Tagged: Jon Hamm

Mad Men – “Three Sundays” Sweater

Jon Hamm as Don Draper in

Jon Hamm as Don Draper in “Three Sundays”, Episode 2.04 of Mad Men.

Vitals

Jon Hamm as Don Draper, brilliant Madison Avenue ad man

New York City, April 1962

Series: Mad Men
Episode: “Three Sundays” (Episode 2.04)
Air Date: August 17, 2008
Director: Tim Hunter
Costume Designer: Janie Bryant

Background

Face it, even when he goes in on the weekend for his day off, Don Draper will look better than you. And this isn’t just a statement about the times: he also looks far better than Pete Campbell in his monochromatic tennis gear and short shorts.

This episode of Mad Men, the fourth of the second season, is centered around Sterling Cooper’s campaign to win American Airlines as a client. Don is on the verge of both a professional and a personal crisis but manages to hold everything together, crafting what he believes will be the perfect pitch.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about or who these people are, watch the damn show already. If you’re more of a cheater, read my first post about Don Draper and maybe you’ll have a slightly better sense about what’s going on.

What’d He Wear?

Responding to the emergency call of working on a weekend, Don shows up at the office in the epitome of suave 1960s male casual wear. While everyone else’s attire is hit or miss (Hit: Ken Cosgrove nicely wears a light brown sportcoat and tie. Miss: Pete Campbell’s aforementioned tennis outfit), Don comes in looking relaxed but professional. Continue reading →

Mad Men – “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”

Jon Hamm as Don Draper in the Mad Men pilot episode.

Vitals

Jon Hamm as Don Draper, Madison Avenue ad man with a dark past

New York City, March 1960

Series: Mad Men
Episode: “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” (Episode 1.01)
Air Date: July 19, 2007
Director: Alan Taylor
Series Costume Designer: Janie Bryant
Pilot Episode Costume Designer: John A. Dunn

Background

If you haven’t yet seen Mad Men, most of your friends or every award show is convincing you to watch it. If you have seen it, then you likely know every episode from all seven seasons by heart, and you’ve been to at least two Mad Men parties.

Mad Men is a refreshing phenomenon to Americans. Refreshing especially after waves of popular TV meant Jersey Shore or Dancing With the Stars, or the inevitable and dreaded Dancing With the Stars of Jersey Shore. Mad Men has style, class, and a story that is relevant, brilliant, and addictive. The stars of Mad Men, relatively anonymous when the show began, are now standard features in magazines, on TV, and in other films. Jon Hamm, especially, has evolved from an eighth grade teacher who waited tables between auditions to a superstar that has established himself as a talented comedic and dramatic actor as well as an all-around nice guy.

Hamm plays Don Draper, the mysterious ad man and the show’s Gatsby to Elisabeth Moss’s Nick Carraway. Draper became a cultural icon almost instantly, with the character receiving AskMen’s 2009 top honor as “Most Influential Man” of the year. Continue reading →