May 4, 2026

“When you walk out the door, you have to have a good feeling,” says Gretchen Mol, referring to her home in the Berkshires. “I also have brain space for creativity.” After years navigating theater, film, and television amid New York City’s relentless pace, Mol and her family traded subway stops for mountain views in 2020. The shift hasn’t slowed her prolific output. She’s been busy filming the fourth season of “Tulsa King” with Sylvester Stallone, and her upcoming feature film, Horsegirls, is slated for release in May. Rather, it has unleashed new creativity. The actor recently added “designer” to her résumé, launching clothing line Gretchen M in 2024. The creative life always appealed to Mol, who grew up in Deep River in southern Connecticut. She recalls a childhood with space to explore her talents, initially starring in her brother’s Super 8 films, later in high school musicals. She went on to study at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and worked as an usher at New York City’s iconic Angelika Film Center while auditioning for the stage and screen. Since then, she’s been cast in more than 50 films, theatrical productions, and television series, embodying iconic characters like Bettie Page in The Notorious Bettie Page, Roxie Hart in the Broadway production of Chicago, and Gillian Darmody in HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.”

“When auditioning, I’d think carefully about what to wear to portray a character,” Mol says. “Clothing is an extension of a personality.” While Gretchen M was born from decades of channeling personas through wardrobe, a vintage house dress purchased for $15 in the East Village became the catalyst for launching a design career. “I was always thinking about how to make it better, more functional,” she recalls. Gretchen M takes inspiration from women’s clothing of the 30s and ’40s, an era Mol admires for its resilience. “I love that can-do spirit,” she says. “A woman could be physically engaged, do hard things, and still own her femininity.” The collection is divided into “acts” (collections) and “scenes” (individual pieces), some of which are named for stars of the era. The pieces, manufactured in New York City, feature classic details, sharp collars and subtle shoulder puffs, balanced with practical pockets, luxurious fabrics, and playful prints Mol designed herself.

These are clothes made to be worn and to last. “I want wearers to feel elevated,” Mol says.“But the clothes should be easy to wear.” Living full-time in the Berkshires has played an important role in Mol’s ability to balance designing, acting, and raising a family. “It allows me to appreciate everything more fully, from reengaging with what NYC has to offer to a country sunrise, now with fresh eyes.” Mol somehow manages to find time to enjoy what Litchfield County has to offer, from the food at White Hart Provisions and hikes at Lion Rock in Salisbury, to acupuncture treatments at Gotham in Lakeville, retail at Dugazon and B. Johnstone in Sharon, and The Pinnacle in Washington, among others.

There’s more on the horizon for Mol. This spring, Gretchen M will revisit its line of terrycloth dresses in new colorways and collaborate with Liberty London Fabrics on a line featuring 30s-inspired floral prints. The creative pursuit remains joyful. “You get to a stage in life where you have to pursue things that are interesting, with honesty and humility,” says Mol. “I’ve always read another person’s lines or worn another person’s clothes, but Gretchen M is self-expression. People ask what my dream is for it, but by just doing it, I’m already in the dream.” —gretchenm.com