In the world of Madison Avenue circa 1960, life was a party. Adulterous flings, come-ons and ogling twenty-something secretaries were like sport for the hipster ad men in charge. The women, on the other hand, were no more than dolls, sweethearts, hens, huns, and hussies; more valued for their charm and physical allure than hard work and brains. They didn’t dress for themselves, they dressed for men. Appearances were everything, and they either played by the rules or were stuck on the social ladder.

This is the crux facing the leading ladies on the 2008 Emmy Award-winning AMC original series Mad Men. In its first two seasons so far, Mad Men covers a transitional period for American women (1960-1962). Leading up to this time, women’s success was largely reliant upon men. Whether they were housewives, working women or both, they were living in a man’s world, and they had to dress to impress. It was a society whose currency was beauty, said Mad Men creator, Matthew Weiner. But all this was beginning to change. More and more women were challenging male power structures and thereby redefining themselves as more than simple housewives and secretaries.

With these social changes came the beginnings of an evolution in women’s fashion. The three leading ladies of Mad Men – Peggy, Joan and Betty – are evidence of this transition. Through seasons one and two, series costume designer Janie Bryant meticulously designed a look for each of them that would help articulate their evolving maturity and independence as modern women.

When we’re first introduced to Peggy Olsen (Elisabeth Moss) in season one, it’s her first day at Sterling & Cooper Advertising as Don Draper’s (Jon Hamm) secretary. She has the buttoned-up look of an earnest, well-mannered but timid school girl, trying to make all the right moves and fit in with the crowd. Her hair is tied back in a ponytail and her clothes are plain, relatively loose-fit and leave everything to the imagination. But she isn’t trying to make a fashion statement. When the ad men hit on her, though, she becomes very flustered. Joan Holloway, the office manager, tells her that she is “hiding a very attractive girl there” and needs to show it off. But Peggy refuses. She believes she can defy the rules and advance through talent and hard work. And by the end of the first season, her wish comes true. She not only becomes the first woman to write copy at Sterling & Cooper since World World II, but climbs to the rank of junior copywriter.

While Peggy tries to defy the status quo, Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks) is happy to play the game. She is the irresistibly charming, all-knowing queen bee and resident fashionista at Sterling & Cooper. Strutting around in her vibrantly colored form-fitting dresses, she puts her voluptuous Marilyn Monroe-esque figure on full display. She knows all the guys are gawking at her, and she relishes the attention, while fully aware of the hazards of her subjugation. In fact, her boss and one-time lover, Roger Sterling (John Slattery) brings her to tears when he confesses that she is the “finest piece of ass that I’ve ever had.” At the same, however, Joan is a shrewd and well-respected professional. She knows what flies and what doesn’t. When a young secretary leaves the top buttons of her blouse undone, she catches her and makes her cover up with a sweater.

With a tribute to Marilyn, another fashion icon is tapped for the look of Don Draper’s beautiful wife, Betty (January Jones). Betty is molded in the image of Grace Kelly (who, like her, is a former model) as the impossibly cool and stylish blonde princess. She gives off an air of the perfect housewife with her stunning wardrobe of long, flowing, pastel-colored feminine dresses, chic evening wear and elegant nightgowns, which could have been swiped from Edith Head’s closet. Even around her husband, she tries to retain this flawless facade, hiding her imperfections and always obeying him when he scolds her. But how long can she keep up the act?

In season two of Mad Men (1962), the 50s fade out and the fashion of the 60s takes root. The color palette broadens and brightens up a bit. The patterns become stronger, and overall women’s clothes are more functional and less ornate. While Mad Men’s leading ladies keep up with the trends, they also further develop their own individual styles.

Settled her into new position as junior copy writer, Peggy has grown up since her days as secretary. Her outfits have modernized – meaning a firmer fit and a shorter hemline – and become more colorful. To top it off, right around the time she is promoted to copy writer, she chops off her pony tail and lets her hair down. But when she is left out of the boys club at the office, Joan tells her, despite her fashion upgrade, that if she wants to be taken seriously she needs to “stop dressing like a little girl.” Peggy heeds her advice and shows up at the boys’ night out in a sexy outfit with her hair down and extra make-up on. Her one-time lover, Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser), however, doesn’t approve, and she goes back to her old look. So her appearance, to some extent, is still bound by male eyes.

Although Joan finds a husband in season two, she doesn’t scale back fashion-wise. She keeps up with the times and mixes in some new with the old, experimenting with stripes and alternative colors. But the most striking addition is the prevalence of regal violets and blues. Joan has matured out of single life and solidified her status as a trusted veteran at Sterling & Cooper. Her colors, therefore, reflect a sense of royal self-assurance and nobility.

Betty, on the other hand, takes a drastic turn and gets tough. Shedding her Grace Kelly look, she asserts a more masculine temperament ala Katherine Hepburn. For one, she takes up horseback riding as a hobby and slips into an equestrian uniform with a black bowl hat, sport coat, slacks, and riding boots. At home she wears fewer long dresses, preferring something more practical, like a simple white top and pants. When she does dress up, her outfits are very glamorous but a little less ornate and sometimes even a bit wild, like her white “sad clown” dress that’s speckled with multi-colored polka dots. Here we see the stress of Betty’s troubled marriage drawing out an edgier and more impulsive side of her. But she really hits the boiling point when she discovers that her husband had a fling with a trampy socialite. In response, she kicks him out of the house and exacts her revenge by having a steamy affair with a stranger. Breaking away her immaculate surface from season one, she emerges a fiery and strong-willed woman, who now commands a newfound respect from her husband.

On the eve of Betty Friedan’s landmark “The Feminine Mystique” and the kick-off of the women’s movement, it should be interesting to watch how the leading ladies of Mad Men continue to transform in the next few seasons. Will they make the switch to mini-skirts, spaghetti straps and go-go boots, or will they cut the hemline at some point?

>Written by d/visible contributor Kevin Hogan.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 at 3:31 pm and is filed under Fashion, Culture, Film. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.