Sunday, August 2, 2009

Betty Draper, Betty Draper

During the past rainy days I’ve been watching Season One of Mad Men on my laptop. After pondering the gleeful antifeminism of the first episode and noting that there were some well placed comeuppances throughout the following ones, I can say that I’m smitten and am going off in search of a boxed set of Season Two, just as soon as this wretched rain breaks.

In terms of style, I was in thrall to the elegant click, click, clicks of the ladies’ heels on the floor, the frame handbags, the gloves!!, the nail lacquer, and the beautifully fitted dresses.

Pencil skirts are an easy “get” to riff on the show’s working girl style, but I have a soft spot for Betty Draper (thanks for the nod to Betty Friedan, series creator!) and her gently draped(!) shirtwaists.

Buttoned up the front, nipped in at the waist, with full, full skirts, these dresses could look like costumes in 2009, but worn with the right smart, edgy shoes, you won’t look like you've just come from an AMC audition.











I’d consider the purple dress above, by J. Peterman. I’d wear it in late August with my mermaid-yellow four-inch heel L.A.M.B. shoes.





Their heel is longer than Don Draper’s cigarette.




6 comments:

K.Line said...

I haven't seen the show but I know I really must rent it. And I love the purple dress. Tres chic!

materfamilias said...

I've just re-watched Season 1 (it stood up well!) and got through 4 episodes of Season 2 -- am even debating going up one tier on my Cable package (and I already pay $55 a month!) just so I'll be ready to catch Season 3 from the start.

Thumbelina Fashionista said...

I must be the only other person on the planet who's never seen this show. MUST DO!

~Tessa~Scoffs said...

I lucked out and happened to catch the show from the very beginning.

Belle de Ville said...

I've only seen one episode of the show but I love the style.
The shirtwaist dress is one of the most flattering looks ever created for women, so it's no wonder that they were popular, in one version or another, for decades.
On my honeymoon in Italy and Switzerland almost 27 years ago, I wore shirtwaist dresses from Ralph Lauren and Celine....Ok, so I admit that looked a little matronly...but they were flattering.

Top Bird @ Wee Birdy said...

You're a literature professor and you blog about style? Ahhh, a girl after my own heart...

I keep watching Mad Men eps out of order, I really must sit down and watch it all properly. xx