Putting on Betty
Nov. 4th, 2015 12:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
breakinglight11I was Betty Draper for Halloween this year, and I was pretty pleased how my costume turned out.
I used Mad Style, Tomandlorenzo.com's examination of costuming of Mad Men, to figure out how to create a look that would be iconically Betty. Floral patterns in blue and white were a frequent part of her wardrobe, and I wanted early season Betty, which meant a full skirt with a close bodice. So I dug around in thrift stores until I found a sundress with those features. I took it in a bit at the sides to make it fit better and to flare out the skirt a little more, but I wish I had done it even moreso. This promotional image was my primary inspiration.
For the accessories, I wore my costume pearls, my pearl stud earrings, my grandmother's ring to act as a wedding ring, and I bought a white beaded evening bag. I wanted a low-heeled white pump of some kind, and I found a very vintage looking pair with a crisscross strap. I put a short crinoline under the skirt to make it fuller. I even dug out this old-fashioned girdle I had for authenticity in the silhouette. A paper cigarette to wave around all night completed the look.
The only thing I didn't manage was Betty's hairstyle. Even though I dyed my hair blonder, it never got as light as January Jones's, and that tight, curled Grace Kelly-like style was just utterly beyond my skills. I've never been very good with hair at the best of times, much less something so labor-intensive as that. So I just put it up in a headband. A sixties look, actually, but Betty's look was always stuck in the fifties, so it wasn't quite right for the character. Overall, though, I was happy with the costume and enjoyed gesturing with my paper cigarette and making Betty bitchface.
I used Mad Style, Tomandlorenzo.com's examination of costuming of Mad Men, to figure out how to create a look that would be iconically Betty. Floral patterns in blue and white were a frequent part of her wardrobe, and I wanted early season Betty, which meant a full skirt with a close bodice. So I dug around in thrift stores until I found a sundress with those features. I took it in a bit at the sides to make it fit better and to flare out the skirt a little more, but I wish I had done it even moreso. This promotional image was my primary inspiration.
For the accessories, I wore my costume pearls, my pearl stud earrings, my grandmother's ring to act as a wedding ring, and I bought a white beaded evening bag. I wanted a low-heeled white pump of some kind, and I found a very vintage looking pair with a crisscross strap. I put a short crinoline under the skirt to make it fuller. I even dug out this old-fashioned girdle I had for authenticity in the silhouette. A paper cigarette to wave around all night completed the look.
The only thing I didn't manage was Betty's hairstyle. Even though I dyed my hair blonder, it never got as light as January Jones's, and that tight, curled Grace Kelly-like style was just utterly beyond my skills. I've never been very good with hair at the best of times, much less something so labor-intensive as that. So I just put it up in a headband. A sixties look, actually, but Betty's look was always stuck in the fifties, so it wasn't quite right for the character. Overall, though, I was happy with the costume and enjoyed gesturing with my paper cigarette and making Betty bitchface.
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