What went into recreating the 1960's for the Mad Men Casting Call

"I entered this contest as a fan who loves Mad Men, not for my big Hollywood break. Just a chance to have the shows producers look at my photo and
maybe get to visit the set would be amazing!" ~Drena Bathemess


My entry photo to the AMC Mad Men Casting Call
http://madmencastingcall.amctv.com/browse/detail/PKC7TV

As many of you already know, back in July, I entered the AMC Mad Men Casting Call Contest sponsored by Banana Republic. As I have stated before, my fiance and I are huge fans of the series, Mad Men, going as far as to planning a "Mad Men themed" wedding for next year! I am a stay at home mom, sometimes blogger/home decorator/photographer/collector of all things shabby & vintage.

The premise of the contest was to submit an original photo showcasing your best Mad Men inspired style. After your photo was submitted, contestants would rely on popular vote to get their photo into the top 20 (10 men, 10 women) where from there, your photo would be judged (60% style, 40% originality) by show creator Matthew Weiner. The Grand Prize: a walk-on role to the show Mad Men and $1000 Banana Republic Gift Card, not to mention bragging rights!

I spent a couple of weeks trying to come up with an original theme, costume and setting for my photograph that would best showcase the series ideals. Mad Men is set in the early 1960's and is one of the most authentic, detail oriented shows I have ever seen, so it took quite a bit of creative energy and work. I thought I would share the journey below.

Gathering my props for the "shopping" themed photo,
on the "set" aka. our dining room.

Staging the scene...
Notice my costume on the table (lower left corner)

After much careful consideration, I decided on a "shopping" theme. In 1964, in New York City (where the show is set), there was a boom in designer clothes being made available to the general public, including Chanel, Yves St Laurent and other European designers. I decided that if I had been in New York in the 1960's, I would have been shopping because the fashion of the time was so amazing. Ladies of all social and economic backgrounds were always so put together with hats & gloves. The Park Ave set were vying for the latest fashion trends and single gals were searching for independence. Mad Men is a show set around the advertising industry, and the retail market represents a huge portion of this. Magazines, television & movies told women what they should be wearing and where they should be shopping.

Getting ready to shoot. "Have I forgotten anything?"

We moved furniture around in our Central Florida apartment dining room, to recreate a 1960's Manhattan pad. The mirror and plaques hanging on the wall are flea market finds from my personal collection, as is the chandelier. I tried to stick with gold and pastel colors all of which were popular in that time.
All of the shopping bags and boxes were researched to make sure that they were authentic to 1960's New York City. I was careful not to include full names, so as not to infringe on copyrights, but there is no mistaking the iconic Tiffany blue bag, deep red Cartier or that Chanel black box. The Salvatore Ferragamo shoes in the picture are a recreation of the "Audrey" shoe that Ferragamo personally designed for Audrey Hepburn in the late 50's/early 60's. There are also some Liberty of London boxes (a nod to the British Invasion of the 1960's) and a bottle of Creed perfume can be seen peaking out of a bag.

My "character" starts to emerge...is she a Park Ave wife, mistress or
a modern, single women of the 1960's?

My outfit was based on a mix of Jackie Kennedy and the popular Chanel suit, collected from thrift stores and online vendors. I love the several step dressing & how put together women use to be. The hat was my grandmothers and had a touch of the modern vibe (love the shape & soft angora) that was beginning to emerge in 1964, as well as the gloves (a must!). All of the jewelery is vintage. (multi-strand pearl necklace, clip on pearl earrings, rhinestone brooch) Some was from my personal collection and some borrowed from a friend who sells vintage jewelery (KatcherrFancy, Wall of Jewels & Etsy). I did my own hair and make-up (BareEscentuals.com & Chanel) per 1960's standard. And yes, there is also the quintessential cigarette, which was lit and burning (I quit smoking a year ago, but it was a necessary evil) and a classic martini in a chilled glass.

It is all about the details, from the cigarette & cocktail,
to the fashion, boxes & bags from the era.

Photography is a hobby of mine, but I would be unable to shoot these pictures. So, my fiance's help was enlisted to take the pictures. Jon was very patient, shooting both posed and candid shots on our Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90. We would pause and I would look at what we had and make necessary adjustments to light, make-up and angles. We were listening to Mad Men tag radio on Lastfm, to set the mood and had a great time together, creating something that we are very proud of. After we were done taking pictures, I loaded them on to the computer and began sorting through. We picked our favorites and I edited where needed, playing with the exposure & color to give the photo a vintage feel. I showed our favorites to some of my family before it was decided that we would use the picture above. I thought I would include the runner-up below. I can only wonder if the results would be different if we had used that one...

The runner-up photo that we nearly used. Although cute & sassy,
we were worried it looked like I was giving the finger.

There is less than two weeks left in the competition and it has been crazy to say the least. My photo has been featured on Banana Republics facebook page, several blogs and the local paper. I have created a voting event on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=141259545892458&ref=ts and bombarded friends and family with email and postings on facebook & twitter. Not to mention reaching out to fellow fans of Mad Men on fan websites & boards. After awhile, you start to feel a bit like a used car salesman, only this is self promotion! I have met wonderful people through the contest, other Mad Men fans and fellow contestants. There has been a cheating scandal, with several contestants using voting software to increase their votes (they have since been eliminated and the voting period was extended through September 17th) and the frustration of watching less inspired photo's (headshots or inaccurate period/details) blow by me in votes. I entered this contest as a fan who loves Mad Men, not for my big Hollywood break. Just a chance to have the shows producers look at my photo and maybe get to visit the set would be amazing! The bragging rights alone would be worth it!
In the end, all I can do is remain optimistic, continue soliciting votes and hope my friends and family are still speaking to me when the contest ends. Overall, this has been a great experience, especially having other fans of the show express admiration for my photo, calling it accurate and detailed. Mad Men Season 4 is on every Sunday night through mid-October on AMC. If you get a chance check out the show and stop by the contest website, votes greatly appreciated!

http://madmencastingcall.amctv.com/browse/detail/PKC7TV

ps. My dear friend, Ron Fox, also entered the contest. He has a great photo worth checking out!http://madmencastingcall.amctv.com/browse/detail/PC457N

Thank you for your continued support!!

An "Alice in Wonderland" inspired Baby Shower (or any party!)

After months of planning and gathering of special, "Wonderland" themed items, my mum & I threw my sister-in-law her baby shower. The Alice in Wonderland theme came about after the mom-to-be found out she was having a girl. She is not a fan of pink or "girly" things, so this posed an interesting problem with setting the theme for a baby shower. Mostly because regardless of personal taste, when people find out you are having a girl, pink is sure to follow and to be expected.


The dining room, set for tea

The inevitable pink for baby girl

I decided on "Alice in Wonderland" after seeing Tim Burton's edgy, funky adaptation, which suited my sister-in-laws personality perfectly. Having grown up on the Disney classic animated film, I was personally inspired by the crazy tea party, which would also be appropriate for a late afternoon gathering of ladies of all ages! (minus a crazy Mad Hatter!! Maybe next time?)

Alice inspired decor in many shapes & colors

It turns out, Alice is still quite popular and easy to find in her many incarnations from classic Lewis Carroll to Disney. My mum and I spent several months gathering tea sets, playing cards, artwork and pretty much anything having to do with Alice! Keeping true to an English tea, there was lots of floral but we kicked it up with some bright, funky argyle patterns. The shower colors were red, white, black and yes, pink. The day of the shower, we filled the main room with red & white roses (painting the roses red, optional!) along with balloons. I found that simply gluing playing cards to ribbon and suspending the cards from the ceiling invoked the feeling of Alice "falling down the rabbit hole"

The main room, with balloons & the illusion of cards falling from the sky

We served tea and sparkling lemonade, along with champagne as refreshments. For food, we went with a modern take on English tea with a mix of sweet and savory bites, including pastries, sandwich bites, cakes and quiche. I decorated a red velvet cake with Madame Alexander Dolls (from McDonalds!!) dressed as Alice & the Mad Hatter, along with a tea set and playing cards. Did I mention there were playing cards EVERYWHERE?!

An eclectic Alice in Wonderland cake

By mixing traditional themes (English High Tea) with modern touches (bright colors & Tim Burton), I believe we fully captured the spirit of the story while making the day enjoyable for the guest of honor and her friends & family. In the end it was a beautiful day and we have since packed away all of the decorations and Alice tea sets to be used at my nieces birthdays in the coming years, creating an heirloom for her.

Little touches of Wonderland on the table

Tips & Hints for An Alice in Wonderland Themed Party

The Story ~ Inspiration from the white rabbit & those poor oysters to "Eat Me, Drink Me" tags on your food & beverages. Go crazy, it's Wonderland!
Tea Sets ~ Don't be afraid to mix and match!
Playing Cards ~ affordable & versatile decorations
Roses ~ Red & White, the more the merrier!
Chess Sets ~ Great for die hard fans & little boys
Not Just Disney ~ while still wonderful and popular, many companies have adapted Alice, making her wonderful for all ages and occasions. Books, pictures, toys, dolls and home decor can be found just about everywhere and make for easy decorating.
Be eclectic ~ Remember everything wasn't always what it seemed in Wonderland, so don't be afraid to mix things up with your menu, music & decorations. Cocktails can be incorporated (Let's face it, there was more than tea being served to the Mad Hatter & friends!)
Don't forget Music! ~ We made a playlist from iTunes, including the Disney soundtrack along with the Danny Elfman composed soundtrack from Tim Burton's adaptation to create the mood! Great for all ages!
Most important, have fun!!!