While growing up, Bryant was most interested in playing dress-up (while creating different characters through costume), singing, dancing (ballet), and designing clothes for her dolls.
From an early age Bryant became obsessed with old movies, such as Gone with the Wind, The Sound of Music, The Ten Commandments, and The Wizard of Oz.
She also enjoyed television shows such as The Partridge Family, The Brady Bunch, Father Knows Best, My Three Sons, Bewitched, and Get Smart.
Throughout high school she maintained a strong focus on art, painting, and illustration, and believed she was going to pursue a career as an artist or a businesswoman.
After meeting a costume designer at a party, Bryant found her calling and began to work on movies and commercials in Manhattan.
[5] Mad Men-inspired collections popped up all over runways in 2008 and designers including Michael Kors, Prada and Vera Wang have cited Bryant or the shows on which she worked as key influences.
[4][7] For Bryant's own influences she relies not only on other designers, with whom she has worked and done research into the periods, but also real life people who she sees in the characters.