The Mad Men Fashion File - Evil Twins

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Don't adjust your television set: There's nothing wrong with Peggy's orange checked collar or Bob's striped green tie. But if you think you've seen those costumes before -- just in different colors -- you're absolutely right.

Each of these outfits has an evil twin that costume designer Janie Bryant ties back into the character's story arc. Peggy's original checked pussy bow was purple, and she wore it first while flirting with Ted (while on the phone with Stan!) in Episode 4, "The Collaborators." It appears again in Episode 9, "For Immediate Release," as Peggy learns Don and Ted have forged a shaky (and career-changing) alliance. Both episodes were before Ted and Peggy's pivotal kiss this season -- and before Don had wrecked their relationship. After compromising the love of his real daughter, Don acts out on his "work daughter" -- and boom, Peggy goes (literally) hot under the collar. Her neckline changes from purple to orange.

Peggy's second costume inversion comes from her blue suit with green trim. Remember when she wore a green suit with blue trim last week while navigating Mrs. Campbell's dementia and Pete's dinner table teasing? It's all fun and games until it's true, and then the mood (and the suit) darkens. (One more note on Peggy's blue costume: It's the same one she sports in the Season 6 Premiere when she deftly saves the day with her "Lend Me Your Ears" campaign -- but only after almost losing her temper with the clients.)

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Sterling Cooper & Partners Debuts New Logo and Agency Brand

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Sterling Cooper & Partners has issued a press release (authored by Peggy Olson) with comments from partners Bert Cooper, Roger Sterling, Don Draper, Jim Cutler and Ted Chaough. Click here to view a larger version of the press release.

Filed under: Press & Related Links

Q&A - Rich Sommer (Harry Crane)

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In this interview, Rich Sommer (Harry Crane on AMC's Mad Men) talks about his character's California look and staying ahead of the curve.

Q: Harry is so fashion-forward now. What are your thoughts on his new look?

A: I love it... I think it's indicative of a guy who is keeping up with the people that he's trying to do business with. If you look at that episode where they went to California recently, he certainly fit in at that party better than Don or Roger did. I reap the benefits of it too because it's so ridiculously fun to wear that stuff.

Q: What is it like shooting the California scenes vs. the New York scenes?

A: It's always fun to shoot on location... It was kind of a crappy day. It was sort of rainy. And they somehow, you know, magically made it look like sunny California. All of the background actors were appropriately suited, and it was a fun chance to see those guys in a different place than just Sterling Cooper.

Q: When you're on location, does it change the way you interact with your cast mates?

A: We have all now been working together for going on seven years... And our relationships with each other are pretty solid outside of the show. It's always funny to see how people interact with each other on the show because that sometimes feels foreign knowing what it's like when the cameras aren't rolling. It's a pretty warm group, and there are so few very warm characters on the show. [Laughs]

Q: Matthew Weiner does, to a degree, write around your own personalities though, right?

A: It was more true I think back in the beginning in the show and, well, it's still true -- you see Ken Cosgrove tap dance and that's clearly Aaron Staton who somehow had that in his back pocket.

Q: How do you think you would have handled having to tap dance on Mad Men?

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John Slattery Joins THR Drama Actor Emmy Roundtable; ABC Chats With Elisabeth Moss

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This week, John Slattery joins The Hollywood Reporter's Emmy roundtable, while Elisabeth Moss sits down with ABC News to talk about her career and her hopes for Peggy. Plus, Linda Cardellini is interviewed by The New York Times and is named a notable TV guest star by Variety. Read on for more Mad Men news:

At The Hollywood Reporter's drama actor Emmy roundtable, John Slattery talks about directing Mad Men episodes and how he "once got a call to play Sylvester Stallone's brother."

ABC News interviews Elisabeth Moss, who wants Peggy "to be happy so I want her to find someone."

• "Are you ever going to get out of the bed?" Linda Cardellini tells The New York Times that's what her mother asked after watching Sylvia in bed with Don for much of this season.

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Mad Men Season 6 Fashions - Photos, Videos and More

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As Mad Men Season 6 progresses deeper into the 1960s, so do the characters' fashions. Brighter colors, shorter skirts, and longer hair are at the forefront. Plus, there's no shortage of funky patterns. To learn more about this season's distinct look, check out the following online content:

1. Season 6 Fashion Photos: A collection of iconic photography featuring Don Draper, Megan Draper, Peggy Olson, Joan Harris, Roger Sterling, Betty Francis and Pete Campbell.

2. The Mad Men Fashion File: Fashion blogger Faran Krentcil's analysis of Emmy Award-winning costume designer Janie Bryant's fashion choices.

3. Janie Bryant Video Interviews: The Mad Men costume designer takes you into the wardrobe room where she breaks down the costumes from each episode.

Mad Men airs Sunday nights at 10/9c on AMC.

Filed under: Photo Galleries, Video

1960s Handbook - Mark Lindsay

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Few pop stars of the late 1960s were more visible than Mark Lindsay, the lead singer of Paul Revere and the Raiders, which shot to fame as the house band on ABC's musical-variety show Where the Action Is. Five afternoons a week, the Raiders played covers and Top 40 singles -- "Just Like Me," "Kicks," "Good Thing"...  -- and engaged in antics inspired by the Beatles' movies A Hard Day's Night and Help. The Fab Four connection was no coincidence. Action's producer Dick Clark marketed the Raiders as America's response to the "British invasion". With their Revolutionary War get-up and Lindsay's trademark ponytail, the Raiders certainly looked the part.

Lindsay's good looks inspired much breathless prose in 16, Tiger Beat, and other teen mags. The writer of a typical piece contrasted the "smiling, happy, dashing, gallant, laughing, care-free and outgoing" facade Lindsay maintained publicly with the off-screen "torment and confusion of a young man searching for his name and meaning in a very nameless world of labels." 

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The Mad Men Fashion File - Just Kids

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There's an old joke that people eventually start to look like their pets. In the Mad Men world, nobody resembles their cat, but costume designer Janie Bryant makes sure that key characters coordinate with their office (or in Betty's case, her kitchen). Peggy's a prime example: Once she got promoted to copywriter, she wore dresses that blended into the chairs. And all this season, we've noted that Ted's "groovy" brown suits line up perfectly with Sterling Cooper & Partners' wood-paneled walls.

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Now we see Ted hiding out with Jim in the SC&P version of the Bat Cave: Ted's office. Ted's mustard and chestnut hues blend straight into the dizzy wallpaper; Jim's blue suit sinks precisely into the graphic blue print hanging behind him. This is their space, for their opinions, and it couldn't get any clearer if Ted hung a sign proclaiming "NO DRAPERS ALLOWED" on the door.

Unfortunately, nobody posted a "NO SALLYS ALLOWED" sign on the 16th floor of her apartment building, but Sally should have known she didn't belong in the Rosen house anyway: Their walls are muted brown and orange, and her costume is bright red and blue. (Maybe she chose it to match Mitchell's red shirt!) Aside from making us squirm and scream "Don't go in there, Sally!" at the TV, this episode did a fantastic job of delineating children from adults.

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Mad Men Receives TCA Nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Drama

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Today the Television Critics Association announced their nominees for the 2013 TCA Awards, and Mad Men was honored with a nomination in the Outstanding Achievement in Drama category.

The nomination is part of five total that AMC received this year, with Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead also earning nods.

In the Outstanding Achievement in Drama category, Mad Men will face such competition as FX's The Americans, HBO's Game of Thrones, Showtime's Homeland, and AMC's own Breaking Bad.

The awards will be presented Sat., Aug. 3 during the TCA summer press tour.

Filed under: Press & Related Links

Q&A - Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper)

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In this interview, Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper on AMC's Mad Men) talks about growing up on the set and her character's most shocking moment.

Q: You're 13 now! Did you celebrate your birthday on set?

A: I didn't have my birthday on set because we weren't filming at the time. But, usually they do and it's always fun. They got me a cake -- that was nice.

Q: Now that you're officially a teenager, are you allowed to watch the full episodes?

A: When I started out, I wasn't allowed to watch episodes of the show... Now, I read the scripts and I go to the table reads and I read the storylines, but I still don't sit down and watch every episode.

Q: Do you ever go back and watch the early episodes where you're a little kid? What's that like?

A: It's actually really fun for me to look back at old episodes. I look so teeny, and it's really weird but it's cool.

Q: Do you think being on Mad Men has made you grow up faster?

A: No, I think it's my personality is just more of a mature personality. I think that's my persona, but I don't think that has anything to do with the show. I definitely act mature on set, but I don't think it's altered me or the way I talk to people... I just, you know, do my thing.

Q: Trouble seems to find Sally... What's the most shocking thing Sally has done over the seasons?

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Matthew Weiner at THR Emmy Roundtable; Jon Hamm a Variety Leading Emmy Contender

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This week, The Hollywood Reporter's Emmy roundtable for drama showrunners features Matthew Weiner, while Variety dubs Jon Hamm one of this year's top contenders for a Best Actor Emmy. Plus, Mad Men is one of the top 10 shows on the Writers Guild's Best Written TV Series of All Time list. Read on for more Mad Men news:

Matthew Weiner, one of the drama showrunners in The Hollywood Reporter's Emmy roundtable, compares the writing process to "a pie-eating contest where the prize is more pie."

Variety considers Jon Hamm a leading Emmy contender because his "performance never falls into a rut, keeping alive his hopes for that elusive first Emmy."

The Writers Guild of America lists Mad Men at No. 7 on its ranking of the 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time because the series "quickly took hold of the imagination with its evocation of Madison Avenue and the country as the turbulent 1960s dawn." The Hollywood Reporter, the Los Angeles Times and Business Insider discuss the list.

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