The Mad Men Costumes True Fans Are Still Talking About

"I just love that scene with Betty and Francine in season one," Bryant said of one of the character's debut looks, which offered a glimpse at her previous life before marrying Don and having kids. "That was the first costume that I made for the show. I also have a sweet spot for it because it was also my first original design. It tells such a story."

Although she falls "in and out of love with characters" with every script, Betty was consistently Bryant's favorite to dress throughout the series: "Betty is all about the facade of perfection. It doesn't matter if she is thin or fat or married to another man; she's always trying to keep up that facade."

More telling than even her most striking ensembles were Joan's trendsetting accessories.

"The pen necklace I found at a flea market," Bryant told us. "It's funny because it wasn't planned out, but that really became Joan's sword, protecting herself from all those terrible men."

Throughout the series, she also wore charm bracelets, another one of Bryant's favorite touches. "I've always been obsessed — my mother actually has huge a collection," she said.

"[Weiner] said, 'I'd love for Joan to have bracelets that when she shakes hand, you hear noise, that clink, clink, clink.' I knew just what to do, and it had that full effect."

In season one, when Betty showed up to a casting call for a modeling gig in an outdated 1950s dress, it was jaw-dropping for all the wrong reasons. "I loved this scene because she looked so old-fashioned surrounded by these modern models," Bryant said. "That whole episode is amazing. We had 14 different costume changes for Betty alone. Looking back, I don't know how my team and I accomplished that."

Bryant loved episodes like the Derby Day one from season three because it involved the entire cast in an arrangement of garden-party duds. "The most thrilling scenes for us are the huge tableaus with all the principal cast and background characters and extras together," she said.

Another Derby Day look at the top of Bryant's list? Betty's white lace maternity dress. And it had some hefty marching orders: it was in this scene that she first met future husband Henry Francis, who fell for her, married baby bump and all. Said Bryant, "Betty is the eternal bride!"

Bryant often uses color to help her tell a story and evoke the emotions of a scene. There was no better example, she told us, than Peggy's ensemble on her last day at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.

"She's wearing this deep, dark plum dress, and I loved the color for that scene because it was very subtle, somber, and sad but also really strong," she said. "Those were going on within the scene, and I loved how the clothes helped draw that out."

The draped satin wedding gown Roger Sterling's daughter wore was actually Bryant's mother's wedding dress. The actress tried on several options, but this one, she said, fit best and didn't need a single alteration.

Bryant normally works off a completed script when creating looks for each episode, but the dress she personally designed for Joan to wear to the office holiday party in season four was so inspiring that Weiner actually created a line about it.

In the episode, Roger Sterling asks her to wear "the red dress, the one with the bow on the back, that makes you look like a present."

"I love this moment for all the reasons that Megan is Megan," said Bryant of the season five opener, in which Don's new wife serenades him in a black chiffon minidress for his surprise birthday party. It also served to provide exposition to the narrative: "The style tells the audience that time has moved on."

Another episode that involved outfitting a full cast and legions of extras was in season two at the country club. "Even with background actors who don't have lines, I work with my design team on finding out what's their story, where are they coming from, why are they dressed that way," Bryant explained.

Also difficult? "I was dying trying to prepare that episode and get through it," she said. "Vintage bathing suits and tennis whites?! Not easy to have it look good throughout the whole shoot!"

For Bryant, Sally Draper's white go-go boots illustrated the fact that she's not a little girl anymore — even if Don did make her take them off. They also showed how the '60s style had taken root in the younger generation.

It wasn't until season six that Peggy wore a pantsuit for the first time. "It was such a brief moment, but it says so much," said Bryant. "You look back at all the seasons and what a struggle she's had, and finally she's in the big boy's office and wearing pants. I remember thinking, 'She has to wear pants for this season.' [Weiner] liked that idea a lot."

And that's not all they loved. When she saw the houndstooth fabric, it was meant to be: "They're the signature Mad Men colors!"