How to dress for that Mad Men Party

So ladies, how DOES one dress for a "Mad Men" party?

The block buster television series, Mad Men, is in it's fourth season and going stronger than ever. The story line is riveting and the actors are phenomenal. In the off chance that you are not familiar with the show the series centers around a New York City ad agency and the lives of the people who work there. It takes place during the first half of the 1960s, a golden age of sorts. Employment was high, housing was affordable and the consumer market was booming. As you can imagine the ad business was populated by ambitious men and women on the cutting edge of popular culture. A big reason the show has been such a screaming success is the meticulous attention the creators have paid to accurate set design and costuming. The watcher is transported in every way to the time of the story.

In the past couple of years Mad Men has brought new interest to the world of vintage (yippee!). People are throwing Mad Men parties for all kinds of occasions and the question I hear most is "how do I dress?" The first question I ask is who do you want to emulate? Are you going for the Betty look... suburban-chic and sweet? Is Joan your muse...sophisticated and sensual? How about prim Peggy or my favorite, Rachel Menken from the earlier seasons, with her tailored couture look? These are some of the main characters but there are plenty of office girls and executives wives both young and "mature" to look to for inspiration.

As the seasons continue I suppose I will also have to ask which year they would like to focus on because as we enter into season four we should be seeing the fashions change. The mid sixties saw an explosion of trends, with the Mod look at the forefront of "new" fashion. For now though we can stick with the earlier sixties.

For simplicity I'm going to break the looks into three categories.

Suburban Sophisticates

City Chic

Office Girl

If you are going for suburban sophisticates (think Betty and neighbors) there are a few looks that will work well. For casual, try a shirtwaist cotton dress...fitted at the waist with full skirt. Not too long though, just a couple inches below the knee. Full or slim skirts and narrow cropped slacks were popular. You can team them with cotton camp style blouses or matching sweater sets. Simple pearls and small earrings and flats for shoes were common daytime accessories. For a dressier look you can go with one of those iconic slim evening gowns...sleeveless with jewel or lace trims and scooped necklines or a full skirted party dress with fitted bodice, also sleeveless. Long gloves would be a nice touch and pointed toe shoes with stiletto heels would be the footwear of choice.

City chic refers to the fashionistas of the day. Joan and Rachel had different styles but they both knew the latest vogue. Joan was ahead of the curve (pun intended) with her smart office dresses and ensembles that tastefully accentuated her bombshell figure. Although her style was form fitting I don't ever recall seeing any cleavage. Joan dresses would have narrow fitted skirts cut to just below the knee. They may have a fitted bodice but never a low neckline. Often times they had a draped detail or scarf at the neck highlighted with a large brooch. At home she wore tight capris and snug fitting tops.

Rachel's wardrobe was elegant and exquisitely tailored. It whispered Paris and money to me. She wore understated classics with statement accessories. I think of Chanel when I think Rachel Menken. Suits with cropped jackets and narrow skirts in fine wools and lovely tweeds are perfect. Bracelet length sleeves with gloves and oversized bangles and don't forget a set of multistrand beads the more strands the better. A touch of animal print in a scarf or blouse and if you dare a be-feathered bubble hat. Again, pointed toe shoes and stiletto heel.

The office girls are a bit less sophisticated and Peggy Olsen the ambitious secretary turned copy writer wore prim somewhat outdated clothing, especially in the beginning. Her dresses and ensembles were buttoned up with fitted bodices and full long skirts, longer than the look of the day. They often had dainty girlish details like little bows and Peter Pan collars. She wore little hats off the back of her head and short white gloves.

If you REALLY want authenticity get out the curlers and hairspray. If your hair is long do a side part and sweep the back up into a chignon, tease a little on top for a bit of height. For medium length hair curl the edges up into a flip and spray spray spray! if it's short try parting on the side and styling some waves, you can also wear a head band. For the finishing touch find a 1960s handbag, similar to the one in the picture below.

So... I think I've covered most of it, I might just add brocade or satin matching coats and dresses, they were quite popular for cocktail and evening. If it's cold outside you just might want to wear a vintage lady like coat. After the party you can wear it with jeans, boots and cozy scarf. Vintage coats are the Best!

There really are a lot of avenues to explore. Pick the one that you think would be the most fun for you. The good news is that there is a generous supply of Mad Men era clothing on the vintage market. Because it was an affluent time in our history women had more money to spend so they bought more clothing and accessories. Quality was still important so the things we find today are often in decent condition. If you would like to learn some of the important ins and outs of shopping for Vintage look for our book The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping. It can be found here on Amazon.com. or get a signed copy from our website. Happy vintage hunting and have a Mad-ball!

Those Dirty Keds!

I spend a lot of time perusing vintage magazines, for work as well as fun. I find them to be one of the best tools for researching vintage fashion but I also get a huge kick out seeing what was going on in Pop culture at the time. This morning I came across an ad that just tickled me pink , even better it was a true flash from my own past.

Let me start with a little story…

As a girl, in the mid 60s, the beginning of May marked the time for new sneakers. The weather was turning warm and it was time to retire the brown lace up oxfords that had served me well over the school year. Mom would take my sister and me to the shoe store where we would wait our turn in smooth vinyl seats with chrome handles, our stocking feet dangling above the floor. The salesman would soon come over and measure our feet on his trusty “Brannock” being careful to measure twice, once sitting and once standing.


Size determined... off to the back room he went, emerging soon after with two pristine shoe boxes, the word Keds printed in bold letters across each. Then the salesman would loosen up the laces and slip our feet into the brightest, snow white sneakers you ever saw. Deftly, he would tie them up and we were asked to stand... toes were checked to make sure they didn’t touch the end and we were told to walk up and back the aisle. When both Mom and salesman were satisfied that our new sneakers fit properly, back into the boxes they went and the sale was rung up.

The job of buying the sneakers was over but making them presentable was another thing …you see, in the mid 1960s no self respecting girl would allow herself to be seen in a pair of clean-white-right-out-of-the-box sneakers. A humiliation like that could never be lived down. To look cool, sneakers had to be dingy and worn (don‘t ask, there are no answers for these things).


The minute we got home, on went the sneakers, and out the back door went I. Stairs were a nuisance so off the porch I would jump, landing in the bald patch of yard at the edge of our sidewalk. There was a method we kids had for making new sneakers look acceptable … first you had to scuff up the rubber sides which was done by dragging your foot at every possible angle in the dirt and grit. Next came the cloth uppers which got a thorough rub down with same said dirt… laces too.



The final results were never ideal but they would do. You see the perfect look did not happen for a few weeks, after the wear and tear of summer play had worked it’s magic. By July every sneaker in the neighborhood had taken on a lovely gray patina and frayed holes had begun to appear . By August they reached their prime.

I had forgotten about this little ritual until I saw the above Keds ad in and old Ladies Home Journal from May 1968. Click and enlarge the picture at the top of this blog. You need to read the text, it’s the best part. Like they said “A clean pair of white Keds? Ridiculous!”





....'till next time take care and Peace to all.


Melody

A Slipper for Every Gal

Slippers for Sale! Mongomery Ward Catalog Fall 1956

...They were given names like Nymph, Tulip and Tea for Two. They were made from lovely materials... peau de soie, quilted brocades, wool felt and kidskin leather. Some had decorative details like beadwork,tassels, ruffles and even feathers. Others were simple, in a cozy comforting way. In an era where the flip flop reigns, it's hard for us to imagine a time when the indoor footwear market offered as many style choices as regular shoes.


House shoes or slippers have been around for a long time. I pulled
this quote from the website Graceful Step


..."the earliest record of the word slipper was recorded in English in 1478, deriving from the verb to slip, describing a type of footwear one slips into. The traditional British slipper of the Victorian era is the Albert slipper, named after Price Albert, of course, and is a velvet slipper with plain leather sole and quilted silk lining. It was worn about the house, particularly with black tie at the time but in modern or fashionable use is worn sometimes outside in informal settings." and...slippers had been part of Far and Near Eastern cultures for far longer than that.


For a good part of the 20th century the slipper business was a thriving industry. One of the most long lived companies (still going today) is Daniel Green. On the history page of their website they talk about how in the early 1800s a young shoe sales man, Daniel Green, was impressed by the felt shoes worn by factory workers to keep their feet warm. When he learned they were made from bits of piano felt he contracted with the felt manufacturer to produce a line of slippers for him. He had such faith in his new venture that he asked the owner to promise him "sole agency" to the product. In 1882 Daniel and his brother William sold 600 pair of these felt slippers and by 1884 they had sold 24,000 pair! New styles were added and popularity grew. Daniel Green died in 1891 but his company went on to design some of the most beautifully styled slippers you have ever seen. Beautiful enough to be worn as dress shoes.

Vintage Magazine ads for slippers

Daniel Green is probably the most recognizable name in vintage slippers but there were countless other manufacturers over the decades. In my Montgomery Ward catalog from Fall 1956 there is an entire page devoted to dozens of different slipper styles (pictured at top of blog). My MOST favorite vintage slippers is a 1953 pair of Oomphies called Turkish Toes shown in the collage below. At the time of this writing they are being offered for sale on my website.


Vintage slippers that are or have been on my website

Vintage house slippers are practical and fun. Often times they are so well made you can easily wear them in lieu of regular shoes. There is a style for every taste from sexy peep toe mules to toasty fleece lined moccasins. Check out your favorite vintage websites or shops and see what they have. You may need to be wait a while for the right ones to come along but it will be worth it, I guarantee!

'Til next time, Peace to you all

Melody

Pre-order our book The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping

I'm so very excited! My book The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping is at the presses right now and early copies will be arriving next month. The book will be on the shelves this coming October but if you want yours in September (and signed) you can pre-order right now from our website. Orders will be shipped towards the end of next month.



I want to thank Quirk Books for being my publisher, and especially Mary Ellen Wilson, editor extraordinaire! Our little guide focuses on how to buy vintage clothing and accessories but it also includes a bit of fashion history, as well as practical advice on caring for and cleaning your vintage wardrobe. Quirk always puts out wonderful AND affordable books. Ours is just $18.95 (plus shipping) but don't let the low price fool you, it's so loaded with tips, tricks and advice that even the veteran shopper will learn new things. PLUS there are lots of great pictures. Since vintage is all about celebrating fashion I tried to make it a fun read, nothing stuffy about this book!

One last thing. If you order copies from our website, as gifts, or for yourself, they can be signed and/or inscribed with a personal message. Just indicate that on the order form.

OK... enough with the sales pitch. Stay tuned for our next blog on vintage costume jewelry.

Till then Best to all!

Melody