Bryant especially enjoyed designing for Joan, played by Christina Hendricks, who is shown indulging in her new wealth by dress shopping at a fancy boutique. As she stands in her dressing room, looking in the mirror, she is wearing an incredible black-velvet bejeweled v-neck dress with feather detail that Bryant designed herself. “During this period, feathers were such a big part of fashion,” Bryant explained of her motivation with this design. “So I wanted Joan to have something that was of the moment. I love the idea of the movement that the feathers provide in that particular scene, when she is pointing to clothes and saying, ‘I want this one. I want that one.’ That dress was all about the opulence . . . it was very expensive for Joan to buy. I wanted it to have that lushness, exotic, even hedonistic attitude.”

Courtesy of AMC.

Bryant loved the black dress so much that she suggested to Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner that Joan wear it on her date with new flame Richard (Bruce Greenwood). But Weiner had something else in mind. “When I talked to Matt about that particular scene, he really wanted her to be in something classic and almost a little old-fashioned. Something that seemed more 1960s than 70s.” Of the sapphire dress Joan ended up wearing, Bryant told us, “It was made of this beautiful Chinese brocade. And then I had my tailor do the jeweling around the neckline. People have gone nuts for that dress.” The classic design proved a stylistic counterpoint to her new, West Coast beau. “Richard’s whole costume is about him being this retired mogul and he’s totally into California, so his costume design is very modern.”

One new character who made a sartorial splash was Pima Ryan, the bisexual photographer played by Mimi Rogers. For the character’s impeccably tailored white suit, Bryant says that she was summoning a combination of Bianca Jagger, Tom Wolfe, and Annie Leibovitz “I really envisioned her in the white suit,” she said. “That was about creating this androgyny for that character. She is a real mover and shaker. It wasn’t about her liking men or women . . . it was about her getting the job done. She is a real manipulator. So it was about creating that aura for that.”

For last Sunday’s episode, Bryant was able to explore the more far-out designs of the early 70s with clothes for Glen, the Draper’s former neighbor who has been harboring a crush on Betty for some time now. “I love the idea of Glen being almost a hippie in a way . . . of him being a part of the counterculture and enlisting to go to Vietnam. It’s like you can almost imagine him in the barber chair getting his hair and sideburns buzzed off. I love that Glen comes to the house and he really is a teenager of the times with his blue jean shirt and his bell-bottom jeans.”

Courtesy of AMC.

On the opposite end of the style spectrum is Peggy Olson, played by Elisabeth Moss. Bryant tells us excitedly how after seven seasons, the costume designer finally stumbled upon a suit that perfectly encapsulates Peggy’s fashion sense. The ensemble Bryant spoke of is worn during Peggy and Joan’s uncomfortable meeting with lewd McCann men about a pantyhose account. “That is a vintage suit and it’s actually a dress . . . the bodice of the dress is polka dot and the skirt is plaid. For me that is the perfect Peggy garment if there ever was one. It’s got plaid, it’s got polka dots, it’s got a bow at the neck. That is Peggy wrapped up in one package.” The new wardrobe addition is also practical for the character: “Peggy usually gets a new suit with each season. So that was totally realistic that she would have a new suit.”

Reflecting on finding Peggy’s final suit, Bryant conceded that she is still in disbelief about Mad Men’s forthcoming conclusion. “I can’t believe this show is going to be something of the past as opposed to the present or the future,” she said. Speaking for all of us, she added, “I’m not ready for it to end.”