The woman behind Mad Men's famed costumes, Janie Bryant, has joined forces with Maidenform to collaborate on a new shapewear line. Drawing on Mad Men's Fifties and Sixties time period, the capsule collection was inspired by the retro designs in the brand's historical archives, to produce sexy garments that create a beautiful shape.
Bryant told Fashionista: 'I designed with knowledge of being true to that period, and making the collection to be about sexy glamorous shape wear that would celebrate curves and femininity.'
Mrs Bryant teamed up with Maidenform last year to create a viral marketing campaign for the shapewear company, her main focus was to make its 90th Anniversary Capsule Collection sexy.
The words shapewear, sexy and glamorous are not usually found the same sentence, which is a void in the market that the costume designer aimed to fill with her collection.
'Not only are the design details beautiful but how they shape the body is pretty magical. We can take that inspiration and knowledge today and make modern shape wear beautiful and comfortable to wear,' she told the site.
Period lingerie is responsible for creating Mad Men's realistic Sixties figures, like Jennifer Paré's Megan Draper and Christina Hendrick's buxom character Joan Harris
Bryant's day job lies in knowing what undergarments make women look best, outfitting January Jones, Christina Hendricks and now Jennifer Paré in specially designed period lingerie and shape wear to create the perfect Sixties silhouettes for their body shapes.
An expert in creating Sixties silhouettes, Bryant brings her knowledge to Maidenform's latest shape wear collection
Helping to readjust the public's focus, theoretically at least, on womanly figures in contemporary fashion, the costume designer authentically sculpts the realistic curves of Mad Men's leading ladies as they have transcended from the Fifties to the Sixties. From Betty's cone-shaped bras worn under her cashmere sweaters, to shaping the hourglass figure of bombshell Joan Harris, shapewear plays an important role in changing the audience's perception of the hit series' characters, as well as shaping their iconic wardrobes.
In her book Fashion Files, Bryant explains: 'the right bra can shape your bust to create the perfect perky contour or a hint of cleavage. A body shaper will smooth away any overspill and broaden your style to include dress cuts and fabrics that you may have ruled out in the past.'
As well as enabling women to wear styles they previously may have avoided, Bryant's vintage-inspired intimates collection for Maidenform is proof that shape wear doesn't have to stay lumped with the Bridget Jones scene that has come to signify shape wear in popular culture today - as granny panties.
Since 1922 Maidenform has provided innovative intimate apparel solutions that empower and shape women.
Today Maidenform is a leader in its category designing America's number one selling T-shirt bra, becoming the global leader in shapewear, and is now recognized as a major go-to brand for Hollywood's elite on the red carpet.
Maidenform's vintage-inspired 90th anniversary shapewear collection will be available in department stores nationwide later this year.
