Mad Men has to be our all time favourite TV programme. It is the perfect combination of subtlety, glamour and nostalgia. We cant quite believe we were actually alive then, albeit small children, but we do vaguely remember our mums looking a little bit like Betty Draper.
Working in the fashion industry we are always aware of the clothes, interiors and colours in any film or tv programme we watch and Mad Men often has me almost crying at the attention to detail and absolute perfection of the colours in every scene. The teens of course think I am 'weird' when I bang on about 'the way the colour of the phone works perfectly with the tone of the sofa and the shade of Joan's dress!'
Fashion for this Autumn Winter has clearly been more than a little influenced by Mad Men style (see the Louis Vuitton A/W shoot above) and Christina Kendrick is definitely this seasons 'it' girl. We think this trend will continue for some time, as looking like a 'real woman' (curves and all) is far more appealing to the majority of women. Although we don't find a prom dress that easy to wear. Tiny waists are not usually the preserve of the over 40's, unfortunately!
While we love the stunning art direction and clever costume department, the magic of Mad Men is as much to do with the subtle nuances, sexual tension and the female characters often silent struggle for equality. There is no rampant feminism (although it may be about to appear as Peggy's has some new bohemian friends) but we can feel the women's pain.
Mad Men has made us sensitive to our mothers and what they had to endure and aware of how far we have moved on in the last 50 years.
The beautiful colours, amazing outfits, the rise of feminism and of course the gorgeous (but screwed up) Don Draper, have us completely and utterly hooked. If you haven't already tuned in, go out and buy the boxed sets right now, and get yourself a prom dress, or at least a pencil skirt.