DreaminLace

The evolution of Peggy Olson on Mad Men is probably one of the most profound aspects of the show. Her character has arguably come the furthest, rising from secretary to executive status – in the SIXTIES no less. How many executives do you know that started as a secretary in this day? Any?

Needless to say, in the course of the show our girl Peggy was super busy and focused on bigger things than assembling an outfit. But same as her career, her style did evolve over time. The difference is, Peggy’s style is not an extension of herself in the way it is for Joan (here) and Betty (here). Fashion is not a status symbol to Peggy, or a way to define herself in the workplace. No, to her, clothes are much more practical and functional. They’re merely the clothes she’s wearing while pushing through the glass ceiling at work.

That isn’t to say that things haven’t dramatically evolved though, because they have.

We meet young, modest, and wide-eyed Peggy here:

We leave Peggy in season 6, somewhere around here:

Quite the transformation, a cardigan to bell bottoms and polyester. Interesting though, Peggy absorbed fashion not like your typical 60s’ gal. She wasn’t flipping through the pages of Vogue for the latest fashion. No. Instead Peggy was flipping through an issue of Vogue to look at ad space, and to try and understand the female audience of her clients to better market to them. Anything she picks up along the way is merely secondary from the main cause: fulfilling her ambitions.

It’s this naive approach to fashion that makes it so fun to see just what Peggy wears, because you know there isn’t an active motivation behind her look. It’s a lazy approach to personal style to the point where you envision her casually strolling around Macy’s and purchasing things that fit her without much thought. And sometimes she stumbles upon something great. Other times she stumbles across something bad.

Generally speaking, you can define her style as modest, business casual. As she’s married to her job, not surprisingly she looks and feels most herself in her work attire. When we see Peggy dress up for a night out…things can get a bit out of hand, if only because she just doesn’t know how to dress up her ankles, or whatever thing Joan is trying to persuade her to do. She’s just down-to-earth, level-headed Peggy. Anything out of her comfort zone comes off extremely awkward – and consequently quite entertaining!

So as we prepare to bid goodbye to our best friend Peggy, let’s take a look back at her style moments. The good, the bad, and the ugly!

Also, in case you missed it, here are style reviews of Betty Draper and Joan Holloway. And stay tuned, because as the final season airs Dream in Lace will be covering all the fashion of our favorite ladies. I’m too in love with this show not to obsess about it to the very end 😉

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To Joan Holloway, fashion is more than mere articles of clothing. No, to Joan – fashion is a status symbol that tells people who you are and just what you deserve.  It wouldn’t be Mad Men Fashion Week (yes, I’ve invented that!) without acknowledging the prowess of the show’s cunning and seductive Joan Holloway – or Red says Roger Sterling.

Joan’s fashion stands apart from other characters of the show in a glaring way: it’s consistent. Unlike characters like Betty Draper, whose fashion rises and falls through the course of the show (see here), Joan’s style is constant – which only showcases the confidence of this woman from day one. She dresses in the same enigmatic style as a secretary as she does as an executive, go figure! It’s this cunning sense of attitude that makes Miss Joan such an enviable character. We don’t just want to look like Joan, we want to be Joan. Her ability to navigate a male dominated workplace, while not just staying above water but actually taking the reigns, is enviable! All with a perfected manicure and not a hair out of place. What can I say, the girl’s got swagger!

Here we meet Joan as she escorts the new girl, Peggy Olson, around the office. It’s her signature look from day one, a curve-hugging dress that plays up the neckline and is decorated with a broach. The girl both knows what works for her and knows how to work it. It’s such an acute self-awareness that is so different from any of the other female characters of Mad Men.

Outside of the curve hugging silhouettes and broaches, a defining characteristic of Joan’s personal style is the use of color. Though a redhead, the girl was never one to shy away from a large flash of color. Purple is definitely her ‘power-color’ but she jumped all over the color wheel to be honest. She was never afraid of standing out from the crowd.

While the lines of her dress remain the same, we do see Joan often experiment with the neckline. In fact, as far as design goes: necklines are the only variation in her looks. She used the neckline to define her look in such a strong way. Being a large busted girl you might expect her to downplay the neckline. The fact that she plays it up only speaks more loud about Joan’s level of confidence.

It’s fascinating to me, the trajectory of Joan’s self-awareness and how it defines her as a character and also as a fashion icon. She’s definitely a breed of her own in the way she managed to thrive in a male-dominated environment field. As Peggy also rises in the workplace, you have to recognize how different both women are. It took a long time for Peggy to stop second guessing herself (or to evolve in her style). For Joan, she never second-guessed herself.

The consistency of her style is definitely a reflection to how consistently Joan values herself. If we’re to dress for the job we want to have and not the job we have – she’s nailed it from the start. And even when reaching executive status her commitment to dressing for her body and dressing to stand out never yields.

Can’t get enough of Joan? Neither can I! Let’s take a look back at her style throughout the show:

In case you missed it, here’s the style of Betty Draper – and stay tuned, because there’s more Mad Men fashion to come.

What do you think of Joan’s personal style?

And so it begins, the end of Mad Men. I feel the television gods are being mighty cruel to me. First they took away Dexter and Breaking Bad at the same time. Now, they’re taking away my beloved Mad Men – which is arguably the best period drama of all time. Lofty statement? Yes. Completely accurate? Yes!

Aside from the beautiful writing, acting and storytelling of Mad Men – the show has also wormed it’s way into my heart through the beautiful fashion of its beautiful woman. This week, as I prepare for the final season’s premiere, I’ll be showcasing the style of the ladies of Mad Men. Fashion plays a huge role on this show in telling the story of a decade. First up: Betty Draper.

Betty Draper, oh Betty Draper! Like any character of Mad Men, Betty has her flaws. She is the first wife of Don – who usually keeps her at an arms length. Through the course of the show, we see Betty’s character rise and fall, usually with Don or her feelings for Don connected to the center. In many ways, he is the eye of her storm. As such, Betty’s style is also very tied to Don.

As the wife of an ad executive, Betty frequently plays the part of the woman on his arm and she plays it well. Betty finds herself a housewife in 1960s suburbia. She keeps herself pulled-together in the home and for a night out on her husband’s arm, plays with real glamour. Betty’s sanity and anxiety are always living on the edge and we see her go to the brink, without falling over, time and time again.

After her divorce with Don, we see Betty’s style transition as she is then on the arms of politician Henry. In the political realm, we see her style become much more conservative and stuffy. Betty takes a real beating when Don remarries with the young, secretary named Megan. From there, we see Betty spiral with lots of weight gain from her emotional eating over Don’s new wife. Heavy Betty is a lot more frumpy in her attire and far less pulled together. It’s like without her figure, she’s completely off her game.

We do see Betty work through this unkempt stage as she finds herself. Eventually, she gets her figure back and then her style returns to the high state it was in the earlier seasons. Betty’s relationship with fashion is very intricate. Her identity is on display through the clothes she wears.

In many ways that makes sense, as we know Betty as a former model. Don and her met when he basically whisked her away from a modeling job and stuck her in the life of a kept housewife. Then all the madness of Mad Men ensues.

I went a bit ‘screen-cap’ happy when it came to snapping away looks of Betty. So, I’ve put everything together in a slideshow. This is my very first attempt at such a thing, but let’s all together glimpse back at the fashion and style of Mrs. Draper.

Stay tuned for more Mad Men fashion as there’s lots more to come from Peggy, Joan and the gang. Plus, as we say farewell to Mad Men, Dream in Lace will be reviewing the fashion of each episode. I’m saying goodbye to this iconic show in high fashion! Are you with me? 😉