[avLOG]

I bought Mad Men on DVD and managed to devour it in two days. It follows the lives of the employees at Manhattan’s Sterling-Cooper advertising agency, from the ad men, their wives and families down to the secretaries. It’s set on the eve of the 1960s just as Kennedy is elected president. The cinematography is wonderful, the acting superb. It’s also refreshingly un-PC and there are moments that really drive home how quickly our culture changed. In the first episode, a secretary is seen showing a new girl around. She introduces a typewriter and says that despite how ‘technicaly complicated’ it looks (it really doesn’t) she shouldn’t worry as ‘they made it simple enough for a woman to use’. It’s frightening to think that this was only 50 years ago.

It’s the women that stand out to me here; their struggles to break out of the housewife trap, and then the constant fight to earn the respect they deserve from greedy, threatened males all the while dressed to perfection in all shapes and sizes. Back then clothes always flattered the female body – they were tailored to fit just right. Undergarments were worn to streamline your shape and provide a base that works with your clothing so the pieces sit beautifully. Curlers were routine and everyone wore statement lipstick. It’s a far cry from the sloppy, fast-fashion we are accustomed to today. And so I raise a salute to the wardrobe department at AMC for sourcing fashion that is a mid-century night’s dream. Look out over the following days for stills from the series.