All That Dazzles as ‘Christmas Comes But Once a Year’ (4:2)

Episode 2 revolves around the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce holiday soiree which starts off being a small, no-frills shindig where employees were to feast on “a block of Velveeta”. However, the team has no choice but to blow-up the festivities beyond their budget in an effort to impress Lucky Striker Lee Garner Jr. who invites himself at the last minute. Roger, once always in control of every situation, finds himself reluctantly playing Santa at the party when Lee insists on it (and then proceeds to instruct every member of the staff to sit on Santa’s lap for a picture). “Old-fashioned” becomes a cuss word of sorts for Peggy when her boyfriend uses it to describe her when she won’t put out. In turn, Peggy uses it to insult Freddie Rumsen (who is back, clean and sober with a new account from Ponds cold cream) when he makes the assumption that all girls want to get married. And Don…well, Don misses spending Christmas with his family and tries to fill the void by drinking, chasing any skirt that comes across his path, and drinking some more.

Depressing! So at least the colorful Christmas party frocks added some holiday cheer to the otherwise greyish shades which hovered over the episode. There were a lot of bold hues, shine and texture with dresses that had sequin details and metallic flourishes. Trudy sported a candy apple red stunner with delicately beaded neckline and cuffs. Also in red was Joan, whose dress featured a bow at the back that made her (according to Roger) “look like a present”.   Allison’s blue-green brocade shift must have impressed Don at least a little since he eventually lured her into his bed (or, more accurately, onto the sofa).  Even Pete was looking more fashion-forward with his burgundy double-breased blazer which reflected the growing influence of the British Invasion taking over pop culture in late ’64 (which was also acknowledged when Don asks Allison to buy Sally some Beatles records for X-Mas).  It was Jane who wore the dress of the evening:  off-white, sleeveless and A-line in silhouette with a metallic jeweled collar reminiscent of Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra (which became very influential in fashion after its release in 1963).

 

Brocade shifts and gem-tone party dresses can be had easily if you know where to look and are a lot more fun than your standard LBD.  The styles are fairly transcendent of decade and possess a timelessness without the dreaded word “classic” being attached to them.

Marc Jacobs

 

Paul & Joe

Valentino

Delia*s

Cleopatra photo from 20th Century Fox

I Think I See a Pattern

 

This 60′s Simplicity clothing pattern packaging looks strikingly similar to Peggy, no?

 

The illustration even has Peggy’s new Season 4 ‘do!

The Times Are a Changin’- ‘Public Relations’ (4:1)

 

Season Four opens exactly a year after Season Three ended and initially, it seems as though things have simmered down and it’s back to business.  We eventually learn, however, that a lot has changed in “Mad Men” world.   Sterling Cooper has officially been renamed “Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce” and though they are struggling as a business, they are no longer working out of a hotel room.  Peggy has a new take-no-crap attitude while Joan has an office all to herself.  Don and Betty have officially divorced with Betty remarrying Henry.   The episode is bookended with Don being interviewed by two different print publications.  Earlier, it’s Ad-Age magazine where the typically elusive Don doesn’t really give the writer a whole lot to write about resulting in a not-so-glowing article.   By the time he speaks to the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Draper decides to throw caution to the wind and spill all.  And as the scene draws to a close to the badass sounds of Nashville Teen’s “Tobacco Road”,  the foreshadowing of change is palpable, just as it was in the real world as 1963 ponied into ’64. 

Fashionwise, the biggest change belonged to Peggy:  gone for good are the bangs and ponytails, ‘in’ is a modern new bob signaling how much more she is paying attention to her appearance.  The knock-out outfit of the episode, however, belonged to Joan.  While at the office, she sports a royal blue pencil skirt sheath featuring a glorious two-tone waterfall ruffle neckline.  The tapered sleeves ending just below the elbow are punctuated with flared bias cut cuffs, a shape that is just becoming popular in fashion and a precursor to the all-out bell sleeves that are just on the horizon. 

 

Modernize the look for yourself in a fitted blue hourglass-shaped dress with interesting details:

Lauren by Ralph Lauren

Tahari by Arthur S. Levine

Or get a flavor of this style in a blouse or sweater with similar ruffle flourishes:

Valentino

Anthropologie

Joan Halloway: A Pen-sive Moment

Ah, the very famous Pen Necklace. 

Joan Halloway’s signature accessory, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her working without wearing it (has she ever actually use it, though?).    Believe it or not, if you have.to.have a pen necklace of your very own, new versions are relatively easy to find online. Accessories boutique 1928 Jewelry  has a couple versions to choose from (you can also find their wares through Amazon.com).  Gold tone and fully functional, both have that authentically vintage style so they look as if they were plucked straight from an antique shop (the site even carries ink refills so if you use your pen more often than Joan does, you won’t have to worry about running dry).

 

To Jewel ($28)

or Not to Jewel ($20)

Salvatore Romano-Vested Interest

When talking menswear on “Mad Men”, Don Draper is usually the character most will hold up as an example of classic 60′s fashion.  It’s hard to argue with Don’s Brooks Brothers suits, fedoras and trenchcoats (as well as his broodingly sexy unattainability).  However, it’s Don’s former art director Salvatore Romano that had style chops that set him apart from the rest of the Sterling Cooper tribe.

Sal was clearly a little a head of his time and definitely had a more fashion-forward edge.  Just like the rest of the office, he wore the requisite two or three button suit everyday to work but the key item in his wardrobe was the vest.  He almost always wore one underneath his jacket, and a contrasting one at that (usually in a small scale plaid or fleur-de-lis print).  Also, he took chances with ties, wearing brighter, bolder shades and prints.  Those interesting little details made him a stylish standout as the artist in him was definitely reflected in his clothing. 

It’s a look that’s easy to achieve and though it was a little more daring in its time, today it might get you photographed by “The Sartorialist”.  After making sure your suit fits you perfectly (seriously, proper fit is rule Number One), just add a vest (or switch out the matching one from your three-piece suit).    Quality patterned vests that are not of the tacky 80′s variety are not easy to come by, unfortunately, so a trip to your local thrift may be in order where they are somewhat plentiful.  The trick to making them work is a high-button stance (ie around 5-6 buttons up the front) like these vintage originals available online:

RELYC on Etsy

Reversible!  From Marie McLoud on Ruby Lane

 

However, Sal-style ties are much more readily available:

Salvatore Ferragamo at Nordstrom

Emporio Armana at Forzieri

 

Tommy Hilfiger at Macy*s

 

For now, we’re just going to put our fingers in our ears and sing “La la la la!” if you remind us that Sal was unceremoniously fired last season. And even though it remains to be seen whether he will be back in Season 4 (the last time we heard from actor Bryan Batt he claimed to not know himself), we know that no one else on the show can wear a vest like Sal.

 

Plastic Fantastic

 When I first started watching “Mad Men”, I always thought that January Jones looked like a 60′s-era Barbie.  So how meta is it that now, Mattel has come up with a “Mad Men” line of dolls?   At only 11.5″ tall, Don, Betty, Joan, and Roger are rendered in glorious detail wearing smashing styles straight from the TV show.  Barbie Millicent Rogers herself was born in 1959 so the fashions of Joan and Betty look as if the could have been hanging in Miss Roger’s original clothing case (as do the dolls themselves; both of the women possess the classic “shut-up and kiss me”-face of the very early Barbies).   Part of a premium collectors’ series called “Barbie Fashion Model Collection” , they  are priced at $74.95 a piece.  A little spendy, though Joan’s teeny tiny little pen necklace is almost worth the price alone (squeee!).  And if that weren’t enough, the ladies are wearing padded undergarments!

Peggy Olson: Girl Wonder

No “Mad Men” character embodies the social changes of the early 1960’s more than Peggy Olson. Throughout the three seasons of the show, Peggy quickly proves that she is more than just an adequate typist. After contributing key insights into customer buying habits for several Sterling Cooper accounts, Peggy moves from Don Draper’s secretary to copywriter with an office and secretary of her own. She also leaves her boring quiet life in Brooklyn to a much faster one in New York City where she is eager to show everyone that she indeed does have a little bit of Joan in her after all.  Janie Bryant has helped Peggy’s character transform through those early years of the decade by designing a wardrobe that has grown up as much as Peggy has.

When we first meet Peggy, she is all pony-tails and pinafores. “Her clothing has a look of innocence and coming into this world, where she’s learning so much and seeing all these things happening with the men and the women in the office. So her costume reflects that”, explains Bryant.  Still showing signs of late 50′s fashion holdovers, waistlines are small and skirts quite full and the only acceptable collar is the Peter Pan.

As she climbs up in Sterling Cooper’s male-dominated ladder, her wardrobe becomes more sophisticated like this authentic vintage black and white plaid sheath below. “That’s the grown up version of her blue and black check that she wore last year, which was really outdated and unfitting. This is so much more modern…Peggy wears her long line bra and her girdle to make everything smooth and nice. That’s a trick she’s picked up.”

By season three, Peggy has also gotten rid of the high-flying ponytail to make way for the flipped out bob. Clothes are getting less complicated with skirts losing their fullness and fewer petticoats needed. Of this look, Bryant says, “I think it’s a perfect piece for Peggy because it is staying true to the silhouette that I love for her, which is a more fitted bodice, but with something pleated or sheared. Her skirts are typically fuller than the other characters’. She’s still buttoned-up and high-collared, and perky and serious”.

But Bryant promises, the times, they are a changin’, and so are the costumes.  So say “goodbye” to bow blouses and “hello” to mini skirts because come season 4, it’s all about mod.

Mad to the Bone

It’s been well-documented that the fashion industry is lusting over “Mad Men”.

Joan’s bombshell hourglass dresses, Betty’s taffeta party confections, and Don’s two-button suits and fedoras have all inspired seasoned designers and retail chains alike to take a fashion history class and restudy the 60′s. Peter Som and Isaac Mizrahi admit to a “Mad” addiction just as recent runways shows from fans Donatella Versace and Michael Kors show a bit of Janie Bryant’s  influence as well.

Last summer, “Mad Men” partnered with Banana Republic by creating a collection of men’s and women’s day wear inspired by the series. MM-themed window displays (below) accompanied a contest encouraging viewers to dress up in pencil skirts and pussy bow blouses with the winning ensemble being awarded a walk-on part in an upcoming episode.  Brooks Brothers provides the series with wardrobe and has a special “Mad Men Edition” suit available for non-actors enamoured with Don’s impeccable style.

For the average viewer who thinks the clothes are pretty sweet, getting the look is a little bit trickier.  You could go the authentic route and hunt down 60′s-era look-alikes online or at local second-hand boutiques.  This could be fun, but also time consuming and challenging since vintage garments fit differently (and sometimes more awkwardly) than modern clothing.

Luckily, there are plently of modern options as fashion is always recycling itself and a sheath dress is a sheath dress no matter what decade.  Instead of pairing that dress with this year’s open-toed platforms, rock it with sleeker pointy toed pumps, a structured satchel and a pen pendant necklace. Voila!  You’re channeling Joan Holloway.  Guys can take a page out of Sal’s sketchbook and wear a non-matching vest under that brown check suit. And don’t forget the skinny tie.  It’s always about the skinny tie.

And lucky for all of megawatt fans, “Mad Men” finally returns for season 4, beginning July 25th (on AMC, of course).   So, as the saying goes, tune into us as we keep up with the Drapers, the Coopers and the Campbells as well as their ever evolving wardrobes. And with the series moving  into the mid-60′s, mini skirts and go-go boots are surely on the horizon adding a new playful dimension to the costumes.