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3 Oct 2010

A Mini Guide to Mad Men's Joan Harris (Holloway) style

I've been loving Mad Men ever since I watched the first episode. Set in 1960s New York advertising agency, the show perfectly encapsulates the atmosphere of the decade - and this also means the amazing 1960s fashion!

Photo source: standardsocial.com.
One of my favourite Mad Men characters is Joan Harris (Holloway)- the uber sexy, flawlessly groomed queen bee of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Her effortlessly glamourous style combined with a strong, allusive personality makes Joan quite possibly the most amazing Mad Men's creation. Although, sadly, not all of us are blessed with Joan's curves, her sexy yet sophisticated fashion style can be easily achieved if we stick to a few simple rules: say hello to figure-hugging, knee-lenght pencil skirts, solid jewel colours and the immaculate flushed makeup look!

If, like me, you're mad about Mad Men's style, you're in luck as the 1950s/early 1960s fashion is making a big come back this season, which means we don't have to limit ourselves to vintage stores when trying to recreate Joan's iconic look. 
Dress 1,2 & 4 are from modcloth.com, dress 3 is from matchesfashion.com(Diane von Furstenberg)
For Joan's 'office look', stick to fitted, high scoop collar dresses and soft materials. Wear a belt to emphasise the waist. For a night time look, you may want to go for sexier V neck dresses and shiny fabrics which will accentuate your curves.

These fabulous dresses are from stopstaringclothing.com. The below the-knee lenght is more of a 1950s than 60s style though.
The first two dresses are from ideeli.com (Eliza J), the red one is from shopstyle.com(Suzi Chin for Maggy Boutique.)
Don't forget to accesorise but don't overdo it - Joan's style is all about minimalism and elegance:

 These little gems are from etsy.com: cbonifati's Shop & ATouchofRoseJewels' Shop
 Watch is from modcloth.com and the necklece is from Accessorize.
Joan's look wouldn't be complete without her signature gold pen necklace. I was SO excited when I found it on 1928.com! You can also buy a similar one on etsy.com.

The gorgeous satin gloves are from John Lewis and the clutch bags are from Accessorize.

If you want to complete the look with 1960s-style lingerie, check out La Senza's Lucy Lane vintage line,Agent Provocateur or What Katie Did Boutique. It may be a good idea to buy shapewear to define your silhouette, highlighting bust, waist and bottom. This will bring you a step closer to Joan's beautiful,curvy figure!

Last but not least- makeup! I was very excited to come across last year's interview where Lana Horochowski, Mad Men's Makeup Department Head, shared a few insider tips on how to recreate Joan's makeup look. Lana, who described Joan as "always put together, very sassy and sexy", said that key products for creating her look are eyeliner and strip lashes. Lana also revealed the exact products she uses when putting together Joan's makeup look (yes, you guessed it -I'm planning on buying every single one of them!!;). These are: MAC's Cream Colour Base in Virgin Isle, Fluidline in Blacktrack and Rich Ground, brown and black, and Eye Shadow in Soft Brown (all these are MAC products). Lastly, Lena had a great advice on incorporating Joan's style into everyday makeup look: "Replacing gloss and sheer or shimmer lipsticks with matte reds, bright pinks and corals help screate a more retro look. Instead of a powder blush try using creme in pinks and corals to create a flushed looking cheek. For evening, strip lashes are always a bonus". 
I hope you enjoyed reading this post - let me know what you think about my outfit choices! :)
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xx Glitter Girl

6 comments:

  1. do you know the brand of lipstick in the last picture?

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  2. this is by far the best style guide for joan that i have come across on the web-some of the dress suggestions on others are completely wrong!!
    thanks :)

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  3. Yes please tell us which brand and shade of lipstick that is.

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  4. Quite late for a reply but still an awesome post on Jane's beautiful style :) COngrats! I'm pretty sure that the last lipstick is one from the Signature collection of Estée Lauder. Btw, it has just been launched the brand new "Mad Men Collection" from them!!

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  5. Excellent. Thanks for the heads up on where to find these items. I LOVE.

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