Switching things up this week for “Out of the Box” with a Mad Men mid-season finale special. My favorite look from this episode is what Peggy wore for her triumphant Burger Chef pitch and you can see that here. Janie Bryant continues to deliver a range of exceptional costumes that stay true to a particular character’s evolution and here are my other standouts from “Waterloo.” These include some ensembles that I’d like to have in my own closet and not just for a 1960s fancy dress party.
Starting with Peggy and I adore this mint green crew neck dress. The horizontal pattern is vibrant without ever edging into anything ‘typically’ 1969 and Peggy’s never going to go down the psychedelic route. Peggy’s worn some great things in the office this season and this is a dress that wouldn’t look out of place in 2014.
Meredith’s two piece is far less contemporary and her attempts at comforting Don are hilariously off the mark. The zigzag trim is very distracting, but the daisy pin can stay.
It’s the mint green phone which has played such a pivotal role in this long distance relationship and this is now coming to an end. Megan as always looks like no other character on this show and all season she has been embracing LA style distancing herself further from her life with Don. She’s relaxing in a super cool blue and orange bikini with a floral bathrobe that reads way more casual than her previous pink one – I guess bathrobes can fall into fancy and non-fancy categories.* I love that their relationship ends not with fireworks, but with a sad and accepting realization that this is dunzo. They’ve been done for a long time really and this season has been about going through the motions. This could in all likelihood be the last time we see Megan and yet as a fan of her character there’s part of me that hopes there will be an organic reason for an appearance during the final seven episodes.
*Update! It’s not a bathrobe, but a bathing suit cover up over the turquoise blue bikini with orange vinyl trim that Janie Bryant designed for Megan. Thanks to Janie Bryant for clarifying this on Twitter and solving my robe quandary.
Moving onto summer suburban fashion back on the East Coast and Betty is as polished as she ever was. Sally’s plaid shirt and khaki shorts rejects her mother’s feminine style and it’s another example of plaid persevering through the ages; turn those shorts into denim and cut them a little higher – no underbutt please – and you’ve got a perfect summer look for now.
Sally can’t escape her mother that easily and while Betty would never wear something like this as it’s far too modern, Sally’s hair and especially her smoking pose have an eerily similar quality to the person she has been sassing all season. The purple ensemble is cute and flirty without straying too far into ‘sexy sexy’ territory and all I want from this show is a happy ending for Sally. OK, add Peggy and Joan to that list.
Back to the office and Pete’s tie perfectly matches the coffee cup that will always remind me of Bob Benson. Pete, you can’t escape the memory of Bob that easily.
The red of Joan’s dress matches the anger on her face. It’s a great dress and I think I finally understood why Joan has been so mad at Don all season as her priorities as a single mother are different to the other partners. Plus when you factor in what she had to do to get a seat at the table her rage is explainable, I just wish they had done a better job with laying this out.
This is more for the giant light bulb lamp in the background and Roger’s office is an interior design delight. Look at those curtains!
For more on this season of Mad Men head here.
