Mad Men

I have finally got around to beginning to watch the much lauded Mad Men - and I LOVE it! I just finished Season Two. It is set at the beginning of the 60's on Madison Avenue, the advertising hub of New York. It's the era of JFK & Jackie, television, martinis, the Rat Pack, Marilyn Monroe and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The corporate Boy's Club antics of long, gout-inducing lunches, smoking & swilling martinis and scotch in the office and lewd treatment of secretaries is interesting. And sometimes not so retro! Don is calculatingly cool and even at his worst, still exudes a hypnotic Clooney-esque charm, even while you sympathize with his long suffering, sweet trophy-wife, Betty. (Although in Season Two, she appears to be growing claws!)
I love the mise-en scene - the 60's furniture, Don's Buick, Betty-Crocker style kitchens and the dark tones, walnut paneling and low furniture at the Madison Avenue offices of Sterling Cooper. As for the fashion - well! Divine! Interestingly, the sets reminded me of the slick, sexy, masculine style of the George Falconer's beautiful 'glass house' in a ‘A Single Man', set in 1962, directed by designer Tom Ford and starring Colin Firth. Then I read on this Blog that Mad Mens Production Designer Dan Bishop has won three awards for Art Direction - and also worked on the set of ‘A Single Man’! Amazing how like attracts like!
I am adoring Betty Draper's polished, glacial Grace Kelly-as-housewife look with her headbands, full skirts and fitted sweaters, with not a flaxen hair out of place. And the ever present cigarette! (I also love the fact that January Jones has not had her teeth fixed with veneers, giving her such a more appealing look).
And of course Joan (Christina Hendricks), with her amazing hour-glass style curves pored into the most fitting dresses. Her flaming locks and fuchsia pink, fire truck red and shocking blue outfits scream are spectacular.
Channel your inner-Joan with pencil skirts, cinched in waists, a great bra, fitted sweaters, ruby-red matte lipstick and swept up back-combed do's.

Secretary Chic by LoulouBlue

A lot of MAC makeup is used for the Mad Men women, as explained here. Great to see that Joan's dramatic cat eyes are created by one of my fave MAC liners, Blacktrack. Black eyeliner, matte lips and cinched in, tailored suits will never date!