MadMen

Mad Men Star Designs A Playboy Couch

Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant created classically inspired suits for Brooks Brothers. Now Mad Men star and interior designer Bryan Batt has teamed up with Playboy Enterprises to create a loveseat that pays homage to early 1960s style. "The Hef" is a limited-edition loveseat designed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Playboy Clubs. The loveseat is hand signed by Playboy Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Chief Creative Officer Hugh M. Hefner and was designed by Batt and manufactured by Brownstone furniture.

It was unveiled at the Las Vegas Market trade show at World Market Center by Batt and several Playboy Club Bunnies. "The Hef" will remain on display for the duration of the show until Friday. The loveseat has gray mohair upholstery, nail head detailing and rosewood side panels and will be in limited production, with only 50 pieces available for sale. It will retail through Batt's New Orleans store Hazelnut New Orleans for $15,000.

Tags: brian batt, BrianBatt, hugh hefner, HughHefner, mad men, MadMen, playboy

10 Fashion Statements of 2009

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Jewelry, The Fashion Statement

Michelle Obama is radiant in an ensemble of Isabel Toledo, Nina Ricci and Jimmy Choo.

This has been a wonderful year for fashion. From the emergence of fanciful fashion-rebel Lady Gaga to the arms of Michelle Obama, we've had inspiring influences right and left. At a time when most designers were playing it recession-friendly (aka safe), trends and personalities stood out more than ever. Here are Luxist's Top Ten Fashion Statements of 2009.

1. Michelle Obama's inauguration outfit (pictured, by Isabel Toledo)
2. Lady Gaga in general
3. Susan Boyle's many makeovers

Click through the gallery for pics of the whole list!

Gallery: 10 Fashion Statements of 2009

1. Michelle Obama's Inauguration Day Outfit

Tags: 2009, fashion, Lady Gaga, LadyGaga, Mad Men, MadMen, Michelle Obama, MichelleObama, Miley Cyrus, MileyCyrus, Susan Boyle, SusanBoyle, Whitney Houston, WhitneyHouston

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The Fashion Statement: The Top Ten Fashion Influences of 2009

by Kristin Young (RSS feed) —

Filed under: The Fashion Statement

For a year that was fraught with Depression era-like woes, 2009 wasn't a bad year for fashion. Here's an informal roundup of the year's top 10 inspirations.

Michelle Obama: From the inaugural gown by Jason Wu to the shorts scandal over the summer, the First Lady kept our interest. She spoke volumes to the fashion community by launching the careers of little-known American designers giving them a leg up when they needed it most.

M.C. Hammer: Harem pants was a huge trend of 2009 but the look hasn't come back without controversy. In November, the Wall Street Journal took a look at the fad and quoted Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour as saying, "To be honest, they are not my favorite."

Michael Jackson: Michael Jackson's death was arguably the biggest media story of the year. Suddenly, blogs, TV and magazines were saturated with images of military jackets, pedal pushers, white socks, fedoras and penny loafers. Harper's Bazaar's September issue paid tribute with Agyness Deyn dressed as the King of Pop.

Playboy Bunnies: Marc Jacobs can be blamed for the bunny ears, but the larger fashion news story was the over-the-knee boots (or OTKs) that first emerged on Madonna courtesy of Louis Vuitton (also designed by Jacobs). Numerous designers from Prada to Hussein Chalayan made the movement a force to be reckoned with in the footwear biz.

Mad Men: Skinny suits for men has been in Italy for years and American menswear designers like Thom Browne was an early proponent. But TV show Mad Men has arguably played a role in adapting the American male's eye to the '60s trim silhouette.

Gallery: The Fashion Statement, Trends 2009

Tags: Africa and the Middle East, AfricaAndTheMiddleEast, Forties, Harem pants, HaremPants, Lady Gaga, LadyGaga, Mad Men, MadMen, Michael Jackson, MichaelJackson, Michelle Obama, MichelleObama, OTK boots, OtkBoots, Platform shoes, PlatformShoes, The Economy, TheEconomy

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'Mad Men' Dress for Success Off-Screen Too

by Amanda Gordon (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Men's Style

At the launch of the Brooks Brothers "Mad Men" limited edition men's suit, available from October 19 to November 8 (the date of the season finale) for $998, the actors on the AMC show fessed up to how much their personal wardrobes - and lifestyles - have changed since they started the show. It turns out they've learned their lesson: the power of the well-tailored suit.

"Before the show, my inspiration for clothing came from Pearl Jam and Nirvana: ripped clothes and long hair," says Rich Sommer. "I had zero suits. I was living in New York, temping, and when they'd ask us to wear suits, I'd always say I don't have one." But since he began playing Harry Crane, head of the television department at Sterling Cooper, his style has changed. "I've become more of a fashion conservative. When my time on the show ends, I think I'll wear suits. I love the masculinity of wearing a suit. People respect you. Today I was riding a bus in my scrubs and a guy elbowed me full on. In a suit that wouldn't happen. There's something that commands respect. Growing up, I never understood my dad wearing a suit, the presentation of a suit, but there's something about it, it's a put togetherness. There's a status that comes with the suit. It's not explicit, it's implicit." Sommer has started adding accessories to complete his new look. "I like cufflinks, I have one pair I wore to the Emmy's – I got them for Fathers' day, from my daughter, she's 2 years old. They have a locket with photos of my daughter, and they're monogrammed. I love them. I always wear them with a French cuff shirt."

"I usually wear jeans or hiking pants and comfortable shoes," says Michael Gladis, who plays Paul Kinsey, a copywriter on the show. But he's been wearing suits more often: Thanks to "Mad Men," he now has 13 or 14 suits in his closet. "There's something intangible about it," he says. A guest at the party chimes in: "I'm always attracted to men who wear suits." He accessorizes with a pocket square, just in case he encounters a woman crying, he says.

"Janie turned me into a suit guy," said Vincent Kartheiser, who plays Pete Campbell on the show. The suit goes along with the exciting life he has growing out of the show's success. "To put on a suit is a celebration, to say that there's something fantastic going on. If you own a lot you have a lot of celebrating to do," That description fits him. "The greatest thing" that has come as a result of the show's success "is that there's this group of artists so moved by the show who we get to meet." For example, he recently met Swiss film director Barbet Schroeder. "He was telling me stories of being with Polanski when he was trying to sell 'Knife in the Water,' Kartheiser recalls. As far as other ways his lifestyle his changed: "I get more manicures." Just then a waiter swoops by offering him fried chicken. Kartheiser passes, and the waiter says, "Would you like me to bring you some dessert?" "See, that's how good my life is now: that happens."

Tags: Brooks Brothers, Mad Men, MadMen, Michael Gladis, MichaelGladis, Rich Sommer, Vincent Kartheiser

"Mad Men" Stars Do Good

by Amanda Gordon (RSS feed) —

In honor of "Blog Action Day," we asked some of the stars of the popular AMC series "Mad Men" what they do to make the world a better place (aside from entertaining millions of us every Sunday night with their ad agency antics -- and come to New York for a night to help Brooks Brothers launch its "Mad Men" suit, which we'll be telling you about later). Although the show is set in the 1960s, their concerns are very current.

"What we put into our lives, what we choose to eat, is the biggest statement I can make," says Vincent Kartheiser, who plays Pete Campbell, an Account Executive at Sterling Cooper. Kartheiser wasn't always as aware. "I ate meat four years ago and smoked cigarettes four years ago," he says. It wasn't easy, but he gave both up. "If I didn't accept they were bad, I never would have quit. But that was the first step. I see a lot of things I need to do to change. We need to take that step and say this is something I should do, and even if don't do it yet, that's a step in the right direction," he says. He has taken action to reduce consumption and protect the environment. "I don't drive - I only take public transportation, and I don't believe in having children," he says. He also doesn't wear fur and doesn't buy leather. And just where might you find him eating a vegetarian meal? Café Muse, in his neighborhood in Los Angeles.

Janie Bryant, the Emmy-award-winning costume designer of the show, is in charge of some of the smallest details to give the show an authentic 1960s feel, but when it comes to doing good, she has one basic principle. "The most important thing I can do to improve the world is to have positive thoughts. That's what creates everything: energy, recycling, reinventing. It all comes from there," she says.

Rich Sommer, who plays Harry Crane - the head of the Television Department on the show - says, "I have two causes I think of every day," His brother spent a year in a half there in the military and made it home. "I oppose the war, but I support the guys who are over there. So I support Operation Homefront," a nonprofit that supports our troops and helps the families they leave behind, Sommer says. His other cause: gay rights. "These are people I live with, work with, am friends with," he says, noting it's not right that they may be treated differently back in his home state of Minnesota than in New York or California.

Tags: bloagactionday, brooks brothers, BrooksBrothers, janie bryant, JanieBryant, mad men, MadMen, suit

Canadian Club Ltd. Edition 30 Year Old Whisky

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

To celebrate its 150th anniversary, Canadian Club has released a special limited edition 30 Year Reserve whisky, that boasts a "luscious oak character and a velvety texture with unsurpassed natural smoothness."

Having sampled it, we second that description. The company is releasing 3,000 bottles at $200 apiece, the first Canadian distiller to offer a product of this age and refinement.

Canadian Club obviously sounds very Canadian, but it actually got its start in Detroit, founded by grocer-turned-distiller Hiram Walker, who dubbed his whisky Walker's Club. When Prohibition reared its ugly head, Walker relocated his operation across the Detroit River to Ontario, where he soon established his own community, Walkerville.

Canadian Club has recently experienced something of resurgence thanks to the hit show Mad Men, wherein it's everyone's favorite character Don Draper's drink of choice.

Tags: Canada, Canadian Club, CanadianClub, Mad Men, MadMen, Whisky