Mad Men's Real-Life Clones

Well, this is interesting. While doing research through the Google LIFE archives for my last post, I came across some crazy Mad Men similarities.

Don Draper, et tu?

Well, no. According to LIFE archives it's the "Madison Ave Look." I don't even know if this guy is legit or a model showing the fashion, but I have a feeling it's the latter. Especially considering how many damn pictures there are. But even then, Madison Ave. is where the ad agencies in NYC were and the reason these guys were called Mad Men in the first place.

See the resemblance for yourself:


Then, even more creepy- Sally's teacher, Miss Farrell.

Remember she wore a Bowdoin College shirt in one episode while running, when Don picked her up? Well these girls are at a dance at Bowdoin in 1939. I know in Mad Men it's 1963 but let's just ignore that...
The one all the way on the right immediately caught my eye. The similarity is uncanny. The nose, jawline, chin, mouth, even eyebrows and hair:


Mad Men is so historically accurate, it actually replicates history.

Saddle Shoes: I WANT THEM NOW

Saddle shoes, oxfords, brogues- whatever you want to call them. I want 'em.

I wrote a final research paper titled "A Woman's Place is in the Home? The College Takes on Marriage" for my U.S. History course this semester. The topic, which I chose on a fluke (except it had to be related to my college's history) turned out to be more amazing than I could've ever imagined. I enjoyed doing the research so much that it helped me decide to become a history major.

But anyway, while researching I looked through yearbooks and LIFE magazine issues around the time I was focusing on (late 1930's, early 1940's) and the pictures showed girls who seriously wore only saddle shoes. I thought my college was trendy now, but turns out it has nothing on those days. Apparently the style spanned something like 20 years among college girls and teenagers.

Here are some pictures from Google's amazing LIFE archives (notice the pictures are strangely voyeuristic and creepy at times... that was how LIFE magazine was, judging by the ones I read through. It was like the mostly male readers wanted to observe how these college girls lived. Very strange, but I'll leave that for another post). Click the pictures to see slightly bigger or go to the sources I sprinkled around to see much bigger versions of the pictures. So without further ado, some old timey college girls in their saddle shoes:

This was in one of the issues I read. I remember it said she was reading a letter from home and it made sure to mention that girls had to wear slippers during study hours to avoid making noise. 1936.

This one included a caption that said something like "rainy day style" lol. It also mentioned that umbrellas were taboo. oic. 1937.
"Vassar student walking across campus in saddle shoes and flowing raincoat."
The caption online for this 1938 says: "College Fall Fashion: Brooks-type sweater and cardigan worn outside skirt, saddle oxfords, socks, pearls."
1936 @ Vassar Now Wellesley girls.  From 1949 so you see the style lasted a while.
More Wellesley, doing research and stuff. Remember the creepy voyeuristic thing I was talking about? Yeah.
Wellesley students and their matching outfits, complete with ubiquitous saddle shoes. Again 1949.I don't know wtf is going on here (well doesn't he look snazzy) but it says: "American teenagers in Heidelberg, Germany on cover of `Life' magazine dated 07-21-1947.""Teenaged girl June Runyon's legs and feet, wearing saddle shoes & bobby sox with a comb slipped in one of the cuffs." Naughty naughty. From Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1947.
"Four members of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority wearing white sweatshirt cardigans, this year's fashion fad among fellow sisters on the campus at the Univ. of Kansas." LOL. Whenever you're sick of trends, just look at this picture. At least it's not this bad. 1939. Sears catalogue advertisement. The website I got this from says: "1938, the jitterbug dance required flat shoes for women. The saddle shoe became equally popular among co-eds and the first unisex fashion was born."Happy jitterbuggers.
Collier's magazine cover. I can't read the year. Ooh, red saddles.
There are no saddle shoes in this one from 1950 (check out the keds though) but how cool were these Vassar students. Damn... they even had sweaters that buttoned up in the back... and a hipster reindeer sweater 60 years ahead of its time. Do we think she was wearing it ironically? Hm.

Anyway, not only was I brainwashed by all of those old pictures while researching, but I also spent all of last summer obsessively watching Gilmore Girls' first three seasons. I totally missed that boat- back in middle school I couldn't understand what they were saying because they talked too fast, but now I realized the show is adorable as fuck and anyone who hasn't watched it is missing out big time. Watch up to a bit before Jess leaves (aka when the show turned shitteous as hale) and thank me later.

I also spent that time fawning over Rory Gilmore's aka Alexis Bledel's amazing school uniform. I don't know why I loved it so much, but the preppy tops, plaid skirt, sheer navy/black tights (very important that they were sheer, for some reason- it just looked cooler), and saddle shoes of course were a perfect combination. I can't find screen caps that do it justice but these will have to do. Unfortunately they're all with stupid Dean:


To make up for including Dean I'll post the loveliness of Jess and Rory:

Look how cute this show is! From one of my favorite episodes:
Okay okay I'm done. Just promise me you'll watch the show and I'll move on.

Anyway, all of this together has really made me crave for some good ol' saddle shoes. They don't only go with poodle skirts for Halloween, I think I've proven that y'all.

The final cherry on top was when Alexa Chung wore them on one of her It's On with Alexa Chung episodes (R.I.P :'( )
And finally that with all of the Mad Men I've been watching (AMAZING, if you're not watching... seriously, what are you doing not watching? What? Watch it now bitches)... which has made me fall in love with that 40's, 50's style...
It's all sealed the deal. I need saddle shoes.

I've been telling my friends this for months now- all I could find online were shitty saddle shoes for poodle skirt costumes or old people saddle shoes with gross kitschy designs on them. But it looks like the ever-trusty trend mongers at Urban Outfitters have finally caught on. Look what I saw when I browsed their website two days ago:
(UO)

Helll yeahhh. Modernized and all. That's what I call a jackpot. A rip-off at $48 but what can you do. It will be my belated Hanukkah gift or something. All i know is I NEED them. NOW.

edit:

WHYYYYYYYYYY

WHY DID MTV CANCEL ALEXA CHUNG?

FUCK THEM.





FUCKKKKKKKKK THEM.

And fuck ONTD for being assholes about it. I've lost like half of my respect for them right now.

Sad day. And I have to write a research paper. UGH. This makes me feel like I have abnormal taste when so many people hated her and I fucking looooved the show. WTF is wrong with me, then? Everyone sucks.

Brandon Flowers and the Case of the Purple Hoodie Obsession

Since half of my blog hits come from Brandon Flowers fashion researchers anyway, I might as well help feed the curiosity further...

Also, I tried searching BFlow's now-infamous purple tiger zip-up hoodie on Google and the results were insufficient at best. People out there aren't obsessive like I am and they have no easy way to acquire all the useless BFlow-related knowledge I already have stored in my mind. So I'm here to help.
Mr. Flowers first stepped out wearing the purple tiger / zebra print hoodie sometime early 2009... I think. Something like that. It caused a huge frenzy among fans. "What IS this new piece of clothing that is NOT the pheasant feather jacket atrocity (okay it's not that bad, but it's been worn enough times, ok) that he wears constantly? he is actually wearing something new? the shock of it!"

Little did we all know, Brandon would wear the damn hoodie EVERY SINGLE TIME he doesn't wear some variation of the feathery blazer.

He wears it almost every time he gets out and meets fans after, before, and between concerts (that's not me scribbled out, I don't know who/why that is. I just found it through my BFF Google):
He wears it to schmancy celeb events. Where he meets bitchasscuntwhorefaces that need to GTFO NOW. LIKE RIGHT FUCKING NOW. STEP AWAY FROM THAT BEAUTIFUL MAN NOW PLEASE AND THANK YOU. Homewrecking bitch. Brandon, watch your back, Sienna Miller has the bloodthirsty look in her eyes and she'll rip apart your perfect little family the first chance she gets. Uhum. Where was I. JK, anyway Brandon would never cheat and be with that... thing. Moving on before I convulse at the thought.

He even wears it during once-in-a-lifetime performances with Coldplay and Bono (at the Royal Bush Hall, War Child benefit gig):

And while leaving BBC 1 studios in London with Ronnie, being photographed by them pesky paps:
Aaaand while being followed by the damn paparazzi. Poor baby, look how nervous he is with the clenched fists. You can see those evil monsters' reflections in the windows.

I'm sure he thinks he's being all clever wearing this because of the song on Day & Age, Neon Tiger. Get it?? Heh heh heh.... yeah okay Brandon, sit down.

That's one pretty neon tiger, innit? That's what I got by searching purple tiger on Google. Did I mention Google is my BFF?

Do you sense a *theme*? You don't? Well let me hammer it in your head further along with Brandon. He fucking LOVES THEMES you see. So maybe that explains this floor in concerts. And.... this. Oh yeah and this. Got it now? Thought so.

So back to neon-purple-tiger-zip-up-hoodies. Brandon always wears it the same way- under the equally-tired denim jacket of mysterious brand (edit: it's an Alexander McQueen from Selfridges- where B also got his pink Dior Homme/Hedi Slimane blazer -according to GQ), with a T-shirt under it all and tight black pants or jeans, with boots. It's the Official Brandon Flowers Casual Look, '09. Here I created a very scientific analysis of the outfit, click to enlarge and experience full effect (recommended):

Now for the head-scratchy part. Killers fans were all a-fuss over this sweater. Where is it from? Where can I buy it? It looks so very... familiar... OMFG, DUH. They sell some version of it in every single mall store in the entire world.

This is from Wet Seal:

Now H&M also has one. But similar is not the SAME, is it?

Nope. Well worry not, here is the original 100% authentic Brandon Flowers Tiger Hoodie:


It has been meticulously proven by obsessive fans to be the real deal. The strings are just right, the color gets gradually darker as it gets lower in the hoodie. All there. Now where is this exclusive rockstar piece of history from?

Forever 21.

FOREVER FUCKING 21.

Brandon, if you're really trying to fight off the gay rumors, this isn't a good place to start (JK JK I know he's not really gay you crazies, I just like to kid about that silly dandy).

And no, Forever 21 didn't create a replica to sell to die-hards. First of all Brandon isn't famous enough for that, and secondly fans found it only days after Brandon first wore the thing. And it was on a special sale online for something like $25, no less. I will say, though, that purple tiger hoodies popped up aaall over the place a while after he wore it. I'm just saying ok.

But seriously, what is Brandon doing shopping there? Was he with his wife? Did she buy it for him? I'm just... I don't understand. And it makes me appreciate him more because he's just insane, man. I love insane people.

So on any normal day, if I ever saw this piece in the mall, I would be like "blah whatever" and move on. But now it was worn by my #1 Favorite Famous Person in the World, and it was no longer just an average colored animal print hoodie. Oh no. It was suddenly the most beautiful thing in the world and I HAD TO HAVE IT. So have it I did. I promptly ordered it and here it is:

No I am not ashamed. Okay maybe I am a little. Okay a lot. I can't even explain, I just wanted it, alright? And I'm not the only one, about a bazillion Killers fans bought it too. Not that that makes it any less pathetic. Forever 21 HQ must have had a great deal of bewilderment over the sudden spike in sales of this particular hoodie.

All I can say is Brandon brain-washed me and I bought the damn thing like some Killers zombie. Here I am wearing it a la Bflow with a jean jacket. I swear i didn't buy THAT because of him- i got it as a gift from my mom's friend a few weeks ago. yes I admit I freaked out a little (a lot) now that I had the "set." But it fits horribly so no cigar. You can't really tell in the picture though.

Unfortunately the legendary hoodie is not selling online anymore. Sorry guys. Blame Forever 21, and blame me for not writing this earlier, as in half a year earlier, because I was too lazy. I guess you can go badger a Killers fan and try to buy it off of them (good luck with that) or some unassuming average teenager obsessed with colored animal prints. EDIT: This site has the original F21 description. So apparently it was $27.80).

SO that's all with the epic story of the purple hoodie. Here, a gift for lasting this long in my rambling post- a photo of Brandon as a wee 80's child. No comment necessary:
...Oh alright maybe just a few comments. Mesh T-shirt? Laser background? BAHAHAHAH. But doesn't he look just precious?

Edit: Here are some detail shots of the same type of Alexander McQueen jean jacket Brandon wears, if that's what you're here for: