in the mad men closet stf
I stf In each episode of Man Men it's clear that a lot of things can be communicated when nothing is said or nothing happens. We find about about the characters and their circumstances little by little, and sometimes from very close up, we really identify with their suffering and their private hells. But today we're going to get into that private world and talk about what it shows us. It's no coincidence that it's won the most prizes in television in recent years. Mad Men's been a success for all of the above reasons, but very few series can claim to have brought back a whole style or fashion. Mad Men's made the 50's and 60's fashionable again. Many designers have admitted they've been influenced by the series. Jane Bryant is in charge of the programme's stylization. She has to get 200 outfits ready for each episode. The person responsible for Mad Men mania has told us about the secrets of her work (not all of them, of course as secrecy is at the heart of Mad Men). TB: Were you a fan of 50's and 60's fashion beforehand, or did you really get into it when you started work on Mad Men?
JB: I was a fashion designer beforehand, and the history of fashion has always interested me. I'm interested in all periods of fashion. I knew more about fashion from the start of the 50's than about fashion from the start of the 60's, but now I'm fascinated by that period. In fact, before the war (Vietnam) and at the time of the president's assassination ( J.F. Kennedy)... it was a time of great changes, and that's to be seen in the fashion.
TB: It's well known that Matthew Weiner, the series creator, looks at even the smallest details. Is that a special challenge in your work?
JB: Matt and I have the same point of view about this. We're perfectionists in our work. When we met, we spent three hours talking about that period's stylization, design, look ... We didn't even mention the actors or the characters. We have very similar aesthetics. Thanks to that, he can give me the scripts and I can get on with my work. He trusts the actors to do their work. That's real team work, and it's a real pleasure.
TB: What's the toughest challenge in your job?
JB: That's a hard question to answer. There are many things, but I'd say it's the extras. I get very nervous with the extras. I'm obsessed. I want to dress them as well as the main characters, but it's impossible to do that with the 300 characters behind them. In each episode I have to prepare between 100 and 200 outfits for the main characters, but it's impossible to do that with the extras. But I have realised that it's my particular obsession. They all look good on camera.
TB: Who's the character you most enjoy dressing?
JB: Each episode's different, it also changes from season to season. In the second series, for instance, I loved dressing January Jones (Betsy). Because she changes a lot. January changes completely when she puts on those cocktail outfits.
TB: What can you tell us about the Joan Holloway character? The clothes you use for her physical appearance have been a revolution for many women.
JB: Joan's quite a woman. And I look for outfits and colours to really bring out her body. Things that were fashionable at the time, of course. There is no single type of beauty. There are many different types of physical beauty. The secret's getting that physical look right and taking real advantage of it. It's not only Joan. In the series there are almost all the body types you can see out on the street. And it's a challenge to find the right style for all of them.
TB:Is it hard to follow the Mad Men style without feeling that you're dressing up? JB: No. You only need a vintage shirt and a pair of narrow jeans. It's not a matter of wearing everything from that period, it's a question of knowing how to combine meaningful or iconic pieces of clothing with contemporary ones. If you buy something from that period, combine it with something from now. I love combining things.
JB: I was a fashion designer beforehand, and the history of fashion has always interested me. I'm interested in all periods of fashion. I knew more about fashion from the start of the 50's than about fashion from the start of the 60's, but now I'm fascinated by that period. In fact, before the war (Vietnam) and at the time of the president's assassination ( J.F. Kennedy)... it was a time of great changes, and that's to be seen in the fashion.
TB: It's well known that Matthew Weiner, the series creator, looks at even the smallest details. Is that a special challenge in your work?
JB: Matt and I have the same point of view about this. We're perfectionists in our work. When we met, we spent three hours talking about that period's stylization, design, look ... We didn't even mention the actors or the characters. We have very similar aesthetics. Thanks to that, he can give me the scripts and I can get on with my work. He trusts the actors to do their work. That's real team work, and it's a real pleasure.
TB: What's the toughest challenge in your job?
JB: That's a hard question to answer. There are many things, but I'd say it's the extras. I get very nervous with the extras. I'm obsessed. I want to dress them as well as the main characters, but it's impossible to do that with the 300 characters behind them. In each episode I have to prepare between 100 and 200 outfits for the main characters, but it's impossible to do that with the extras. But I have realised that it's my particular obsession. They all look good on camera.
TB: Who's the character you most enjoy dressing?
JB: Each episode's different, it also changes from season to season. In the second series, for instance, I loved dressing January Jones (Betsy). Because she changes a lot. January changes completely when she puts on those cocktail outfits.
TB: What can you tell us about the Joan Holloway character? The clothes you use for her physical appearance have been a revolution for many women.
JB: Joan's quite a woman. And I look for outfits and colours to really bring out her body. Things that were fashionable at the time, of course. There is no single type of beauty. There are many different types of physical beauty. The secret's getting that physical look right and taking real advantage of it. It's not only Joan. In the series there are almost all the body types you can see out on the street. And it's a challenge to find the right style for all of them.
TB:Is it hard to follow the Mad Men style without feeling that you're dressing up? JB: No. You only need a vintage shirt and a pair of narrow jeans. It's not a matter of wearing everything from that period, it's a question of knowing how to combine meaningful or iconic pieces of clothing with contemporary ones. If you buy something from that period, combine it with something from now. I love combining things.
