It’s time to wake up and smell the scotch as Mad Men’s sixth season kicks in this April. Get ready for a fresh twist on the sizzling sensuality of the ‘60s. As you know, plot contents are a volatile mix of mano a mano moves between ad guys paralleled with an undercurrent of their intriguing personal lives. This, while they’re perfectly dressed and coiffed. So in a bout to inspire you to channel your own inner Draper, we decided to curate some of our fave style nuggets from the show. (Ladies, we’ll have your trends featured next week, we promise).
Trend highlights:
The ‘60s highlighted a “mod” trend that touted fitted shirts, suits with narrow lapels and drainpipe pants. Banana Republic has a whole line dedicated to the show and the look. The white shirt seemed to be a staple in past seasons (that might be a Madison Avenue trait), never the less the ‘60s were big on color, prints, plaid and polka dots, so we recommend introducing a pop of color in every ensemble. You’ll see flashes of all these trends in different situations in the show—business, business-casual, casual and our favorite: pleasure.
The picks:
1. Jackets and suits: As the general trend goes, boardroom attire has definitely loosened up over the years but you can never go wrong with a jacket. And don’t be afraid of plaid. Remember Pete Campbell’s sports jacket he donned for Draper’s surprise party?
Notice the red tie? Color works well, especially when you sport standard hues for suits as it always adds balance. If the jacket or coat gets too much for you, a well-fitted plaid shirt can also save the day.
Fitted suits with different lapel styles and three-piece suits make for a popular sartorial trend highlighted in the series. When it comes for formal wear for the beau, our favorite is Hugo Boss – their silhouettes have that sexy old world charm. The blue Boss suit below has classic French pockets and notched lapels we would put our money on. We also love Thomas Pink and Etro for sports coats. Express does fitted silhouettes very well too.
2. Pocket squares: In seasons past, the three main characters Don Draper, Roger Sterling and Pete Campbell have worn pocket squares differently: horizontal, pointed and multi-pointed.
Nordstrom has a good selection by Michael Kors, Brooks Brothers, Robert Talbott and Psycho Bunny while Bergdorf Goodman has the classics.
3. Polka dot ties: Hugo Boss, Express and Neiman Marcus offer a wide milieu of bold colors and patterned ties. We’re totally betting on the dots, though. Stripes are nice and always around, but dots are classic and at the same time challenge the status quo in a way (and we’re all about that).
4. Good old cufflinks: One point to note is that even though color was a big deal then, Mad Men in that era tried to be understated and yet made powerful statements because of accessories like cuff links. Attention to detail added to their grooming eloquence adding to their charm. Cuff links and monogrammed accessories ruled the day back then.
We love these embossed and semi-precious Burberry cufflinks and BOSS Blackcufflinks available at Saks.
We also chanced upon these unique Mad Men cufflinks, a bit too loud for our taste, but they would make a cool gift for an over the top “mad” fan:
While the plot thickens, play dress up and impress your significant other ‘60s style, we guarantee that it will totally be worth the madness.
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