The premiere of Mad Men’s Season Six last night transported viewers from The Nutcracker to a late-60s New Year’s Eve, with detours through tropical paradise, tenement slums, and, as always, Don Draper’s hellish inner turmoil. To discuss dressing the ensemble cast for its journey into late 1967 and early 1968, the AMC drama’s Emmy-winning costume designer, Janie Bryant, jumped on the phone with the Hollywood Blog this morning. Among the subjects discussed: Megan’s latest closet upgrade, the episode’s shock ending, and which unlikely horror film informed Harry’s season-premiere style.

Julie Miller: When we spoke last week, you mentioned that you watch movies for inspiration before designing each season of Mad Men. Now that you can speak more openly, what were some of the films that inspired you for Season Six?

Janie Bryant: One of the films I’d seen is How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. I wanted to see it for the show but also to see [Mad Men co-star] Robert Morse in the film. Other great movies for me this season were The Graduate andGuess Who’s Coming to Dinner. I watched the TV shows Ironsideand Dragnet, too.

The season premiere opened with a flashback, in which Dr. Rosen is saving the Drapers’ doorman’s life. And Megan is later briefly shown wearing this lovely tangerine-colored coat while both she and Don watch the situation in horror. What were your thoughts behind that design and the color?

You’re the first person who asked me about that costume! That’s one of my favorite costume-design moments in Mad Men. That ensemble is actually a vintage tapestry-cut velvet two-piece ensemble. It is the double-breasted coat with the matching miniskirt. That color really exemplifies the urgency and the panic of that scene. When you see her in that, you see the panic of [the doorman] having the heart attack. And the pillbox hat! Then you see Megan in the fur coat. . . . It was a very big fur-coat moment for a lot of the ladies in the episode because it is such a big part of the period. It is always so much fun to be able to use those vintage fur coats.

There were a lot of gorgeous updates to the cast’s wardrobe—one being Joan’s more modern, purple ensemble, which she wears on the office’s photo day. Can you talk about your motivation behind that costume?

That is one of my original designs. When we left Season Five, Joan had gotten a new income and new position at the office. Considering that, and everything that was happening in her personal life, I really wanted to give her an update. I designed the purple blouse, skirt, and vest for her. I think it spoke to the masculinity of the office but the femininity as well. Instead of designing a suit, it was a vest and a skirt, with an A- line, so it has a little bit more of a modern feel. It is still body conscious, but the vest is traditionally men’s wear, so it was nice to balance those two things.

As always, Jane Sterling was flawlessly put together, in this case in one of my favorite looks of last night’s episode, the sleek black dress she wears to Roger’s mother’s funeral.

That was the beautiful, beautiful silk dress that is so divine with the white trim. I always think of Jane as being this character who just shops for a living. Everything Jane does is about being beautiful, so I always keep that in mind for her costume design. She has a lot of money, and it’s always about portraying that through her clothes. She is definitely fashionable, but elegant too.

There was a great design moment when Betty is in bed with her husband, Henry. She is wearing this girly nightgown with bright-pink bows and ribbons, yet she is saying the most disturbing things about her husband and how he should take advantage of her daughter Sally’s friend in the bedroom next door.

I think it was a little bit of an insight into Betty’s wicked sense of humor. It’s so funny to hear her speak those words, especially in complete contrast to what she is wearing.

And then she searches the tenement slums of Manhattan for Sally’s friend, while wearing her standard Betty clothing—a neatly tied scarf, houndstooth coat, and purse.

Just to accomplish that [scene] in the episode was an amazing feat. There were so many extras that we had to fit for the premiere and to portray that world. It wasn’t just about fitting them. Those extras—every single piece of clothing had to be distressed so that they looked ripped and torn and really dirty and gritty and nasty. You can feel the elements of dirtiness when you see that on film, and I love how Betty completely contrasted from that world, which is something that we’ve never seen on the show. It was such a great accomplishment.

Roger had a new look, with the double-breasted blue coat and gray pants.

That is an extension of Roger’s adventure that he really experienced last year, from his acid trip to his divorce. It is almost about portraying the youthfulness of his character, which I think came out more in his episode last night.

Speaking of men’s fashion, Harry had a checked jacket and colorful striped tie to match his new sideburns.

That was definitely an inspiration from Rosemary’s Baby. [Laughs.] There is a scene where Rosemary is talking to her older neighbor [Roman Castevet, played by Sidney Blackmer], and he is wearing this checked jacket. I saw that and thought, “Oh my God, I want to do that for Harry!” I watchedRosemary’s Baby so many times, that was another big inspiration for me.

How much of a challenge was it taking the entire production to Hawaii for Don and Megan’s work vacation?

Well, we prepared here in Los Angeles but had to ship all of the costumes there. We had five days of fittings [in Hawaii] to fit the background actors and also check fits for the principal cast and the dancers at the luau. We had to build all of those costumes. In Hawaii, we worked with the dance choreographer there, and she had all of the accessories, including the headdresses, made for me when we were in Hawaii. I am just so thankful for my crew. That was not only a huge accomplishment for me and my department but for the art department.

Last season, Megan got a wardrobe upgrade after becoming Don’s wife, and now it seems as though she gets another costume upgrade after getting a recurring role on a soap opera. I loved her New Year’s Eve pants ensemble with the rhinestone detail.

That was a costume that I bought from one of my vintage vendors. I loved that costume for Megan just being the hostess for that scene. Matt [Weiner, the show’s creator] and I had talked about that scene, and we just wanted it to feel casual. It was the challenge of portraying that in the costume design. So the [pantsuit] was a perfect moment for that. Megan is still dressed for New Year’s Eve, as she would be, with a little sparkle, but it’s the loungewear for her being a hostess.

All eyes were drawn to Megan, as they usually are. But because of that, it was such a stunning revelation to see Don meet Dr. Rosen’s wife, Silvia—who is not nearly as edgy or fashion-forward as Megan—after Megan’s New Year’s Eve party. Did you and Matt discuss how you were going to maximize that diversion through costume?

That is really the brilliance of Matthew Weiner and how the scene was written. Silvia is a character who is old-fashioned. She definitely lives in the world of being classic and very, very different from being Megan. I think that in the scene you can see the contrast between all three of the wives. You almost thought that if anything would happen, it would be between Don and the other neighbor’s wife, the blonde.

Right, she flirts with Don . . .

. . . and has the more flamboyant costume. Then you have Sylvia, who is very subtle and subdued and more old-fashioned. That’s just a credit to Matt’s storytelling, where you have this amazing reveal. I mean, did you see that coming?

Related: Mad Men Season Six Fashion Recap and Mad Men Costume Designer Janie Bryant on Joan’s Timeless Hourglass, Betty’s Jackie Kennedy Fixation, and Don’s “Sports-Coat Extravaganza”