One thing that is often commented on with regards to Mad Men, is the sixties fashion which has influenced catwalks and the pages of top fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle andMarie Claire. There has been a Brooks Brothers Mad Menedition suit and now Mad Men's award winning costume designer Janie Bryant is bringing a range to the more affordable Banana Republic.
The limited edition collection will be in stores from August 11 and will be available for order the day before for Banana Republic's Facebook fans. There are items for both men and women, with prices starting at $39.50 for a silk scarf going to $450 for a men's suit and comprises of 65 pieces. The range includes both evening and day wear such as; trench coats, high wasted skirts, floral dresses, bags, shoes, ties and hats (for a full look at the collection head here). Of course they are all inspired by the 1960s and wouldn't look out of place in the offices of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, but they have also been adapted to suit the modern day women/man.
This gives fans of the show a chance to get their Mad Men fix this summer whilst the show is on extended hiatus, Bryant told The New York Times that she doesn't believe that the shows absence will decrease interest as she has been "getting messages on Facebook and Twitter that say, 'We’re so excited about Season 5, but we’re watching all the seasons before Season 5 again.'" Jack Calhoun, Banana Republic's president echoes this sentiment and says that "Mad Mencontinues to be relevant whether it’s on the air or not." If you look at the sixties inspired fashion that are currently on sale I think this statement is more than valid.
Janie Bryant's method for designing this collection is similar to how she does the work on the actual Mad Men costumes, working from vintage to create an authentic look, either by using vintage or redesigning a vintage piece. Sometimes Bryant will design from scratch but it is always with this period in mind and she looks all across the country for different vendors. An inspiration for one of the Banana Republic dresses is from something her grandmother had made.
Other than this collection for Banana Republic and the suits for Brooks Brothers, Bryant is the wardrobe advisor for lingerie company Maidenform. Maidenform have featured in Mad Men as the rival to Sterling Cooper's client Playtex in the season 2 episode which also happened to be called "Maidenform". Her role for this company is to help them look at vintage pieces and update them with a modern and less constricting feel.
Janie Bryant's costume design is one of the many details that makes Mad Men a critically praised show, and it is the hard work to create an authentic collection that has rightly propelled Bryant and her work into the fashion spotlight. It is not surprising that she has been given this opportunity to create an accessible collection that looks set to be a big hit.
Are you interested in the fashion that has been inspired by Mad Men? Will you be hitting up Banana Republic in August? Let us know in the comments below.
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