One of the best things about Mad Men is the array of fashion on the show. From the bold color palette to the womanly silhouettes, the costumes are pure eye candy and reason enough to tune in. Emmy-winning costume designer Janie Bryant gave us the scoop on finding inspiration, dressing Betty Draper, and Mad Men's impact on the runway.

Check out the costumes from Mad Men.

Natalie Broulette: Where do you draw inspiration?

Janie Bryant: I get inspired first of all when I start reading the script because the characters are so rich and that is what really starts the whole process and vision of what the characters will look like. The script is really important for my creative process, and then I starting doing research. Research for me can be in a lot different areas. Going to the fabric district and swatching. It can be watching old movies from the period. Last season when we had the big party scene -- it was like season two, episode two -- I was really inspired by Breakfast at Tiffany's. I also look to the catalogs of that period, Ladies' Home Journal, Look, Time, the fashion magazines of course, and a lot of research on the Internet.

NB: Do you have go-to ideas for each character? Do you look to Grace Kelly when dressing Betty Draper (January Jones)?

JB: A big inspiration for Betty Draper is Grace Kelly, but also my grandmother. Her lifestyle was very much like the Drapers. She was a housewife and my grandfather owned a company. She entertained so much.

NB: Do you create a lot of costumes yourself or do you do more vintage shopping?

JB: Designing Mad Men is a combination job, as I like to call it. I will design a lot of things for the principal cast. I also do vintage shopping. There are big rental houses in Los Angeles, so we do rentals as well. It's a big principal cast, and there are also a large amount of extras. There are a lot, a lot, a lot of costumes for each episode.

NB: How do you feel about the influence that Mad Men has already had in the fashion industry on designers like Michael Kors?

JB: I think it's great. I love it. I mean it's just a nice surprise. For me, I love the job. I think it's a beautiful period. I was really surprised by how the show influenced fashion designers.

NB: What advice would you give to a woman or to a man who wants to dress in that Mad Men-inspired style? What are some of the key pieces that you think are important?

JB: You can take a twin set made of cashmere and wear it with pearls, or for a man, it can be a skinny suit with a skinny tie. Also for the women, they can wear a sheath [dress] which is so popular from that period. I think it's about looking modern. You don't want to look like you just came out of a vintage shop. I think the jewelry from the period is so gorgeous. If you're doing pearls, wear multi-strings of pearls but mix it with something modern, like a pair of skinny jeans. I do think it's about mixing it up and creating your own style. If you wear a sheath, wear a pair of modern shoes -- a pair of modern pumps or sandals at that. You don't have to have a matching bag like they did in the days of Mad Men. For the men, a lot of the designers are making and designing suits that have the narrower cut like Paul Smith or [John] Varvatos, or they can go vintage. But if they don't want to have the high-waisted trousers with an 11-inch zipper, they may want to just mix the jacket with jeans or something.

NB: What's the most challenging aspect of your job?

JB: Well, a big challenge is to accomplish designing all the costumes for such a big show. It's always such a whirlwind because we shoot an episode in seven days, and before we finish shooting that episode, I'm on to the next episode. It really is a good thing that I love my job so much because there is a lot of pressure to accomplish all the things that need to be done for the episode. Thank God for my crew!

NB: Is there a character that's especially fun to dress?

JB: It's so hard when people ask me who's my favorite. I love all these characters and it really depends on what's happening in the script, who is in it the most or what's happening to the character in that story. For season two, my favorite was Betty Draper. A lot of different things happened to her in the storyline. There was her equestrian look, the dinner parties, the gala at the club. I always love designing her costumes for what she wears at home. She had a big storyline last year. We'll see what happens in season three.

NB: Are you already planning for season three?

JB: I'll start designing at the end of March and we start shooting in May.

NB: Finally, there have been a lot of rumors about you starting your own line. Can you tell us anything more about that?

JB: Unfortunately no, I'm working on developing that right now.

See photos of the women of Mad Men.

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