Mad Men Costume Designer To Dress Non-Fictional Characters? Me? You?

From Glamour

STF: Designers from Michael Kors to Thom Browne have acknowledged that your work on the show has inspired them...um, how does that feel!?
JB: Last night I met Anne Hathaway [at the SAG awards] because one of my best friends does her makeup. And I was with January Jones and she said "Oh Anne this is Janie, she does the clothes for Mad Men," and Anne Hathaway was like, “How does it feel to be responsible for changing the face of fashion?” and I was like, “It feels pretty damn good, thanks Anne!” It has been incredible, and I’m just glad that it’s really touched and inspired so many people. That’s really the gift.

sTF: Can we expect to see a line of clothing come out of this, or a collection inspired by the show? What kinds of projects do you have going on for the future?
JB: I’m working on some things right now…I hate to be so mysterious but I can't really say! It would have my name attached to it though.

Whatever the project is I will certainly be paying attention. Janie's care for detail could be put to good well in tailored looks for men or women. Hopefully men...not ladies...

Weiner Signs On For Mad Men Seasons 3 & 4

Okay. I feel much better now. Looks like the Golden Globes made an impact, for once. Matt Weiner signed a new contract to rejoin the Mad Men production. Variety Reports-

After months of negotiations, "Mad Men" creator and exec producer Matthew Weiner has cut a two-year deal with Lionsgate TV that will keep him at the helm of his Emmy-winning AMC drama.

Details of the pact were sketchy Friday, but it is said to cover Weiner's services on "Mad Men" for the show's third and fourth seasons as well as other TV development. It also includes a component for a feature project through Lionsgate.

According to Vulture this contract also increases the budget for the show. There was some mention of CGI. Don Draper's digital-sidekick a la Jar Jar Binks? Probably not. I'm guessing Weiner's desire for digital fx has something to do with fleshing out the historical setting. How often do you see the cast walking around New York? Not so much. Or maybe they'll create some unique perspectives on historical events?

Whatever the case, Weiner is signed on for two seasons and I am gonna celebrate with a bottle of Wild Turkey and a virgin pack of Marlboros.

AMC You're Driving Me Crazy

NYMAG reported that as of yesterday Matt Weiner is still not signed for Season 3 of Mad Men. According to Weiner he has done all that he can to negotiate a contract and the ball is in AMC's court. "I don't know anything about next season — I don't even know if it's happening."

Okay I'm starting to freak out here, how am I gonna live without moments like these:



I need my fix of racism, misogyny, and harsh parenting (on tv) dammit!

How To Make Grandma (Or Vintage Clothes) Smell Nice Again

One of the unfortunate drawbacks to shoping thrift and vintage is the smell of garments just released from the miserable mothballed wardrobes of the elderly (actually I had a 22yr old roommate in college who stuffed our dorm room with fucking mothballs giving my new clothes that special aroma). Mad Men costume designer Jamie Bryant provides the key to killing that mothball stink. A huge thanks to FashionIndie for finding this info!

Apparently spraying a cocktail of vodka and water is the solution. So spritz Nana and she'll smell fresh as morning dew. Or use it to freshen up these sick pieces from Housing Works and Zeen.

Housing Works currently has some great garments for sale like this dark purple colored blazer.



Its so on trend it hurts. I would only have a few alterations done, but otherwise its a perfect substitute for some of the natural organic shapes we saw from Lanvin and Burberry last year.


I'm really focused on flesh tones and earth tones this year. I'd be thrilled to have this around to work with. If you live anywhere near New York and you haven't added Housing Works to your regular list of vintage shopping targets...I pity you. Go sit in the corner. No, I'm kidding. Go out and shop with them. It's for a good cause.

Zeen continues to amaze with their network of sellers. It seems very well curated to me.



A little bit Alex Olch? Except not. But very cool nonetheless.




Love, love, love Ralph Lauren. Always. And I love this jacket.

Mad Men Wins Again

One of the best television series of all time, Mad Men won yet another Golden Globe. Lead Jon Hamm lost to Gabriel Byrne early in the night but the show picked up the big win for best Dramatic Series. I am desperately hoping this will convince AMC to upgrade Matt Weir's contract demands. I don't want to imagine re-establishing that universe without the show's creator and writer, though I'm sure he's got a lot of rival offers on the table.

On another note, did anyone catch Mickey Rourke's outrageous outfit? He looked fucking brilliant (in a don't try this at home sort of way), and I'm so glad that he won. He's a true talent and deserves a comeback.

Mad Mensch

It seems like an eternity until Mad Men season three. Looking desperately for a sixties office drama fix I turned to The Apartment starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacClaine. According to Mad Men creator Matt Weir the film served as an a inspiration. In tone however, The Apartment is more of a drama - romantic comedy which we now know to be bad for our health.

The film centers on C.C.Baxter(Lemmon) and follows his ascension as an employee in an insurance company. We watch him fall in love with elevator attendant, Fran Kubelik, played by MacClain. The gender roles of Baxter and Rubelik clash in one particularly satisfying scene where Rubelik has just had her self-esteem steamrolled and Lemmon is reveling in his new position at work. Along with the job comes an office, and an appropriate hat.

The film correctly correlates the derby hat, or bowler, with status. It was a symbol of the gentleman and class distinction when men were still myths dressed in wool suits. Class carried expectations of character. The cynicism in The Apartment will be familiar to viewers of Mad Man but there's healthy dose of mostly successful camp humor in the mix too. Both show a dogma of masculinity that is about to fall apart. The Apartment milks the confusion for laughs.

Stark, Raving

Okay so my favorite television series Mad Men has closed for the season. There have been disturbing rumors going around that the series might not return for a third season. Mad Men has received Emmy awards and gained the affections of the critics, but it has not gained a large audience in comparison with the paint-by-numbers forensic cop dramas that dominate TV-land.

I was very pleased to read that Weiner has no intentions of leaving the show! In fact some say he may be negotiating to ensure a fourth season. So while the real world may be going to shit at least Mad Men is on the right track.

If you haven't for some reason caught Mad Men yet you are missing something special. Mad Men is a drama about Don Draper an advertising guy on Madison Avenue set in the 60s. His company Sterling Cooper is populated with well-rounded characters, their repartee is slick, funny, and as per the era politically incorrect.

In fact one of the best things about the show is the way it approaches social themes without being preachy. There is no messiah figure in Mad Men who brings all the right progressive ideals. In fact the protagonists are often sleazy examples of bigotry, racism, sexism, and misogyny. Yet at the same time they are human. Some of the strongest characters in the series are the women. Joan Halloway, Peggy Nelson, and Betty Draper all showcase different facets of women in a time hostile to freedoms we take for granted.

But for all the social and political themes the show explores at its root Mad Men is sexy and stylish. The characters live lives that seem at times luxurious, free, and simple and other moments reveal their lives to be nightmarish and stifling. What is most consistent is the details of 60s lifestyle. The references summon nostalgia that is constantly tempered by the drama.