Fictional characters: Joane Harris' (née Holloway) Style

The style

Joan Harris, played by actor Christina Hendricks, has a bombshell body. That sharp edged "gift" is perfectly kept under control by her very direct, no-nonsense attitude: if you are paying attention, you have to get it.
If "Joaney" were living and working right now, it would be very easy for her to dress in pretty much the same style she has in Mad Men. It proves my point that once you have a style, you can easily adapt it for all times and seasons, you just need to update the construction of your clothes and your accessories a bit.
She is a Body type B and a Light Spring, although she wears Warm Spring and Clear Spring colours as well (see below). Christina Hendrick's hair is coloured red (according to her own words, as an homage to Anne Shirley).

Joanie's Work Day by Caroline Grant. [Photo courtesy of AMC. Background: Antique Wood Frame].

Coast Emmy Crêpe Dress / Bottega Veneta Double-faced Belted Cashmere Coat / Givenchy New Line Handbag / L.K. Bennett Selina Pumps / Hermès L'Ombrelle Magique  Scarf in Orange / Versace Long Leather Gloves / Paco Rabanne Vintage Charm Bracelet / Debenhams Gold Rose Crystal Earrings / / Lapis Lazuli and Diamond Brooch/Pendant (vintage at www.1stdibs.com) / Estée Lauder Crystal Herringbone Powder Compact / Yves Saint Laurent Lipstick in Corail Legende / Yves Saint Laurent Nail Lacquer in Corail Divin.

Joanie's Style by Caroline Grant. [Photo courtesy of AMC. Background: Mirabel Picnic Basket, Little Mermaid Parasol, Olivia Riegel Frame with Easel].

Giambattista Valli Floral Print Dress / Valentino Ruffled Shrug / Kate Spade Essex Scout Handbag / Butter Women's Gilly Kitten heel Pumps / Erickson Beamon In the Mood for Love Bracelet / Erickson Beamon In the Mood for Love Earrings / David Webb Pineapple Brooch at www.betteridge.com / Estée Lauder Lucidity Compacts / Estée Lauder Pure Color Lipstick in Nectarine/ Nars Nail Lacquer in Dovima.

Style elements:

• Red lipstick: light true (medium) red, watermelon red, coral red.
• Dresses in solid colours, more than separates or patterns, with skirts in a pencil silhouette for day, and sometimes a full skirt for night, but not often.
• Accessories. A scarf, either tied around her neck, to her handbag or to her neck. Also, jewellery from great costume jewellery designers (Coro, Monet, and Lisner figure prominently in her jewellery box), in the appropriate fashion of her day, that is, using the whole parure (matching earrings, necklace and bracelet, plus the brooch sometimes). She often dons a pencil pendant necklace, one of her signature pieces and is seldom seen without a brooch.
• Spring palette colours. A Light Spring, she has very delicate and fair skin, and her hair is coloured red. She is often dressed in colours, like hot pink, that are too strong for her, and so is black, which completely overwhelms her. She positively glows in the soft tones of the Light Spring palette.

Joanie's Night Out by Caroline Grant. [Photo courtesy of AMC. Background: Ethan Allen Scroll Picture Easel]

Zuhair Murad Short Evening Dress / Sasso Minnelli Marabou Shrug / Butler and Wilson Handbag / Alexandre Birman Metallic Pumps / Amanda Pearl Nude Gobstopper Pearl Bracelet / Alexis Bittar Teatro Modern Fringe Earrings / Alexis Bittar Nest Brooch / Estée Lauder Crystal Herringbone Powder Compact / Yves Saint Laurent Lipstick in Corail Légende / Yves Saint Laurent Nail Lacquer in Corail Divin.

Mad Men is STYLE

Series extraordinaire by Caroline Grant on Polyvore

Series extraordinaire

When I decided to see my first episode of Mad Men I didn't know what it was about, I just knew it had great reviews. Then the music started, and I was pulled into 1960's New York, pretty much into the same world "The Apartment" shows, but in glorious colour. The opening titles are simply mesmerizing.
The series is visually gorgeous, the fashion to die for. Every detail is perfect and truly belongs to the time it depicts, from the zippers, the costume jewellery (lots of Coro, Lisner and Avon sets), the line and cut of the clothes, and even the underwear that you are not seeing. Those women are wearing slips, 1960's bras and garter belts and girdles under their skirts! It is truly wonderful that someone has realized that obviously, a woman doesn't stand and move in the same way if she is wearing this kind of undergarments.
You can see Janie Bryant, costume designer for the series, talking about the fashion in season 4 here.

Women in a macho culture

One minute into the series and you cannot be but shocked by the monstrous sexism (and racism. antisemitism...) of the characters in the series, reminding you how different social mores were fifty years ago. My sister started seeing the series after I did, and she was nauseated by the way women were being treated. She asked me what was the point of it all, as we all know how things were then, and questioned if we actually needed to see it. I replied that, unfortunately, it was not that obvious to me that young women know how things were and, in any case, watching is not the same as knowing. It hits you.

Fictional characters: Joan Harris (née Holloway)

The character

Joan Holloway is one of the strongest female characters in Mad Men. At the beginning of the series she is a girl with a plan: she is getting married to a good catch. However, her professionalism and degree of poise makes a person to count on so, as the series progresses, we see the partners relying more and more on her knowing what, how and when to do things. When she is finally leaving to get married, both she and them lament it.
Her predicament is very much that of many women in her time. The main objective was to get married, leave the life of the working "girl" and become a wife and mother: that was the deal. She find, however, very much as many women of her time did, that the deal is not upheld by the other party in it. Being married doesn't put you out of harm's way of sexual assault, or betrayal of trust, like when your husband makes a decision about your future without you, or when you not only have to keep on supporting yourself, but also your husband, all the time feeling that your job is of secondary importance to his.
There are three very poignant moments for me in the series around Joan Holloway. In the first, she is passed over for a promotion by a man with no experience, when she is actually qualified for the job (she has a university degree) and already doing it to great success: she has the image, the manners and the savoir faire for the job. In the second, she is raped by her knight in shining armour, the handsome doctor who is in reality a coward and a wimp. In the third, she is being disrespected by one of the creatives in the firm, but the guy ends up being fired by his direct boss, another of the strong female characters in the series. She reacts angrily and bitterly: she would have liked to yield herself power in the usual indirect ways (aka feminine wiles), so she resents the woman who can afford not to do so. From her point of view, she has been rendered virtually powerless. We may beg to disagree.

Coast Emmy Crêpe Dress / Bottega Veneta Double-faced Belted Cashmere Coat / Givenchy New Line Handbag / L.K. Bennett Selina Pumps / Hermès L'Ombrelle Magique Scarf in Orange / Versace Long Leather Gloves / Paco Rabanne Vintage Charm Bracelet / Debenhams Gold Rose Crystal Earrings / Lapis Lazuli and Diamond Brooch/Pendant (vintage at www.1stdibs.com) / Estée Lauder Crystal Herringbone Powder Compact / Nars Semi Matte Lipstick in Heat Wave / Tom Ford Nail Lacquer in Scarlet Chinois.

The lines

The pragmatist
"Go home, take a paper bag, cut some eyeholes out of it. Put it over your head, get undressed and look at yourself in the mirror. Really evaluate where your strengths and weaknesses are. And be honest."
The realist
"That’s life. One minute, you’re on top of the world. The next, some secretary is running over your foot with a lawn motor."
The irate
"What on God’s green earth are you doing here?"

The Winged Eye, that 1960s Make up

Make up Trends 2012

Thanks to Mad Men, 1960s style make up, among other things (like full skirts) has been all the rage for several years now. The winged eye is, in itself, a classic. Why? Well, it helps to open up the eye, give definition to eyelashes, and lifts the eye (especially if you need it). It also gives a certain mystery that is flattering for everybody.

That's all you need to get a 1960s makeup look!

Styling elements

For the updated 1960s look:

• Liquid eyeliner along the eye line over the lashes, , curved (winged) at the end. Liquid eyeliner is more durable than powder. I use L'Ôreal's Super Liner Ultra Precision, because the felted tip lets you have lots of control, but there are other good ones out there. You can curl your eyelashes now or after the next step.
• Nude eyeshadow, applied all over the eye area. Cream eyeshadow is less lasting than powder, but if you want a creamy look and an easy application, go for it.
• Mascara in two coats, for definition and dramatic (but not too dramatic, for that you have false eyelashes) effect. I get there applying first a coat of Lancôme's Définicils, to define eyelashes from the base to the very tips, so they are at their longest, and combing them carefully before drying. When that first coat has dried, I apply then a second one of a more dramatic mascara like Lancôme's Hypnôse in black and comb again.
• A third line inside the eye in white, ivory or beige (less contrast). This is optional, but helps to create the look and makes the eyes look bigger. I used to use Chanel Le Crayon Khôl  Clair (n. 69), but I do not recommend it, is dilutes and then leaks through the corner of the eye.
• Nude lips, both liner and lipstick, matte or glossy, as you prefer, in a nude that suits you (be careful with colour-draining shades of nude).
• Tools. Here you can have a look at the brushes and tools your would need to make your 1960s look successful.

Updated make up tutorial by Pixie Woo

For the real thing:

If an image of Twiggy or Edie Sedgwick comes to mind, you're right on it.

• A second eye line along the eye socket (or slightly over it) that mirrors the first one in dark brown or black. This is more of a Swinging Sixties (second half of the 1960's) style, and much more literal. Estéee Lauder's Doublewear pencil in Coffee, which comes with it's own felt tip smudger, is a good choice. My mother has one in green and I really like it, and it does stay on.
• False eyelashes. MAC has a great selection, but most high-end brands do.

Real 1960s make up tutorials:

• Edie Sedgwick 1960s inspired make up tutorial.
• Twiggy 1960s inspired make up tutorial.

MORE 1960 STYLES?

• 1960s Hairstyles: The Bouffant plus messy hair, and a 1960s Ponytail.
• Full skirts: How to wear a full skirt: Trends 2012  and How to wear a full skirt: Styling tips.

1960s Hairstyles

Those 1960s hairstyles

My style icon, Mad Men, has entered the "Swinging Sixties" era big time, and there are your 1960s hairstyles, bigger than ever!

The beehive (1), the bouffant (2), the flip (3&8), the updo (5), the Paris Look (7), and more... all 1960s glorious hairstyles. You can find more here.

The Bouffant and Raymond Bessone

This was one of the most popular styles during the 1960s, but has become a true classic since then (we have been able to see it on the heads of quite a bunch of European queens, very much as Jackie Kennedy used to have it, for decades!). Brigitte Bardot, I think, contributed more than anyone to its enduring appeal.
Its creation is attributed to British celebrity hairdresser (the celebrity mania seems to have started then) Raymond Bessone, also known as Mr. Teasie-Weasie, for some reason. You can see some real life videos of him here. The footage may seem a bit silly from today's point of view, until you remember what kind of shows designers put up today. The images of Louis Vuitton's RTW runway show Autumn 2012 knocked me off my feet, but not because there was a train on stage, but because of the not so subtle class implications of the whole styling: porters are now an accessory, apparently.
I find the cuts and hairstyles he created very innovative, starting with the Shangri-La. Vidal Sassoon says he learnt everything there is to learn about cutting hair from him when he was his apprentice.


MORE 1960 STYLES?

• 1960s Makeup: The winged eye.
• 1960s Hairstyles: The Bouffant (plus messy, Brigitte Bardotte hair), and a bouffant plus ponytail.
• Full skirts: How to wear a full skirt: Trends 2012  and How to wear a full skirt: Styling tips.