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fashion inspiration: mad men

March 24, 2012 in fashion

It seems no matter where you turn this week, everything is about Mad Men. The hit TV show is back on screens tomorrow night so where else could we look for our fashion inspiration this week?

One of the best things about looking to Mad Men for our inspiration is that we have three women with three different shapes and styles to draw on. Let’s break down the elements.

Pencil skirts: Channel your inner Joan and pull on a wiggle skirt or, better still, a dress that skims all your curves.

Consider this Hybrid button detail dress from Asos ($152.19) to get a bit of a retro vibe in your wardrobe.

A-line skirts: If you’re more of a Betty or a Peggy, a lovely A-line skirt on a ladylike dress will get you in the 60s mood.

Try on a look similar to Betty’s one above with Modcloth’s Let’s Fête Together Dress ($189.99).

Pussy bows: Peggy looks professional and modern in a printed pussy bow blouse.

While this L’Wren Scott Floral-print georgette pussy-bow top is out of my price range ($1,270 from Net-A-Porter), I can just imagine Peggy wearing it, can’t you?

Printed dresses: Both Betty and Peggy like to rock a printed dress. The former Mrs Draper is more often seen in feminine florals while Peggy is more mod in her geometric prints.

Try to replicate Betty’s look above with the Bed of Roses Dress from Alannah Hill (A$349)

Reflect your personality: The Mad girls wear clothes that reflect their personalities and that’s the biggest lesson we can take away from them. Of course, perhaps Trudy’s personality is best left in the closet (though she always owns it, doesn’t she?)

Enjoy the premiere tomorrow night!

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in the news: banana republic’s mad men encore

February 6, 2012 in fashion

Did you miss out on picking up your preferred ladylike outfit in the madness that was Jason Wu for Target yesterday? (Oh, navy poplin dress, how I wish we had ended up together…)

Well, it’s not quite the same but I am still very excited by Banana Republic’s announcement that they will be launching an encore installment to the Mad Men capsule next month.

The store says the inspiration behind the spring capsule will be the country club scene, featuring sophisticated dresses in graphic florals and solids, cardigans and feminine lace shell blouses and chic coral cropped capris. Men will be able to select from bright polos, bold checked woven shirts, argyle vests, and a sporty spring-weight navy blazer.

The Mad Men capsule will launch in North American stores and online on 1 March, which means you can be decked out appropriately for the season five premiere of the show on 25 March.

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in the news: working girl fashion

September 21, 2010 in fashion

Two weeks ago, I wrote a post about how it is possible to be both intelligent and interested in fashion – and that intelligent people can consciously use fashion to influence how others perceive them.

Following on from that, I’d like to discuss the issue of work wear, as inspired by Eve Tahmincioglu on MSNBC today. In her words: “Too sexy. Too frumpy. Too conservative. Women can’t get a break when it comes to what they choose to wear to work.”

Apparently 93% of managers in an OfficeTeam poll said how an employee dresses at work influences their chances of a promotion and one third said work attire “significantly” impacts your chances for advancement. Furthermore, Tahmincioglu says “women are often scrutinized differently when it comes to what they choose to wear. If an outfit is to revealing, suddenly they’re the office slut; but too buttoned up and conservative can mean she’s not hip, or worse, a bitch.”

We saw an example (albeit a 60s one) in Mad Men last week when Joan’s stylish but figure-hugging outfits saw the junior boys compare her to a prostitute. And let’s be honest, it’s not just men who cast judgement on what women wear – we do it to each other too.

So what can we do about it?

MSNBC quotes Valarie Birk, a Ball State professor in fashion and advertising: “women send messages through clothing. It’s referred to as ‘the silent language’ and there are feelings that are often attached to what they wear.”

As a fashion lover, I enjoy being conscious of what I wear and dressing for specific occasions. My own working week can see me meet with a marketing team one day and politicians the next. The clothes I wear to each will be decidedly different.

Is it right that we are judge on what we wear to the office? Probably not, but it’s unlikely to change. And so intelligent fashionistas can use this to their advantage – they can plan their outfits to suit their audience and to help get their point across.

If the way we dress influences our chances of success at work, aren’t we being foolish if we ignore fashion as a frivolous waste of time?

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best dressed at the 2010 emmys

August 30, 2010 in fashion

I do love a red carpet event and I had great fun checking out what the stars wore today to the 2010 Emmy Awards.

There were numerous gowns I loved, including some fabulous gowns by women famous for their less-styled charactered (check out Tina Fey from 30 Rock looking glam in Oscar de la Renta here and Jane Lynch, who ditched her Glee tracksuits for Ali Rahimi, here).

While there were many gorgeous gowns to choose from, I’m giving my best dressed to someone who I think took a little bit of a sartorial risk. January Jones wore this beautiful blue Versace gown that is certainly more daring than anything Betty Draper would wear. She accessorised her look with Miu Miu heels and Cartier jewels, including platinum and diamond studs valued at $1.2 million!

While January was a winner in the fashion stakes, she didn’t walk away with a statue – she lost out to Kyra Sedgwick from The Closer. Mad Men took out Best Drama Series for the third time, while Modern Family pipped Glee for Best Comedy Series.

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lusting for: london fog

August 26, 2010 in fashion

I’m a big fan of the trench coat (I’m inseparable from the Two Paths Trench I bought earlier this year from Anthropologie) and London Fog is one of the classic trench brands.

You may remember the brand featured in Mad Men a couple of seasons ago (when Don came up with the line “Limit Your Exposure” to also convince Sal to hide his homosexuality) and London Fog is continuing to ride on the success of the show by appointing the glamorous Christina Hendricks (who plays Joan on the show) as its new celebrity spokesmodel.

Hendricks stars in the fall ad campaign, following in the footsteps of Gisele Bundchen, Eva Longoria Parker and Tony Parker.

However it seems her famous curves didn’t quite make it in tact to the final copy – Jezebel shows the difference between the original shots and the photoshopped finals here.

After British politician Lynne Featherstone pronounced earlier this month that Hendricks was the perfect body role model, it’s a shame London Fog still felt they needed to trim down her hips.

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