How Joan Jett and Chrissie Hynde Inspired Twila's '70s Coats in 'Ponies'
Costume designer Anastasia Magoutas reveals the secrets behind the covert outerwear — plus tips to shop and style your own vintage. Spoiler-free!
Hey WNVM-ers,
It’s COLD and especially dreary — and I’m sick — so Peacock’s ‘70s-set “Ponies” gave me a fun, much-needed winter pick-me-up — especially with Haley Lu Richardson’s excellent vintage coat collection (the spy escapades, too!). So I talked to the show’s very cool costume designer, Anastasia Magoutas, about it all. She also shared some shopping and styling tips that I will definitely be trying out. (And you don’t need to watch the show to read this!)
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Friend of WNVM and fellow Substacker Beth Lisogorsky at You Need to Watch This nailed it when she wrote that “Ponies” is a “delightfully escapist watch” — not just for the American newbie spy antics in Cold War–era Moscow, but for the excellent period costumes. As a complete sucker for quips–and–banter–filled covert ops, odd-couple team-ups, and ’70s fashion, I was immediately in — and had to jump on the phone with costume designer Anastasia Magoutas.
Maybe because it’s brutally frigid in New York City, but I was especially drawn to the sassy coat collection of Twila (Haley Lu Richardson), a street-smart, outspoken, and audacious young American. After her CIA spy husband Tom (John Macmillan) and fellow spook Chris (Louis Boyer) die in a mysterious plane crash, she partners with fellow widow Bea (Emilia Clarke) to go undercover in Moscow to find the culprits. Twila’s brashness clashes with — and complements — Bea’s cautious and tentative nature, as do their opposing styles of sublime ’70s outerwear.
“I research so obsessively,” says Magoutas, about shopping “mindfully and intuitively,” as if the character would. “I never was like, ‘Oh, I want a green shag-suede trench.’ I was just shopping, and the Twila part of my brain saw that coat and was like, ‘That’s Twila.’”
Armoring Up With ‘70s Badass Rocker Vibes
Twila’s chunky, fur-trimmed statement coats protect her as she navigates life: first as a rebellious, against-the-grain embassy wife, then as a covert operative picking up drops at a men-only bathhouse in patriarchal ’70s Russia.
“Her coats feel animalistic, and she’s drawn to the power that comes from a big mane, like her hair1 is a force to be reckoned with,” says Magoutas. “[Richardson and I] talked a lot about how a hedgehog is prickly to protect itself because it’s tiny and soft. Twila’s like, ‘Fuck, you get away’ very actively, so her coats are a repellent as well.”
Magoutas also got inside Twila’s head, envisioning which nonconformist ‘70s women rockers the maverick listened to — and whose style she might want to emulate: The Runaways lead singer Cherrie Currie and guitarist Joan Jett, The Pretenders founder Chrissie Hynde, and Debbie Harry of Blondie, plus writer, actress, and John Waters muse, Cookie Mueller.
“Anyone who was cool, artsy, and punk. Twila has cool taste,” says Magoutas. “She had these subculture interests and related to women who didn’t fit in and weren’t performing the roles that were expected of them.”
Magoutas also imagined that Twila stocked her extensive coat wardrobe throughout her adventures accompanying Tom to his spook stations around the world. “She stole, borrowed, bought,” says Magoutas. “She’s a magpie.”
Remembering Tom
Twila’s notable Russian ushanka — the fur hat with ear flaps that became standard Soviet military wear before World War II and is primarily associated with Cold War–era Eastern Europe — was actually part of Tom’s undercover gear. She wears it to remember him and send a message.
“It’s also her putting on a man’s hat the way she’s taking on a ‘man’s’ role. Wearing it has the ironic quality, which is in line with her quirk,” says Magoutas. “It performs that ‘in your face’ armor function, but also just looks great on her.” (It really does!)
Breaking Boundaries With Bea
As operatives who turn underestimation and sexism into advantage, Twila and Bea need to embed themselves in their clandestine missions. But, their wardrobes — and coats, especially — target them as standouts amidst the embassy wives cliques and office secretarial pools.
“They are not like the rest of them and are the misfits of the office,” says Magoutas. “Even if you might underestimate them in the beginning, they have that thing inside that makes them chase more and want a bigger life.”
While Twila’s coats are as loud as her personality, Bea, a college-educated daughter of Russian immigrants, prefers quieter, classic styles, like a khaki trench.
“I thought a lot about them as a pair — physically on screen, as well as emotionally,” says Magoutas, who focused on juxtaposing their silhouettes. “All the fur and big shapes with Twila, and Bea’s are way more demure, sleeker, and with a cinched waist. She’s trying not to take up space on purpose. Whereas Twila’s not afraid to take up more space than Bea does. I wanted to always be able to see them side by side like that.”
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Shopping Vintage Coats Like Twila — and Without Leaving Home
Magoutas, a seasoned vintage shopper who “loves the hunt,” swears by two strategies.
“Go everywhere — go high and low and online and in person,” she says. “Don’t just go to a place because someone said it was cool. You really only find those gems by exploring and just being out there in the world.”
If Magoutas still hasn’t found what she’s looking for, she takes a “surgical” approach to hunting online. First, pinpoint the designers of the particular period who made styles you’re looking for — as an example, Paco Rabanne for mod, chainmail pieces. Then search platforms like eBay for “Paco Rabanne,” which will then send you down a “rabbit hole” of similar pieces by other designers.
“That can help you quickly get the result you want,” says Magoutas, who also scours The RealReal and Vestiaire Collective.
She also suggests “getting nerdy” with Google image searches to discover new vendors to follow on Instagram.
“The Internet gives you a very, very far reach,” says Magoutas. “You can buy it from any city in the world if you know where to look.”
Styling ‘70s Coats Without Looking Like You’re a ‘Ponies’ Extra
Magoutas, again, emphasizes shape and proportion.
“Maybe you don’t wear bell-bottoms,” she says. “Don’t have too many pieces from the same era. Find a way to use a vintage piece in a silhouette that feels fresh.”
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You Oughta Know
For more ‘Ponies’ content, Mark Peikert goes deep on the fabulous ‘70s hair, makeup, and costumes. And Sophie Brookover and Margaret H. Wilison get the intel from Twila and Bea’s colleagues, Cheryl (Vic Michaelis) and Ray (Nicholas Podany). [Meet Me at Crafty; Two Bossy Dames]
Marion Teniade has an interesting comparison of Sinners, the most nominated film in Academy Awards history, to Silence of the Lambs, which swept the 1992 Oscars. [Teniade Topics]
It’s Fashion Month, and my former Fashionista colleague Eliza Brooke lists her favorite fashion documentaries, including the 1995 Isaac Mizrahi doc, “Unzipped,” and asked fellow fashion Substackers for more recs. My suggestion features a 17-year-old Paulina Porizkova and ‘80s models, like Carol Alt. [The Scumbler]
Jennifer Esposito calls out the tabloids for false clickbait stories regarding her 2024 indie “Fresh Kills” and her financial situation — and the blatant sexism driving it. [A Rebellious Life]
Jonathan Small asks if you’d go to a Gen X Con. I’m already getting my “Miami Vice” cosplay ready. [Small Talk]
Ah my god, Jeff Hiller joined Substack!!
Credit to hair and makeup designer Chloe Edwards!
Thank you for the love ❤️ and shoutout! Loved this show and need a second season. The fashion was so fun.
Another amazing scoop, and so sorry you’ve been poorly!! Also love Anastasia’s vintage shopping tips. Feel better v v soon!! 🍋🍯🤗