Janie Bryant

To start with, I have to admit that I was at first disappointed with this book because it wasn't what I thought it would be. Clearly I didn't read the subtitle closely enough because I expected a book that would talk exclusively about the costuming process on the set of Mad Men and didn't expect the book to instead be by and large an advice book on personal style. I'm someone who isn't usually in to fashion and style very much (this book was an education in terms of introducing me to vocabulary such as "maxi dresses," "cigarette pants," "cocktail rings," and "bolero jackets" -- while I own many of these items, I didn't actually ever know they had specific names as such), so I was wary at the outset.

Once I got over my initial letdown, I actually ended up getting into this book quite a bit. True, there were times I found Bryant a bit out of touch (for instance when she talked about viewing your closet as a your dressing room and organizing it as such ... as if most of us have the luxury of doing so) and other times when I just vehemently disagreed with her (always be feminine! dress up for everything, even running errands! high heels are always a must, no matter the damage they do your body!). But overall, I was actually impressed with the advice and tips she gave.

Bryant made it clear from the outside that her intention was never to shame any one and repeatedly reminded readers to love the body they have; she gave advice on finding clothes to fit your body shape rather than telling readers to change their body to fit their wardrobe or, worse yet, acting as though everyone has the same runway model body and ignoring everyone else. She also discusses discovering one's "season" - i.e., the color scheme that best fits your hair and skin tones - to find the best colors for your personal wardrobe. Again, Bryant emphasizes It's all about flattering the look you have rather than trying to be someone else.

Another thing that Bryant stressed frequently was the role of accessories -- she especially noted how you could bring a bit of vintage to a modern ensemble by adding one item from another era, whether that be a purse, a hairclip, a belt, or what have you. This was a real eye-opener for me as I've always loved vintage looks (especially gorgeous dresses from the 1940s and 50s) but have always thought it would be strange to go all out and embrace a full-blown head-to-toe old-fashioned look. Bryant now has me thinking about checking out some vintage shops after all and seeing what I can find that can be added to other outfits for just a hint of something classic.

In a related vein, Bryant is conscious of budgets to some degree and notes how acquiring new accessories and occasionally switching them around can be a relatively inexpensive way to update and enliven your wardrobe - e.g., instead of spending hundreds of dollars on brand new dresses and pants, buy a couple of colorful belts to add a dash of pizzazz to those old favorites. Again, Bryant has inspired me to be a little more adventurous and bold by adding some flair to my outfits or mixing up my usual rotation of separates to pair differently.

Bryant also suggests picking up a fashion-based souvenir when traveling, noting this is a practice she does herself that has resulted in some of her favorite items in her wardrobe. In this way, she explains, your clothing and accessories also pull double duty as conversation pieces and reminders of good times in addition to just being something you wear. This is something that I have more or less done in the past, but I may put a little more intention and planning to this idea for future travels.

Along the course of these discussions about finding and perfecting (and then evolving and re-inventing) your personal style, Bryant does of course share knowledge and insights about her work on Mad Men and also on some other TV shows. The book is peppered with some notes and quotes from January Jones, Christina Hendricks, Jon Hamm, and Elisabeth Moss; Bryant also talks about how style choices were made to accentuate the characterizations of Betty, Joan, etc. (Sadly, because this book was written early on in the Mad Men run, there's no reference to Megan's style choices or how the other characters changed - or didn't change as the case may - their look as the decade progressed.) Bryant also looks at vintage highlights from fashion history from the 1920s through the 1980s.

This book is also noteworthy for its beautiful illustrations and photographs. The artist renderings are lovely and inspiring in their sartorial choices, although they err on the side of showing far too many runway model-shaped bodies instead of the reality of a multitude of body types. Numerous photographs show stills from the Mad Men set as well as highlights from Bryant's vast collection of hairclips, hats, belts, jewelry, etc. All this gives the reader food for thought (or perhaps rather, eye candy) for selecting pieces for their own wardrobe.

All and all, I quite enjoyed this book and was happy I read it. It definitely got me thinking about the clothes in my own closet and how I can make some small changes to my fashion choices to better reflect my personality and sense of style. I would recommend this book more to fans of fashion than to fans of Mad Men per se, with the ideal audience of course being those who are fans of both!… (lisätietoja)