By Todd Denning
As I'm sitting here in between television seasons and feeling nostalgic for my favorite show, Mad Men, I may just have to dress up my family and friends and keep the plot rolling along in my own invented world.
If you've never seen Mad Men, you're crazy! This Golden Globe and Emmy winning television drama that airs on the AMC channel is part high-brow drama, part social commentary, and part uncanny kitschy fun. Set your Tivo for season four in 2010 if you're not afraid to dive into the issues of cigarette smoking, drinking, sexism, adultery, homophobia, anti-Semitism and racism that were prevalent in the 1960s.
One thing that you'll notice right away when watching Mad Men is the historical authenticity and visual style of the 60s costumes, sets and locations. Stylists spend painstaking time to recreate a snapshot of this bygone time, shopping thrift stores, hunting through antique markets, borrowing from private collections and creating replica clothing, furniture and props. With a little bit of ingenuity, a raid through a grandparent's closet and some good costume props, you can create a Mad Men costume of your choice.
Imagine the ultra-cool you exude when you walk into the room as Don Draper, one of the partners of the fictional NYC ad agency. You just need a dark suit and a thin black tie to pull of the classic and dashing silhouette of this central character. Add some hair pomade and be sure to carry a silver cigarette lighter and glass half-filled with scotch.
Ladies will feel all Grace Kelly to dress up as his stunning, but icy-cold wife Betty Draper. Pay tribute to her former days as a model by dressing up in a retro evening gown and elbow-length gloves (for a client dinner, of course) or go for her sportier Mad Men costume, an equestrienne outfit. Don a wig if you don't naturally have her coiffed, blonde hair.
Other Mad Men costumes for women include Peggy, the secretary turned copywriter with her own office (gasp!) who is known for her short brunette bangs and pony tail. To pull off her Mad Men costume, a plaid dress will give you the nice, conservative style she prefers. For the more va-va-va-voom ladies, dressing up as office manager, Joan Holloway, will help you make a very memorable entrance. Just wear a red wig and make sure your curvy figure is accentuated in all the right places!
Men can dress as agency big-wig and silver fox, Roger Sterling, motivated up-and-comer Pete Campbell, creative-type Paul Kinsey or several of the other guys in the office. The one common denominator is they all pretty much wear the same 60s suit in some color variation. Add horn-rim glasses, bow-ties, vests, briefcases and other accessories that give your Mad Men costume extra flair. Click Here
Todd Denning
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Saturday, February 6, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
The Hippie Way Of Dressing
It is strange to talk about the fashion of people that called themselves nonconformists. However, the truth is that while hippies, as a group, were nonconformists and countercultural, hippies, as individuals, had a distinct fashion statement to make – colorful, loose, and as different from the Wall Street preppy style as possible.
How Hippie Fashion Began in the 1960s
While the Second World War saw American patriotism and nationalism come of age, the continued war gaming in Korea and then in Vietnam finally overwhelmed the strained nerves of Americans. People wanted to rebel against a society they increasingly came to realize was a repressive, power hungry empire builder. They wanted to begin living in an alternate lifestyle and go back to nature. The fashion of the 60s reflects this mood.
The basic trend in hippie clothing was to wear loose, wear colorful, and wear fussy. Wear natural, too; cotton and hemp were in, synthetic was out. Men and women both kept long hair, and facial beard was big, too. However, contrary to the widely held belief, hippie style hair did not regularly harbor lice. The hair was well cared for, regularly shampooed and washed in holy water.
One item of great popularity was handmade clothing. Macramé was immensely popular, and tie dyeing one’s cloth in pretty colors was the favorite pastime of youths who in later decades spent their free time bombing Sunday schools.
Basic Looks of 1960s Hippie Fashion
A hippie wardrobe usually had an eclectic collection of rag-tag clothing; but some things were necessary. Everyone wore hip hugging bell-bottom jeans. These usually had fringes at the ankle and anywhere else a fringe could possibly be made, and flower patches were universal. People just loved their flowers and wore them in the hair with ribbons and things. A peace sign of some sort was a must. Skimpy halter tops which left little to imagination, not necessarily drug-induced, was the thing to wear in those days of sexual freedom.
The Skirt That Was A Health Hazard
In those days, breaking boundaries was the thing to do. Receding hemlines started riots, and shortening skirts became fashionable until there wasn’t anywhere more to go. So people took to naturism, the ultimate in 60s fashion. Hundreds of pretty hippie girls, wearing nothing but flowers. What days those were!
The Power Of The Flower
Flowers were worn by everyone in the hippie times. They represented peace, which was important to them; it also represented universal love, which somehow stood for free love as well. Floral designs were also universal, appearing in dresses, skirts, t-shirts and elsewhere. Mostly, they wore flowers in their hair and as garlands around their necks.
Lastly, we need to talk about leather sandals. This was a sort of compromise, because hippie principles only allowed for barefoot walking. But barefoot walking wasn't easy, and you tended to get your feet dirty and ... er ... stuff. So, leather sandals.
How Hippie Fashion Began in the 1960s
While the Second World War saw American patriotism and nationalism come of age, the continued war gaming in Korea and then in Vietnam finally overwhelmed the strained nerves of Americans. People wanted to rebel against a society they increasingly came to realize was a repressive, power hungry empire builder. They wanted to begin living in an alternate lifestyle and go back to nature. The fashion of the 60s reflects this mood.
The basic trend in hippie clothing was to wear loose, wear colorful, and wear fussy. Wear natural, too; cotton and hemp were in, synthetic was out. Men and women both kept long hair, and facial beard was big, too. However, contrary to the widely held belief, hippie style hair did not regularly harbor lice. The hair was well cared for, regularly shampooed and washed in holy water.
One item of great popularity was handmade clothing. Macramé was immensely popular, and tie dyeing one’s cloth in pretty colors was the favorite pastime of youths who in later decades spent their free time bombing Sunday schools.
Basic Looks of 1960s Hippie Fashion
A hippie wardrobe usually had an eclectic collection of rag-tag clothing; but some things were necessary. Everyone wore hip hugging bell-bottom jeans. These usually had fringes at the ankle and anywhere else a fringe could possibly be made, and flower patches were universal. People just loved their flowers and wore them in the hair with ribbons and things. A peace sign of some sort was a must. Skimpy halter tops which left little to imagination, not necessarily drug-induced, was the thing to wear in those days of sexual freedom.
The Skirt That Was A Health Hazard
In those days, breaking boundaries was the thing to do. Receding hemlines started riots, and shortening skirts became fashionable until there wasn’t anywhere more to go. So people took to naturism, the ultimate in 60s fashion. Hundreds of pretty hippie girls, wearing nothing but flowers. What days those were!
The Power Of The Flower
Flowers were worn by everyone in the hippie times. They represented peace, which was important to them; it also represented universal love, which somehow stood for free love as well. Floral designs were also universal, appearing in dresses, skirts, t-shirts and elsewhere. Mostly, they wore flowers in their hair and as garlands around their necks.
Lastly, we need to talk about leather sandals. This was a sort of compromise, because hippie principles only allowed for barefoot walking. But barefoot walking wasn't easy, and you tended to get your feet dirty and ... er ... stuff. So, leather sandals.
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