set in the Anne Rice multiverse but not based on a source novel, Talamasca is a far cry from Mad About the Boy. In the series, members of the secret order keep watch over supernatural creatures and some gifted humans, like Guy (Nicolas Denton), who gets drafted into spy world by Elizabeth McGovern’s chic Helen.

“It was always clear that [show creator] John Lee Hancock wanted to do a spy thriller,” Rowe says. “A beautiful, stylish, cool spy thriller—and then there happen to be vampires in it.” To that end, she approached the show less like gothic horror and more like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with supernatural HR problems.

Rowe thought about how modern-day spies actually operate. “It used to be about hiding dossiers and envelopes,” she says. “Now it’s all on zip drives—and that’s why, in the pilot, there’s one hidden inside a cigarette pack.” The key, she explains, was believability through practicality: shoes that could survive New York weather, handbags that could hide a gun, and silk blouses that signal elegance while blending into a crowd.

Once again, Rowe collaborated closely with concept illustrator Louise Burrows, designing custom pieces for the leads while mixing in contemporary buys and bespoke tailoring. And while the show’s world is steeped in supernatural mystery, the real espionage might be Rowe’s own: “I like to think that I always have a great relationship with the directors,” she says. “And one of the reasons is hopefully they can’t hold their water too well, and I can get things out of them. And it does work, actually!”

Rowe also spoke about the practical realities of running a department that’s both creative and corporate. Her nonnegotiable? “My team,” she says without hesitation. “They’re my deal-breaker. And being able to crew up myself—these are the people who make it possible.” That, and the ability to do her own first pass on a budget. “One size doesn’t fit all. Especially if you’re making a period show and someone budgeted it like a contemporary one!”

New episodes of Talamasca: The Secret Order premiere Sundays on AMC.