Costume Designer Insider: Get All the Details on the Looks Seen on Last Night's Mad Men Episode

By Alexandra DeRosa
May 26, 2014 @ 6:33 pm
Courtesy of AMC

Things definitely wrapped up on last night's mid-season finale of Mad Men. Some stories came to a close—like Bert Cooper's and Don's and Megan's relationship—and others were close calls. To wit: Ted's plane ride scare and, last but not least, Don's will-it-actually-ever-happen departure from the agency.

Even though there were drama-filled moments in last night's episode, the show closed out with an extremely unexpected song and dance. Read: Cooper's final moments on the show were dream-like and musical-esque. He sang a song to Don reminding him that the best things in life are free.

And there was an epic event that brought all the characters together—Neil Armstrong landing on the moon. But the real triumph came when Peggy delivered a killer commercial pitch to the Burger Chef client. She had everyone eating out of the palm of her hands.

For that memorable moment, Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant dressed Peggy in a blue-and-green striped dress. "That costume was really important because she needed to wear something that was really impactful," Bryant exclusively tells us. "I felt like that costume said, ‘I am a serious advertising woman. Take me serious,'" she adds.

For more from Bryant on last night's looks (and other memorable outfits from season 7), browse through the gallery.

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1 of 26

Episode Seven

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"I loved Peggy's presentation dress. It was so strong, so graphic," Bryant tells us. "That costume was really important because she needed to be wearing something that was really impactful. Blue and green are some of Peggy’s signature colors. And horizontal stripes are really strong. For me, I felt like that costume said ‘I am a serious advertising woman. Take me serious.’"
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2 of 26

Episode Seven

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For a quick meeting, Joan wore a vintage linen printed sheath dress and a vintage tassel necklace.

3 of 26

Episode Seven

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When Megan and Don decided to end their relationship over the phone, Megan was sitting outside soaking up the California sun. "That was a swimsuit that I designed for her. Wasn’t it beautiful? It has leather trim as well. The cover up was vintage too," says Bryant.
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4 of 26

Episode Six

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“That is a vintage dress and it’s one of my favorite costumes in her closet. I love the color on Peggy. It’s an important piece for that scene and it is a very vulnerable color for her,” Bryant tells us.

5 of 26

Episode Six

Justina Mintz/AMC
Because this episode took place over the weekend, Bryant created an off-duty look for Joan. “That was a dress that I felt like was a little bit different from what she would usually wearing to the office,” Bryant tells us.

6 of 26

Episode Six

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Bonnie wore a cotton pique daisy print dress for a day out in New York City. “That was specifically for Bonnie going out and shopping in New York City in the dead heat of the summer. And so I wanted her to be in something that really seemed California-like, maintaining that very flirtatious nature of all of her costumes,” Bryant tells us. “I love that Bonnie is very flirtatious. She seems really fun but she has amazing boundaries. I really wanted her costume to evoke the mood of flirtation,” she adds.
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7 of 26

Episode Six

Justina Mintz/AMC
“I feel like it’s very Trudy,” says Bryant of the character’s ensemble. “It is very classic in a way; it’s understated, very beautiful, and not overly sexy but just very pretty,” says Bryant of the teal, drop waist pleated dress that Trudy wore out to dinner. “I loved the whole thing. I loved her hair down and I loved the dress on her. I always love to see Trudy in her evening costumes,” she adds.

8 of 26

Episode Five

Courtesy of AMC
For the party Megan throws, Bryant chose to costume her in a standout piece. “In terms of working with the production designer and the set decorator, it was very important for her dress to be very graphic and to really stand out within that set since it was a dark, nighttime, party scene. All of those elements had to come into play when creating that costume,” Bryant tells us.

9 of 26

Episode Five

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As for the yellow look Megan wore earlier in the episode, “that was a vintage dress that I’ve actually been saving for her to wear, and it was the perfect scene for her to wear it last night,” Bryant tells us. “It’s about Megan being in California. It’s very bohemian and it’s also another modern costume piece for the period,” Bryant adds.
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10 of 26

Episode Five

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Stephanie, Don’s niece, paid a visit to Megan’s California home. While she was there, she took a bath and borrowed Megan’s robe—a robe Megan wore during episode three of this season. “I love those costume design moments in Mad Men. I think it’s really important for a character to repeat costumes or for another character to repeat it,” Bryant tells us. “I think that that was an important moment when we saw Megan trying to show her generosity even though it was hard for her,” she adds.

11 of 26

Episode Four

Justina Mintz/AMC
“I really wanted Peggy to seem almost like a schoolgirl,” says Janie Bryant. “I loved the sailor collar, the dropped waist, the pleated skirt. It’s a very school girl deal. And she is sort of given the task of being a boss and is feeling insecure about that, so it’s really showing Peggy as a young school girl and almost confused and questioning her position,” Bryant adds.

12 of 26

Episode Four

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"Costume design-wise, I felt that it was amazing to see the commune all put together," Bryant tells us. "I did so much research on the period and the lifestyle of a commune during that period," she adds. "I loved the whole sequence between Margaret, Mona, and Roger. I just loved seeing them as a family. And how bewildering all of that would be—to have your daughter leave her family and join a commune, a place that’s really other worldly. I felt like the costume design really helped to tell that story of where Margaret is at this point," says Bryant.
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13 of 26

Episode Four

Michael Yarish/AMC
As for the fur coat Mona wore to the commune, “it was all about the contrast,” Bryant tells us. “Mona is glamorous. She is of means and lives in New York City. She has the ability to have great, luxurious pieces. And that is her character, she is quite refined and elegant but I think that she is a woman who stays up on current fashion. She’s not a trendy character, but she is a woman of a certain age who knows what looks what great on her," Bryant adds.

14 of 26

Episode Four

Justina Mintz/AMC
Joan wears a vintage dress in the beginning of the episode when everyone in the office was gathered around about the news of getting a computer. "There are so many people in that scene, so I wanted Joan to be in a very dynamic color so that she would really stand out," Bryant tells us.

15 of 26

Episode Three

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Costume Designer Janie Bryant's favorite look from episode three was Joan's rose printed polyester dress. "I love that dress. It was a vintage dress that I redesigned and made for Joan," she tells us. Of course, Joan wore one of her signature pendant necklaces (a piece Bryant tells us was vintage), but Joan did stray away from her signature look when she wore to-the-knee boots. As for the inspiration behind her stiletto-wearing departure: "She’s dipping into the swinging '60s a little bit," Bryant tells us.
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16 of 26

Episode Three

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"Betty is a character who is truly classic, she is a housewife and a politician’s wife. Betty always presents herself as an image of perfection. So her costumes are very crisp and timeless. I tried to give her an update with the prints—they’re a little more modern," Bryant tells us. "Her skirts are little shorter, too. But they’re not too short—they’re not a mini, they’re to the mid-thigh. It’s a very tasteful, appropriate length for that time. It’s all about being appropriate and pretty," she adds.

17 of 26

Episode Three

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"Megan, she is my character that is very modern. And also, she is in California so I really wanted her to have a very California color palette and the crochet and the macramé happening during that period," Bryant tells us. Bryant costumed Megan in a canary-yellow mini skirt and teamed it "with a psychedelic printed blouse with the big sleeves and an exaggerated cuff," Bryant tells us.

18 of 26

Episode Two

Michael Yarish/AMC
"We haven’t seen Sally in any of these colors before. Sally really does wear, and always has worn, a lot of color. I loved that transition for her," says Janie Bryant. "That dress that she wears, I designed it for her specifically for that scene. It has three vintage buttons in the front," Bryant tells us of her creation. "She had her turtle neck on and, of course, her knee socks, which girls and teenagers, they all wore knee socks during that period. So that's always been the signature thing for Sally," Bryant adds.
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19 of 26

Episode Two

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During the scene when Peggy assumes the flowers on Shirley's desk are for her, we got to see Shirley's look from head-to-toe. “I love Shirley. Shirley is such a fun character. She’s a character that is really doing what is trending during the period. She is definitely a girl who is all about a sign of the times and during this time girls were wearing their skirts and dresses so short,” costume designer Janie Bryant tells us.

20 of 26

Episode Two

Jordin Althaus/AMC
Joan wore one of Janie Bryant's favorite costumes during the Valentine's Day episode. “Joan is a character who has traditionally always gotten into the theme and spirit of the holidays whether it be Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas or Valentine’s Day. So I thought it was really important for her to be clothed in cranberry but not so right on the nose of 'Valentine's Day heart red.' I wanted the color to be deeper and darker. Her character and story line was not happy or about romance and love or anything like that, so I really wanted to color to be darker and deeper,” she adds. As for Joan’s hair style, “she had a birds nest in the back.” Bryant tells us.

21 of 26

Episode Two

Michael Yarish/AMC
“I just love the idea that Peggy would be in a dress that was just so non-celebratory on Valentine’s Day. The beige, the brown, and the neck bow, which was not tied perfectly — it’s all about Peggy sort of being unaware of the romantic day,” Janie Bryant tells us of Peggy's Valentine's Day office-wear.
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22 of 26

Episode Two

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Even though Dawn had a huge role in episode two, she stayed true to her style. “Dawn is a character who is under the radar, she is more conservative,” says Bryant. “She’s also very professional and she is sort of like Peggy in that way, just very professional and very quiet,” Janie Bryant tells us.

23 of 26

Episode One

Michael Yarish/AMC
“Megan Draper is a very modern character,” says Janie Bryant. “I love the whole idea of her costume being light, airy, fresh, and new — and, of course, having the element of the sleeve being flowy. The air hitting the chiffon and all of the movement of the costume was really important,” dished the costume designer about her favorite look from episode one.

24 of 26

Episode One

Jordin Althaus/AMC
“Peggy is a professional woman,” Bryant tells Instyle.com. “I love expressing her professionalism with suits. I love the idea that one of Peggy’s signature colors—that I’ve always done for her throughout the whole six/seven years—is mustard, so I wanted to have that impact of mustard for Peggy,” costume designer Janie Bryant adds.
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25 of 26

Episode One

Jordin Althaus/AMC
Towards the end of episode one, Peggy "wore her beautiful, beautiful wool navy shift dress with the printed scarf at the neck. It had buttons—it was like double breasted buttons—down the front,” says Bryant. “And her beret! I loved the idea of that beret because the back story of it is that I thought Peggy’s mom would’ve knit that for her and given it to her as a gift. I love that beret! When she was wearing it in that last scene, it breaks my heart," Bryant tells us.
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