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Mad Men Season 2 encore

I've been secretly re-watching season 2 of Mad Men. Oh my! So much to like!

Don Draper at the top of his game as the advertising visionary.

The creative team, or "creative" as Don calls them. Note very attractive abstract painting on the wall.  

Don coming in to the office on Palm Sunday to work on the American Airlines pitch.

Peggy as a young small thing with a pony tail.

Beautiful and serious Betty.

Jane as Don's new secretary before she becomes Roger Sterling's wife.

...and much, much more! I highly recommend a re-watch.

All images form here.

Mad Men Season 7 part 2

Have you been watching Mad Men Season 7 part 2? Oh dear! Instead of Mad Men season 7 part 2 (the last season ever) being a ho hum wrap up of a very good series, it is in fact pretty terrific which is a bit bitter sweet to my mind, because while I am thoroughly enjoying the season so far, it is upsetting because,  well, it's moving steadily towards the final episode! I guess this sort of comment might only be fully appreciated by fellow tragic Mad Men fans. Meanwhile, here are three key moments from the story so far...and if you want to peruse past posts I've done on Mad Men (and I've done a lot!) click here---> Mad Men.

All images from Vanity Fair. 

Mad Men season 7

To celebrate the start of Mad Men's last ever season being aired this week, Vanity Fair have several Mad Men related articles including one about the clothes of several of the lead characters season by season. As you can imagine, it is really pretty terrific. I have collected together a few of my favourite images of key looks for Betty, Don and Joan below. For more Mad Men clothes each season click here. 

Betty's signature looks from seasons 1, 2, 3 and 7.

Don's key looks from season's 3 and 4. 

Joan's look for season's 1 and 4.

All images form Vanity Fair.

Mad Men season 6

So, I have been watching Mad Men season 6 (bien sûr) and there's a lot to like so far. Sure there's been some patchiness. For example, I didn't care for episode 2. I thought it was boring and had a lazy script. But! Episodes 3 and 4 have been fine, fine, fine telly to say the least. Here's five things I've been liking...

1. Megan's wardrobe, Joan's wardrobe...actually everybody's wardrobe. So right on and happening for 1968! Here's just a selection of my favourite outfits so far...

2. Michael Ginsberg. I hope they write him in a bit more. He always has some angsty/ serious/ amusing thing going on.

3. Peggy! I love how she's moving on up in the world but retaining her integrity. I love that she's got such a cool boss who thinks she's the bees's knees. I love that she's got that hip journalist boyfriend who isn't fazed by her high flying corporate success.

4. Pete's side burns.

5. ...and Roger. The whole episode lifts by about five notches whenever he's in a scene. It's a dreary episode when he's not around.

All images form here.

Four things I've learnt so far this weekend...

1. Pantone have decided emerald green is 2013 personified. Yes, Pantone have an "it" colour for 2013 and it's green number 17-5641.

Image from here.

2. When author Gabriel García Márquez was writing One Hundred Years of Solitude he listened to The Beatles for inspiration. In fact he says he played some of their records so much he wore them out.

Image from here.

3. Mad Men season six is really wonderful. I watched the first two eps. and they were super fine!

Image from here.

4. Steven Soderbergh’s Liberace bio pic Behind The Candelabra: The Secret Life of Liberace looks like it could be a lot of fun. See the just released trailer here. 

Images from here.

Mad Men Season 6 approacheth

Pass the smelling salts! The creators of Mad Men have been releasing publicity stills for season 6! 

...and Banana Republic has released a late 60s mod Mad Men inspired clothing range called Mad Men capsule collection. Nice!

How am I going to distract myself until season 6 is aired? I think I'll have to take up macramé or something.

 

Mad Men stills from here and here. Banana Republic images from here and here.

Viva Mad Men!

Snazzy jackets - Mad Men episode five season five.

I've been downloading Mad Men season Five almost hot off the press via i-tunes. Usually down here in Aus we have to wait an eternity for new seasons to become available, but this time we're only an episode or three behind. Absolute bliss!

So far I have thoroughly enjoyed the first double episode Little Kiss, but haven't so much enjoyed the next two: Tea Leaves and Mystery Date. I thought episodes two and three were a bit forced and melodramatic. I was actually feeling a bit concerned for the whole series, but then along came episode five! Signal 30! Wow wee!

Please note---> if you have not already seen episode five you'd better look away now.

There's lots to like in this episode. Essentially it is Pete's in a way:

1) Pete fixes a leaking faucet and flirts outrageously with a young thing at the driver's education class.

2) Megan and Don go to the 'burbs to a Pete and Trudy Campbell dinner. Megan, as always, looks ravishing. Don gets all macho and fixes Pete's faucet as it...springs a leak.

3) Ken Cosgrove, we discover, is still writing short stories. He writes in the sci-fi/ fantasy genre. Cool or what? We also learn via Peggy that one of his stories is about an alien woman who lays eggs. It just doesn't get any better than that.

4) Lovely Lane Pryce scores a dinner date with a potential new client: Jaguar. He doesn't do terribly well, and so the boys are called in: Don, Roger and Pete. Everything goes swimmingly between the three big guns and the client, however, the next day everything goes horribly wrong and the client is lost. This results in: a fist fight between Lane and Pete! Awesome stuff!

5) And then...after the fisty cuffs Lane kisses Joan who is most mature about the whole thing. Lane says memorably: Is there no end to my humiliation today? Although, in retrospect, I don't feel Joan totally rejected Lane's kiss...hmmmm...

6) Pete cries in front of Don in the lift on the way to lunch after the fight. Clearly Pete is losing the plot a little.

7) "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 is featured which always makes me feel good and reminds me of A Clockwork Orange which can never be a bad thing.

I've been reading reviews of this episode and critics have been raving about it. So, it's not just me then. It is a pearler. I, for one, am going to watch it again!

All images from here.

Mad Men countdown

Website amctv has a Mad Men countdown clock. As I write, Mad Men season 5 is approximately 28 days, 6 hours and 51 minutes away. Be still my beating heart!

In other Mad Men news, there is an excellent article on the Guardian website in which bloggers, reviewers and commentators write about their favourite Mad Men scene. It really is an excellent read. I found myself agreeing with a lot of their choices. Maybe you will too! Happy Monday all! 

All images from amctv.

Mad Men *sigh*

I read this morning that Banana Republic has just released a 65 piece Mad Men collection. Swoon-o-rama! Just when I thought I had officially recovered from Mad Men fever and had learnt to cope without it for a year, Banana Republic re-kindles my undying love for that show and now I am pining for it like a circa 1975 school girl pined for *Leif Garrett.

I think these designs are a successful 21st Century adaption of the show's ravishing 1960s period clothes.

Meanwhile, here are some stills from the real thing just in case you forgot what you were missing. *wistful sigh*

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend - many thanks for all the lovely cheery comments and for visiting my blog this week! XO

Top images from the Banana Republic site. Mad Men stills from here.

* Leif Garrett was the Justin Bieber of the 1970s.

 

Mad about Mad Men

Something happened to me last week - I fell into the vortex that is Mad Men, that sublime poem to mid twentieth century New York advertising executives and the world they inhabit. However, it was far from a "love at first sight" affair, oh no it was a real slow burner!

I first became aware of Mad Men early last year. Vanity Fair magazine was swooning all over the show but because I hadn't seen it and was unlikely to for several years (! We get stuff quite a bit later here) I just skipped over the articles. Then several more articles appeared and there were write ups in Sydney papers going into great depth about the philosophy and costumes and period detail and ....! It seemed there was plenty to like.

So, I bit the bullet and rented out the first couple of episodes and got about half way through the first episode with my boyfriend. I felt like I was reading a zen buddhist Koan! It was sooo slow and quiet and so what if everyone was wearing twin sets and smart suits with skinny ties!

Then a local TV station showed a fascinating documentary on the original Mad Man: David Ogilvy "The Father of Advertising" and followed it up by showing the first season of Mad Men. Hmmmm...I thought, maybe I should give the show another go. I rented out the first season again and that was it: totally and utterly hooked! The clothes! The wonderful calm paced drama! The historical back drop! The sets! Strong and silent Donald Draper! The luxurious feeling as if you're in a time machine! Joan Holloway's magnificent sassyness! Ghastly Pete Campbell! I could go on and on... and now tragedy of tragedies,: my video shop doesn't have the second season yet. So I just have to sit here and pine away like a schoolgirl with a crush until it is finally released here. Sigh!