The Mad Men magazine cover parade continues and if you haven’t had enough of men in tuxedos from today’s Met Gala posts then here is another treat as Jon Hamm is wearing tails on the June issue of Vanity Fair.
One slight criticism in that I wish they had either gone full beard – which we know Hamm can grow – or clean shaven. This in-between stubble is not really working for me.
A carousel is a symbolic high point for Mad Men as Don channeled his inner turmoil in the season 1 finale to perform one of the pitches of his career. When he tried to recreate this by combining a personal anecdote with a product at the end of last year it had the opposite effect as he went too far; stories about family are a yes, stories of whorehouses are a big no. Don is back at work and he’s acting like a spoiled child and he’s no longer the superstar genius who everyone wants to work with. To people like Ken, who bought up the carousel pitch last week he still holds mysticism and charm, to Peggy and most of the partners he is a liability who might implode at any minute.
After a much needed pep talk from Freddie, who like Don has tried to find a solution at the bottom of a bottle, Don goes back to work with the right frame of mind. Freddie didn’t get the chance to make up for his pissing in the office misdemeanor, even though this was something that happened behind closed doors and his six months leave was a polite way of saying fired. Freddie has become Don’s mirror in a way and a lot of this final season is circling back on the first. It’s why the carousel is still an important image, despite that episode ending with personal sorrow as Don returned to an empty house.
This week closes with The Hollies singing “On a Carousel” and with the repetition of “up, down, up, down” it is a tad on the nose, but hey it’s the closing credit music so I’ll give it a pass. That is also an Olivia Pope combined with Alicia Florrick size wine glass on the single cover.
With the Mad Men coverage this season I wanted to try something that didn’t necessarily follow the types of straightforward reviews that I have written on this site and others for previous seasons. So for the season premiere I showed an example of Mad Men influencing my style choices, last week it was all about the closing credits music and for the third episode “Field Trip” I want to take a look at some of the costume highlights from the episode.
I’m pretty sure I had a bed spread and sleeping bag that resembled Megan’s blouse when I was kid; items from the late 60s/early 70s that my parents still used. They were pretty hideous like Megan’s blouse (swap the green for more brown and you get the idea), but now I find something rather nostalgically charming about this floral mess and I wish I still had them now. It’s like someone vomited flowers on this top and pairing it with a canary-yellow crotchet micro means that Megan would *almost* fit in at Coachella. She just needs to cut the sleeves off the blouse, knot it and she would be good to go.
Megan’s style is always evolving; keeping in tune with her surroundings and what is featured on the pages of Vogue. Whereas the former Mrs Draper is all about simple glamour pairing her dress and jackets, the last time she looked fashion forward was on her trip to Rome with Don and that was all a facade. There’s the whole politicians wife look, but Betty is once again the Grace Kelly double even with these trappings. The frumpy fat days are long gone and Bobby still isn’t sure if his mom eats anything (hence why he traded her sandwich). This is where the sunglasses, cigarette and silent treatment come in. To prove her worth she drinks out of the bucket of milk, unlike the real farmer’s daughter she will always be wearing a bra and clutching her purse.
Anne Dudek! Beyond thrilled to see the return of Francine and she’s part of the reason behind Betty’s sudden interest in going on a school trip to the farm. One of Betty greatest weaknesses is how much she compares herself to others, sure we all do it, but Betty reaches new depths with her competitive streak. Look how great Francine looks as she excitedly gesticulates what she’s been up to and that’s working three days a week as a travel (something Betty tries to undermine by mentioning real estate, which Francine failed at). Francine’s matching coral pant suit is spectacular and she looks modern in a way that Betty’s pearls will never do. Betty is also shameless when it comes to name dropping and pretending that she doesn’t love to show off about her life. Betty still gets usurped as Francine has something Betty doesn’t and that’s fulfillment.
Joan in a Peter Pan red rose covered dress and knee boots (not removing for Bert’s no shoe rule) is everything. I would wear this now.
Same goes for Peggy’s green emphasized seem dress and things are looking less tween in Peggy’s work attire this week and yet she still gets no respect. PS. Peggy, Don’s taking your office, which they’re still calling Lane’s office.
Stan’s going on safari, Ginsberg’s taking smart casual to a whole new cardigan/tie level, Peggy’s got prim down and Meredith likes what she sees while wearing one of the official patterns of this year; paisley.
Dawn’s got a new job and she’s gone for a sharper look and she’s killing it in this blazer. It’s a shame Don hasn’t paid much attention to all of these changes as he still gives her his hat and coat to put away, plus she’s still his go to coffee maker. Moving up, but only kinda. Another item for my closet and mustard list is that blouse, not sure how much I could work a collar like that.
The hippie and the rich man in plaid. It’s an odd combination and while Roger is still clinging to his place in the hierarchy at SC&P, he manages to show loyalty and business acumen by arguing why they need to keep Don. The LSD hasn’t completely ruined his capacity to show charm, wit and smarts.
Janie Bryant continues to produce costuming that adds rich textured layering to the viewing experience and also manages to make me feel nostalgic for items I cringed at having to use – that sleeping bag at sleepovers seemed like the ultimate embarrassment and now there is only love. One important figure who doesn’t feature this week in these shots from the episode is Don as his style is never evolving; does he have the capacity for change?
“Happy Valentine’s Day, I love you.”
The first episode of Mad Men‘s seventh season ended with a punch to the gut for both Peggy and Don as one collapsed on the floor of her apartment in tears and the other sat outside on his freezing balcony in a catatonic like state. It’s Valentine’s Day, 1969 and there’s not a lot of joy in either of Peggy or Don’s life at the moment as the secrets they keep are eating them up inside. For Peggy, her relationship with Ted or really his departure to California and away from her is causing her way more sorrow than she would like to admit; a simple mix up over some red roses sends her spiraling. Peggy passes vague messages through secretaries only to take out her frustration and embarrassment on an innocent Shirley.
In another part of town Don jokingly declares that he is looking for love and he finds it in an unlikely place as he has reconciliation with his daughter. There’s a lot that has been left unsaid between Sally and Don since she walked in on him with Sylvia and while it would seem he has divulged details of his upbringing – the truths he told at work are nothing she doesn’t know he reassures – the topic of his dalliances is different.
Kiernan Shipka gets a lot of red carpet props on here, but really it’s her role as Sally Draper that is everything as she conveys just how hard it was for her to come to Don’s building and practically spits out the word “hairspray.” Later on “spectacular” has the same level of snarky venom as Don inquires about her studies. There’s a wealth of resentment and her apathetic feelings towards her father and his lies is completely understandable. Being a disaffected teen is nothing out of the ordinary, however this extra layer of disenchantment thanks to the lies adults tell hits Don right where it hurts.
“Please stop. Stop Talking.”
Instead of avoiding the issue which is generally the Don Draper approach (unless he is backed into a corner), Don confronts this Sally thing head on and I’d be quite happy to spend an entire “Suitcase” type of episode with father and daughter hashing it out. It turns out they don’t need this long and while Don doesn’t get any magical enlightenment in how to fix his work problems, he does heal this wound and Sally’s last line (which opens this article) is enough to push me into misty eyed territory.
The song which closes out the episode after Sally has given Don an unexpected reaffirming declaration is The Zombies with “This Will be our Year.” So while this season has started with utter despair, this signals that there is still hope to be had.
Kicking off the season 7 Mad Men chat neither with an essay discussing the gut wrenching Peggy collapsing to the floor scene – if I could reach into the screen and give her a hug I would – nor with a look at Don’s working status and his Freddie Rumsen proxy. Instead I’m going to share something I tried last summer (thanks to a Megan headscarf in “The Better Half”) and how a Peggy outfit in the season 7 premiere includes the office version of this accessory. A sort of Mad Men Ate My Wardrobe if you will and one that means it’s time to play serious face poses with Emma Fraser.
Peggy works the red, white and blue classic palette like a pro and even though she’s never going to be fashion forward like Megan (and her attempts at this will end in big bowed disaster), her work wear has consistently improved throughout the seasons. She’s found a way to dress for work that’s neither dowdy (as it was in season 1) nor is she trying too hard. This doesn’t hold the same striking power play look as this AMAZING pantsuit and why would it when she is not standing in Don’s shoes. It’s still relatively conservative style wise for 1969 and yet the knitted beret is something that wouldn’t look out of place today. The scarf is not so 2014, which is why it works much better as a head scarf.
First of all the front facing camera quality isn’t the best, but rather than posing awkwardly again for a new photo I wanted to use the one from last summer and oh boy am I regretting the pout and lack of lipstick. The scarf is very much like Peggy’s and it is vintage (from my favorite vintage shop which just closed down *sob*). As I mentioned the inspiration came from Megan in “The Better Half” and I have to say that short hair with a headscarf like this made me long for a ponytail; it can work with either long, short or mid-length hair. It’s also something that Megan isn’t going to ditch anytime soon as we saw her wearing Don’s gift in her hair in “Time Zones” as their marriage continues to look like something out of movie from the outside. Gifts can only go so far and when there’s not enough time to argue, it also cuts down any examination of how hollow this relationship is. Unless you count chatting to Neve Campbell of course. OK so there is some episode analysis among the headscarf vs. neck scarf suggestions.
Pairing this scarf with a ruffled blouse in “Time Zones” is giving off some old timey pirate vibes.
The TV Ate My Wardrobe weekly Mad Men coverage isn’t going to be the same format with each episode and I think there’s already a tome of incredible reviews out there so I will be trying to avoid this structure. Even if this means awkward/serious selfies.
It’s that time of month for the newsstands to get an influx of new magazines and this edition of Out of the Box is looking at striking images from New York magazine, Vanity Fair, the annual Beautiful People issue of Paper and the The Normal Heart cast covering The Hollywood Reporter.
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Michelle Williams and Alan Cumming are appearing on stage together in Cabaret and New York magazine is celebrating this collaboration with an amazing photo of the pair in this week’s issue. It’s a departure from how we are used to seeing Cumming as relatively buttoned up Eli Gold on The Good Wife – though Cumming has won a Tony for his previous Cabaret turn – and it’s Williams’ Broadway debut. It’s a super cool photo and there’s extra excitement for me personally as I have tickets for Cabaret this summer, if you’re a regular reader you will know how much I adore the work and styling of Michelle Williams.
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The Beautiful People issue of Paper has many TV Ate My Wardrobe favorites so it was hard to pick out just one, in the end Jessica Williams is our choice because she’s rocking the Tanya Taylor stripes and for her always awesome appearances on The Daily Show. Williams also appeared on the most recent season of Girls and along with coveting all her outfits; it was good to see her flexing her acting chops on a show like this.
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Mad Men returns this weekend for part one of the final season and Kiernan Shipka continues to kill it on both the red carpet and in fashion editorials. This Tommy Hilfiger ensemble is classic all American with a color block twist and I adore the hair flick that nods to the decade prior to the one Sally Draper currently lives in. I want all the good things for Shipka and that she can navigate the tricky path which is growing up on camera. So far she is doing a stellar job and I’m also glad to see editorials like this Vanity Fair one choosing age appropriate clothes for her to wear.
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The Normal Heart is on the highly anticipated list and this week Jim Parsons, Taylor Kitsch, Matt Bomer and Mark Ruffalo cover The Hollywood Reporter and look unsurprisingly dapper. If you haven’t seen the trailer you can watch it here and be warned the room you are in might suddenly get dusty.
Bonus Taylor Kitsch from the issue and he is wearing the hell out of those Salvatore Ferragamo pants and Dior shirt. For more photos head here.
PaleyFest is over and we’re keeping a focus on red carpet events with this edition of Out of the Box as a How I Met Your Mother star balances the series finale week with the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Mad Men has its seventh season premiere and Rashida Jones celebrates a new writing venture.
Cobie Smulders looks like she knows how pissed off you are about the How I Met Your Mother finale at the Captain America premiere and putting aside all those feelings momentarily – I’m a very casual viewer and I’m annoyed by that ending – to bask in this fantastic red carpet look. The navy blue asymmetrical Sportmax gown throws in peplum and plunge detail that together look super elegant. Almost bonus points for the fantastic clutch and earrings, losing those points as she could do with another accessory or two. Smulders nails the role of Maria Hill once again and this Captain America sequel lets the female characters be good at their jobs, in appropriate non cleavy costuming and they don’t fall down the ‘damsel in distress’ incredibly lazy trope. All of these things made me very happy indeed, more of this please Marvel.
As with the four women of Mad Men featured last week – this time Jon Hamm and January Jones enter the mix – there are many different style choices on display and I kinda love all of them. Kiernan Shipka continues to be on point and age appropriate in a metallic floral long sleeved, but super funky Nina Ricci frock. Also working the metallic angle is Christina Hendricks in a Wes Gordon silver skirt, paired to perfection with a simple but elegant black blouse.
The current and former Mrs Draper, Jessica Paré and January Jones are working the fashion forward angle; Paré rocking Antonio Berardi which for some reason made me think of the kind of gown Johanna in Catching Fire would have preferred to symbolize a tree. Jones is in Roksanda Ilincic and the bold gold belting detail brings it all together, not so sure about the side braid for this event. It’s a softer look for Jones who has a habit of going severe on the red carpet; maybe she’s less intense when it’s a Mad Men event rather than an awards show.
Elisabeth Moss has opted for an Alexander McQueen skirt with a super high daring thigh slit and while she looks pretty rock and roll, swapping the dramatically dark eyes for red lip color would really set this look alight. Jon Hamm’s blue suit makes a change from the influx of grey that has been dominating red carpets recently, but the women are the ones who stand out. This cast is still one of the best dressed and I can’t wait for all the costuming treats this year as we head into polyester and clashing patterns territory.
Rashida Jones is at event celebrating her new column for Glamour magazine (she is one busy lady) and this Adeam dress perfectly straddles the party/professional line. The shell pattern adds whimsy to the look and the silver heels help make this outfit pop, as does the dash of pink lipstick.
It’s week two of Paleyfest and this has delivered more fantastic outfits from the stars of shows like Mad Men, Masters of Sex, Agents of SHIELD, The Mindy Project, Community and Veep. Here are the ones that stood out.
The women of Mad Men work a variety of styles both on and off the show; however they don’t look like they are attending different events which can sometimes be an issue at these panels. Kiernan Shipka is once again showing that being a teenager doesn’t take away any fashion credibility and her Dolce & Gabbana floral dress is once again age appropriate and on point. Christina Hendricks does a nice job of honoring L’Wren Scott in an amazing green dress by the designer that flatters and accentuates those famous curves.
Jessica Paré is the most high fashion of the group (the absent January Jones also vies for this spot) and this Roksanda Ilincic frock looks pretty standard from this angle. What this shot is missing out is how extreme the half-wrap orange fold is and this is a dress that looks amazing in a lot of photos and a mess in others. Paré pulls it off even if I’m not in love with her shoes. Elisabeth Moss is showing off her fun side, which we have been seeing on the red carpet and in the recent New York magazine profile in a black mini Emilio Pucci number. The white lace panel and bow detail adds a hint of vintage and combining bold red lips and shoes adds that extra something to the outfit.
I really shouldn’t like this Mason by Michelle Mason jumpsuit that Agent of SHIELD’s Chloe Bennet is wearing as I’ve made my feelings on jumpsuit’s clear last week and black tends to be the only kind of jumpsuit that I could even consider. For some reason I think this looks really great and I’m just going to go with it. The slightly different blue pumps make sure it’s not too matchy matchy and I am forever a sucker for pockets.
Now this is more my usual speed (pockets again) and Annaleigh Ashford from Masters of Sex looks incredibly charming in this Novis dress. I was worried the red pumps might be a step too far, but the more I look at them, the more they work. The variety of textures, pattern and color make this a frock to covet and I’m excited that Ashford’s Betty is returning for season 2.
The Mindy Project is back next week after they left us on a kissing cliffhanger in January and here is a sneak peek of how adorable Chris Messina and Mindy Kaling look together. Kaling is wearing a beautiful emerald green jacquard Topshop high-waisted skirt and crop top; she explains in this month’s Vogue that “It’s really tempting to not take chances. But I don’t want to be fearful.” This sentiment sums up Kaling’s outfit decisions well and I love how she embraces fashion in this way even if it doesn’t always work. On this occasion it definitely does and this is great color on her.
As Britta Perry, Gillian Jacobs doesn’t get to wear a whole array of party frocks – don’t get me wrong I love her endless supply of striped sweaters, plaid shirts and jeans – so at the Community panel it is good to see her bring it in House of Holland. The coral and navy starburst disco dress is a bold, fun choice.
Veep returns in a couple of weeks and it’s yet another show I need to catch up on (Game of Thrones is giving me so much side eye right about now). Julia Louis-Dreyfus looks super sophisticated in this charcoal grey getup; the black pattern and belting are both flattering and stops it from becoming just a dress for the office.
The Mad Men cover parade began last week with Jessica Paré on Stylist and as we’re now only a month away (!) from the season premiere, the profile pieces are rolling in. This one comes courtesy of New York magazine and I’m so happy with who they declare is the star of Mad Men. Of course Mad Men is the Don Draper show, but it’s also become just as much about Peggy Olson and so much of this has to do with Elisabeth Moss’ performance.
As with Jessica Paré’s recent cover story, she doesn’t look a whole lot like the character she portrays on Mad Men – this is a bigger deviation than Paré’s Stylist wardrobe. The dungarees/nothing else combination is not necessarily what I would expect from an editorial of this kind – there is an alternate cover with Moss wearing nothing but a towel standing on top of a drinks trolley – and it’s playing on the impish quality that we witnessed when Moss turned hero, flipping off mani cam at the Golden Globes.
The shorter hair is serving Moss well and she looks really great; while I’m not totally wild about the styling, it’s definitely a departure. In fact this feels like something that someone lacking in imagination would give to Lena Dunham (she’s semi-naked, right) and it works because it’s not necessarily expected from the actress who plays Peggy Olson. To steal a line from Steve Carell in Crazy, Stupid, Love it is also the perfect combination of sexy and cute.
Willa Paskin’s profile is fantastic and it’s this description of why Peggy is so important that stands out “TV has many ambitious women, but Peggy stands out among them for navigating a working world—with glass ceilings, boys’ clubs, and take-me-seriously work clothes—that feels, despite its period detail, remarkably contemporary.” Peggy is the one character I really care about on this show; the one I want to see get a win when the whole thing wraps up.
One element of these kinds of interviews is finding that point where the subject is ‘just like us’ and of course this can come across as manufactured, with Moss it doesn’t feel contrived. She mentions her love of celebrity gossip, even though she has experienced it herself “I enjoy a little gossip. I like looking at photos of celebrities going to Starbucks.”
Another observation that made me smile comes courtesy of the moment where we find out Moss is wearing (“a loud fluorescent-pink-and-green zip-up hoodie over a short-sleeved peasant blouse, jeans with holes in the knees, and flip-flops”) as Moss tells Paskin “That’s my favorite part of articles. I always want to know what they’re wearing. I want to know what Amy Adams wears to lunch.” Count me in.
To read the full interview head here.
Mad Men returns for the first half of its final season in just over a month (Sunday, April 9) and the new artwork uses the classic Don Draper illustrated image from the opening credits with a psychedelic twist. Milton Glaser, the man behind the iconic “I ♥ NY” campaign and co-founder of New York magazine designed the poster and it’s treat for the eyes. The theorizing begins when a new Mad Men image is unveiled; last season’s double Don Draper is the most ambiguous and provoked a huge response, whereas other key art has been more straightforward like Don standing in an empty office for season 4 (and seem to have inspired the 50 Shades of Grey teaser). This is definitely the most colorful of the Mad Men campaigns so far and as always a drink is never far from Don Draper. With a trippy image like this it has me wondering whether Ken will be tap dancing again and whether Don will sink into oblivion.
It’s likely that there will be several Mad Men cast members covering magazines in the run up to the new season and kicking things off is Jessica Paré on Stylist.
This is a departure from anything Megan related and there is always a push pull with magazine editorials between dressing the actors in clothes you would see on the show or embracing something more in tune with the current year we are in. Paré discusses her personal style “Truth be told I’m a pretty practical person so I do like the idea of mixing more accessible brands with designer” as well as what we already know about “Zou Bisou Bisou” – “That song really stays in your head. It’s so catchy and you can’t get it out.” Don’t I know it; currently The Good Wife’s “Thicky Trick” is wrestling for its place for biggest earworm. Well, that and “Let it Go.”
Of course she doesn’t spill any secrets about what’s going to happen to Megan in season 7, though the much talked about Sharon Tate t-shirt is brought up “As far as I know it’s just a T-shirt; just a costume.” You can read the full interview here and Stylist is now available on the iPad (and it’s totally free!).
So there’s a little Mad Men taster and we will have much more coverage as April 9 approaches.
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