The Joan Special: Season 7 Part 2

For Part 1, look here.

Her Garden Party Dress

The promo shots for Part 2 featured Joan looking sensational in this floaty pink dress. It’s very Diane von Furstenberg and very flattering with its wide scoop neckline, full-length sleeves and fitted waist.

Her SATC Look

This magenta power dress and gold coat remind me of another kickass businesswoman, Samantha Jones.

Subdued In Sludge Green

After being sexually harassed by a couple of sleazeball clients, Joan is wearing a modest, and ugly, blouse.

Her Retail Therapy Fix

Joan on a shopping spree is the stuff of my fashion fantasies. This pearl encrusted, feather trimmed evening dress is exquisite.

Of Course Joan Wears A Ballgown To Bed

You gotta love a nightie that comes with its own cape.

Her Office Barbie Look

Gorgeous, summer workwear. I’m obsessed with these shades of pink. The nude accessories keep it chic.

Yet More Glamorous Sleepwear

Costume designer, Janie Bryant, is spoiling us. This satin emerald dressing gown is fit for a queen. Or me.

Her Beautiful Blue Blouse

Joan wears quite a few pussybow necklines this season, a big trend in women’s officewear at the time.

One Of Her All Time Greatest Hits

She’s always loved Asian style and this brocade pencil dress with its Mandarin collar is just stunning. A classic bombshell look.

Experimenting With Skirt Shapes

Joan’s famous for her wiggle skirts but here she is something more flared. She keeps her waist defined by wearing the belt over the top of her shirt.

Her Mixed Print Dress

This season sees Joan really venturing out of her familiar silhouette with floaty, printed numbers like this one.

Her Matchy Matchy Suit

She looks like a flight attendant on the world’s most colour-coordinated airline.

The “I’ll Take One In Every Colour” Outfit

Joan has long been a fan of buying several versions of the same outfit in different colourways. If a look works for you, make it work harder.

Her Sassy Seventies Frock

She’s got the funk.

Her Giant Pink Dress

Another pussybow neckline. It’s a bit billowy for my taste – I prefer her in something more fitted.

Like This

Her Tux Dress

It’s menswear inspired but in a very feminine way. A fabulous look for the office.

What To Wear To The Beach

A vintage floral one-piece and a sarong knotted at the waist. Check out the diva-sized brim on that sunhat behind her.

Her Fancy Dinner Dress

J’adore this fitted, jersey dress and matching handbag. Sophisticated glamour.

Her Hot Mama Look

Cute and casual at home in a batwing-sleeved jumper and cats eye glasses.

And Now For Something Completely Different

It’s the end of Mad Men and suddenly Joan’s really into jumpsuits!

Her Leopard Print Loungewear

This dressing gown is fierce and I want it.

Her Farewell Ensemble

Joan is The Boss – of her own company and of this look.

The Joan Special: Season 7 Part 1

Since the last ever episode of Mad Men, I’ve been weeping in my wiggle dress and mourning the loss of Joan’s magnificent beehive. I’ve also been documenting every one of Joanie’s looks from her style swan song, Season 7. I find it eases the pain.

Her Go-going Places Look

The promos for Season 7 featured Joan in a sexy hot pink minidress. This is a brand new, forward-thinking shape for the empress of the office. I want her Pucci handbag, her legs and her first class plane ticket.

Joan, Version 7.0

The season premiere kicks off with a new spin on the quintessential Joan look – a jewel-toned pencil dress worn with a stonking great bouffant and a necklace that dangles down to her sensational bosom. The hemline and the hairdo have both crept up because we’ve entered the seventies.

Her Power Dress

Now she’s a big shot business lady, Joan wears monochrome and shows off her serious side. She drapes herself in gold to symbolise that she is a queen and that she is loaded.

Her Back To School Look

The colours in this ensemble are as rich and fabulous as Joan. She looks like an earth goddess.

Professionally Gorgeous

A masterclass in stylish workwear. I love the bold, feminine colour, the 3/4-length sleeves and the belted jacket that keeps her hourglass silhouette on display.

Her Valentines Day Tribute Act

Joan loves a theme. The theme is mostly “drop dead gorgeous”. However, her V-Day get up is more of a deep cranberry than a bright red as she’s not feeling all that loved up right now.

Her Knockout Knee-Highs

I gasped when I saw these knee-high boots, an exciting fashion first for Joan signifying how kickass and modern she has become. The gasping was not a first for me. I get very emotionally involved with Joan’s wardrobe.

Her Green Is The Colour Of Money Look

Seventies Joan has kept her trademark pencil skirt but added a big flouncy blouse. And even after all these years, she’s still tying a scarf to her handbag.

Her Angry Red Dress

If you plan on getting majorly pissed off, it’s best to wear a beautiful red dress to coordinate with your rage.

Her At Home With Joan Dress

Isn’t it awkward when your closeted gay friend leans in for a snog and a marriage proposal? And don’t you love it when we get to see Joan at home? She looks so much softer than in her office armour with her hair all Farrah Fawcett flicky and her dress all polka dot floaty.

Her Summer In The Office Dress

The psychadelic print brings her favourite pencil dress shape bang into the seventies.

Her Just Got Out Of Bed Look

She’s been called out in the middle of the night so this is the most casual we’ve seen her all season. I love her spotty rainmac and the fact that, whatever the circumstances, Joan’s wearing heels.

Her Scarf Dress

Scarves are Joan’s signature flourish, finishing off dresses and handbags alike. This navy frock is pretty conservative but that printed scarf at the neckline gives it panache.

For more Joan, go to Part 2 of this fashion extravaganza.

All About Joan

It’s not a girl crush. It’s a one woman obsession, revolving mainly around her wardrobe. Season 6 of Mad Men gave us lots of fabulous Joanie moments and a few worrying ones too. Here’s an outfit by outfit account on what Joan wore in 1968.

Her photo shoot look

The series premiere features Joan in a waistcoat suit and frilly shirt. I am not amused. In fact I’m terrified. Double breastedness inflates breasts that are already huge, the blouse looks like seventies fancy dress and it’s not even a pencil skirt, it’s an A-line. From a storytelling perspective, I get what costume sorceress Janie Bryant is doing. The outfit is about Joan’s new position as a partner. It’s more authoritative and menswear-inspired than her usual sheath dresses and the symbolically secretarial gold pen necklace has gone for good. From a fan’s perspective though, this is the first outfit I’ve ever seen Joan in that I have no desire to wear.

Her air hostess look

And this is the second. When odious Herb visits her office, Joan is wearing a navy tabard and a fussy orange blouse. This is a much looser silhouette than we’re used to on Joan and, dare I say it, she looks a tad frumpy. She’s even wearing her glasses on a chain round her neck like a middle-aged school marm. Janie, what the heck have you done to Joanie??

Her career woman dress

This is more like it. Joan’s navy boiled wool dress and matching coat look expensive and chic. To her friend, Kate, she appears awe-inspiringly successful, even if her coworkers still treat her like a secretary/whore.

Her day-to-night dress

This watercolour silk chiffon dress is a much softer look. The frock is flouncily old-fashioned but she still looks beautiful. I have to include a picture of her perfectly coordinating coat, which we get a glimpse of in the taxi.

Her serious suit

This is what Joan wears when she knows she has a challenging meeting that day. I love the leopard print scarf she’s tied to her handbag. Even when she’s being sombre, she still finds a way to showcase her Joanie flair.

Her awards ceremony gown

“This is a Greek goddess vintage gown, and I always think of Joan as being a goddess,” explains Janie. This outfit really reminds me of the old school Hollywood glamour of Elizabeth Taylor. I love the chandelier earrings, the lavish beading and the gorgeous jewel colour. She looks sensational.

Her sympathetic vestdress

I’m not at all convinced by Joan’s new tabard fetish, but at least this one’s not double breasted.

Her weekend office wear

This is what she wears for a Saturday meeting. The brown pencil skirt and printed silk blouse are a more relaxed version of her usual office attire. Her hair reminds me of Farrah Fawcett’s 70s flicks – for once, Joan is ahead of the trends!

Her girly dress

A repeat from last season, this dress is extra feminine with its adorable acorn print and the cute little red bows on the trim.

Her outraged dress

In one of her most emotional scenes ever, Joan wears this teal shirtdress. The colour and shape are strong and almost workmanlike but it also has a secretarial feel to it, reflecting her vulnerability. It’s a fashion callback to the dress she wore when she was made partner, reminding us of what she’s been through to get to this point.

Her  getting things sorted suit

This royal blue crepe suit is appropriately assertive for a scene where she’s organising everyone in the office. The paisley blouse and butterfly brooch are on trend for the 1968 hippy look. Although the hippies probably wouldn’t have teamed their boho accessories with a business suit.

Her queasy look

Her coat is an appropriately sickly shade of green. Note how the electric blue shoes are the exact same shade as her suit. Joan is always perfectly coordinated, even in A&E.

Her ill at home look

We’ve seen this kimono before. It’s her emergency dressing gown whether she’s nursing her kid or herself.

Her tough decisions suit

A vest suit and a fussy blouse. This look encapsulates all my least favourite aspects of Joan’s style this season.

Her summer office outfit

But this stunning ensemble totally makes up for it. Although it looks like a dress, this is actually a two-piece. The strong cardinal purple is classic Joan. She nearly always wears solid jewel tones that reflect her strength and ensure she stands out onscreen.

Her beach look

Love love love Joan’s casual seaside look. It’s very nautically themed, right down to the anchor print drawstring bag and the patriotic scarf in her hair. “This is so what Joan would wear to the beach,” says Janie. “It’s knitwear and shapely and sexy. Then, I designed and built her capri pants. She wore espadrilles. You can’t see it, but she had a very sexy one-piece bathing suit underneath.” I just wish we’d got to see Joan rocking her swimsuit.

Her “I went to the beach yesterday” look

The tropical pattern on this vintage suit reminds Roger that she spent yesterday at the beach with another man. The colours are stunning, especially with Joan’s rosy sun-kissed complexion.

Her lunch date dress

This is an unusual office look for Joan because she thinks she’s going on a date. The pale floral chiffon and that great big ruffle at her shoulder make her look extra romantic and feminine.

Her favourite PJs

We’ve seen Joan in these stripey pyjamas loads of times when she’s home alone. I really enjoy the way they repeat outfits for the characters on Mad Men because it makes them seem so much more realistic.

Her Avon suit

This is classic Joan remixed for an important meeting. It’s got her hallmarks of a solid colour and an hourglass silhouette, but it’s a suit so it looks more professional. She even has a slimline briefcase which matches her handbag exactly. Love this look.

 Her aftermath dress

This block colour dress is a callback to her days as a secretary, making it a great choice for the scene where Pete tells her off. She wouldn’t have looked anywhere near as vulnerable in a power suit.

Her standout suit dress

Janie redesigned this vintage suit and altered its fit and detailing. She added the neck scarf, which has been a Joan trademark since the beginning. “Men love scarves” is one of her fundamental rules of dressing.

Her purple power suit

We only get to see this suit for a moment but I really like it – the colour, the fit, the femininity. As the season goes on Joan seems to get the hang of dressing the part of the successful business woman without losing her unique style and personality.

Her autumnal office wear

Another themed outfit. It’s Thanksgiving so she’s in a vintage pumpkin blouse and a burnt orange pencil skirt. No detail is overlooked here – the bow on the gift from Bob even matches her green and gold charm bracelet.

Her femme fatale look

One of my all-time favourite Joanie moments. I’m pining for this pussybow leopard print blouse. This outfit reminds me of the episode in Season 1 when she’s getting ready for a night on the town with her roommate and she’s feeling too Doris Day. “What I want to be is Kim Novak in just about anything.”

Mission accomplished.

Her Thanksgiving dress

This gorgeous forest green dress continues the autumnal colour scheme of the final episode. It’s a much more relaxed silhouette for Joan, whose clothes usually hug her tightly, and her hair is loose. She still looks strong and feminine but more natural – an earthy goddess rather than a constructed one. Always a fan of a themed look, Joan’s finished off her Thanksgiving look with a giant box of cranberry sauce. On that note, I would like to give thanks for Joanie’s amazing wardrobe.

What was your favourite Joan look this season?

How To Dress For Success

Concerned about your appearance? Always.

Worried your friends think of you as “a cube”? Terrified.

Fear not. Read Edith Head’s 1963 style manual, ‘How To Dress For Success’ instead.

Edith Head was a very successful woman. She was the world’s most famous and prolific costume designer and won eight Academy Awards dressing Hollywood icons like Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor.

As if that didn’t make her cool enough, she was also the inspiration for Edna Mode in The Incredibles.

I couldn’t wait to read her wisdom and discover how I could become more successful at dressing and at life.

One of her main tips is to assess your figure’s strengths and weaknesses. “Simply put a bag over your head with eyeholes cut out and look at yourself in the mirror.” We were off to a frightening start. Like most women, I look better with a face.

After I’d wept for a while about my physical shortcomings and taken off the tear-sodden paper bag, I carried on reading.

Here are some of the lessons I learned:

1. It is always fashionable to look your best.

2. When accessorising, use a colour accent no more than twice to avoid looking overdone.

3. A glamorous pair of hostess pyjamas is essential for entertaining at home.

My favourite chapter was entitled ‘How To Build A Successful Wardrobe’.

Edith suggests you create a blueprint of all the activities that fill your days (work, evenings out, going “to market”) and analyse how much time you spend doing each. You must then go through your clothes to find suitable outfits for every activity, noting what you’re lacking and what you have that’s superfluous. Through careful investigation I concluded my time is mostly spent “dancing around in my bedroom to Paloma Faith” and “lying on my ass in bed”. This requires a lot of fabulous party dresses and vintage kimonos.

As well as fashion guidance, Edith’s book offers dating tips.

Are you a single, heterosexual woman struggling to find a husband? Of course you are, this is 1963. To all you mid-century Bridget Jones types, Edith recommends you hotfoot it down to a lawyer/doctor/rich man convention to meet an eligible bachelor and impress him with your unique brand of crazy. Didn’t meet Mr Perfect? Fancy a break to cheer yourself up? Well for goodness sake don’t waste your holidays on holiday. Instead purchase multiple plane tickets so you can travel back and forth between destinations frequented by dashing businessmen. Your suitor/victim will be trapped with you on the plane ride and unable to resist your impeccably attired stench of success/desperation.

Other than these hair-brained strategies, it seems the main trick to attracting a man is pretending to be interested in everything he says and never letting him catch you in your rollers.

Disappointingly, although Edith herself was a famous lesbian, there’s no chapter on how to dress to attract a woman.

I still loved the book though. Not only was it a hilarious (and sometimes frightening) history lesson. It was also a fascinating insight into the principles used to create some of Hollywood’s most incredible fashion moments.