A s with other things in my life, I was attracted to "Mad Men" purely on a style and fashion basis. The addiction to the plotline followed shortly after. Despite the rampant misogyny, racism, xenophobia, drug use, philandering and alcohol abuse, the ad men of Madison Ave. and their whirling social sphere execute all of the above with stylish panache. Costume designer Janie Bryant rose to the top of everyone's uber?stylist list after just the first few episodes of "Mad Men," and for very good reason. The clothes, impeccably sourced, help define the roles of the characters, from Betty's icy blue silk dresses to Sal's slightly flamboyant suits.
The "Mad Men" style was so popular that Bryant created an exclusive capsule collection with Banana Republic and churned out press hype and style kudos with classic looks for men and women. General "Mad Men" style influences even began cropping up on the runway.
Fashion critics noticed around 2009 that trends in women's wear began gravitating more towards demure lengths for skirts, silky blouses and generally more feminine, work?appropriate looks. When the economy started tanking, even the women in the top spending brackets felt the need to make more economical and timeless purchases. There is something gauche about sporting a trendy, $15,000 fur coat when families are being evicted from foreclosed homes. One could say that the boozy style of the 1960s sobered up post?millennial fashion. Cue kitten heels and pocket squares. "Betty Draper Style" cropped up as a spring trend in New York Magazine's February 2012 edition, and one would be remiss not to notice the striking similarities between the most recent Louis Vuitton prim and pastel ads and the 1960s housewife uniform.
Obviously a literal interpretation of the costume design would look too dated, but I think many elements for women and men can be incorporated into everyday wear. Take, for example, the low kitten heels worn by Betty and the women of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce's looming office. A sucker for anything over five inches, I have found these low alternatives to be more practical.
I can vaguely articulate that the men of the show simply look damn handsome. Specifically, the tailoring on their suits is a little more angular and a lot more meticulous, with shorter hems on pants showing off leather dress shoes. Of course, there is something rakish and intriguing about a man in a fedora, and in the '60s it was in the most un?ironic way possible. Even within style hubs like New York or London, hats are just not commonplace any more.
Besides individual articles, part of the design brilliance of the show comes in the form of grand party and vacation scenes where the fashion transforms the mood. Two excellent examples of this are episodes like "The Jet Set" and "My Old Kentucky Home." In an interview, Bryant reported that "Kentucky" required the most styling of any show, and the work certainly was evident. Everyone was positively glowing with spring, even down to the band in the background with its red?and?white striped suits and flat?top hats. If the "Kentucky" episode highlights refined bourgeoisie dress at its finest, "Jet Set" portrays a moneyed bohemian crowd where the women have an all?or?nothing (quite literally) approach to fashion. Sweeping chiffon caftans, coral pink nail polish and arms full of bangles adorn ladies' arms; the men wear navy?trimmed white blazers with no shirts underneath. The sheer abundance of colorful clothing, accessories and fine jewelry conveys the wealth and ridiculousness that the producers want to make sure we don't miss.
The clothes certainly made the (Mad) men.
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Elizabeth Landers is a junior majoring in political science. She can be reached at Elizabeth.Landers@tufts.edu.
