If there ever was a woman who should play Aphrodite/Venus...

She is it! I adore her. Now the question what scent did she wear?

image provided by http://www.examiner.com/x-508-SF-Fashion-Examiner~y2008m9d21-2008-Emmy-Awards-Red-Carpet-Christina-Hendricks

Scenting th Women of Mad Men: Rachel Menken

We end Friday with my favorite woman to appear on Mad Men, sadly we have not seen her on the second season of Mad Men, the astute Rachel Menken. Rachel is the woman Don Draper at one point said he was ready to leave his family for, but unlike other women Rachel is sharp enough to see reality of Don Draper, and know better than to go down that path. Rachel is probably the one woman Don truly respects, because she will call him out on all of reprehensible things he has said and done and she is also the one who understands him the most. Scenting Rachel was the hardest choice, at first I thought of Chanel's Bois des Iles, but the reality is that scent is too soft for her. But then I smelled Lancome's Magie a beautiful strange mixes of melancholy violets, potent jasmine, and gorgeous amber, and I thought that is Rachel. It is beautiful and wistful but utterly full of vitality, I thought it fit this unique and independent woman.

image provided by http://tv.yahoo.com/mad-men/show/39828/photos/3

Scenting The Women of Mad Men: Peggy Olson

Peggy Olson was probably the hardest character to scent, I knew immediately her scent was going to be a drug store variety, so of course the first thing to come to mind was 4711, but well the reality is that just does not fit. Peggy may be one of the most fascinating characters, in ways she seems way to innocent in the world of Advertising Agency but at the same time we know that she is very driven and is smart and capable. I finally decided on the ubiqutous Jean Nate, although this scent is described as clean and refreshing, for me this one has one the dirty musk dry-downs ever. I think this really shows off the duality of Peggy's character.

image provided by http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/mad_men/index.html

Scenting the Women of Mad Men: Betty Draper

How do you scent the woman who is the epitome of beauty for the 1950's? Who has the sort've Grace Kelley good looks that should make her husband utterly adoring of her, instead Betty is faced with a husband who continously has affairs with woman that quite frankly the opposite of her character and looks, ex. Midge, and is chomping at the bit of the role of mother and wife. She is living the 1950's dream life for a woman, but as you watch her realize how much that role did not give fruit to happiness or fulfillment. Watching Betty is watching a woman realize that all those expectations she has of herself and from everybody else does not fit. She is sexually unhappy in her marriage, not exactly the greatest mother, and is beginning to realize the only time she enjoyed herself to degree was working, as a model, but still work. At first I wanted to scent Betty in Chanel N. 5, but realized that scent is just way too soft for her, instead I looked towards another highly aldehydic scent but one that has an edge, Lanvin's Arpege, I think I rather enjoyed the irony of scent that is based on the love between a mother and a daughter. A role that Betty has great deal of problems being the daughter of a woman who only commented on Betty's looks and now the mother of a daughter, whom she is repeating the same behaviour with. But then again Arpege is not a very maternal scent, it is womanly with just a hint of sadness from the use of violets, and stronger than expected with the use of woods.

image provided by http://www.squarelens.net/

Scenting the Women of Mad Men: Midge

Although, she hasn't been featured in the second season of Mad Men, Midge most definately deserves a spot in this series. As usual, maybe my mind runs on repetitive, I thought of Shalimar when first scenting Midge, but then quickly realized that just really didn't fit this bohemian and independent woman that Don Draper was very much tantalized by but couldn't get around his head for quite awhile that she was miles away from him in culture. But then again it occured to me that Midge is Balmain's Jolie Madame beautiful, sexual, but very much at the same time earthy with is tobacco chypre notes and aloof with with it cool violets and gardenia.

By the way I just wanted to add I am only using scents that are available at this time period.

image provided by http://tv.yahoo.com/mad-men/show/39828/photos/2

Scenting the Women of Mad Men: Joan Holloway

I first began to think about this project during the first season of Mad Men when Roger Sterling comments to the epitome of curvacious, voluptous, and buxom Joan Holloway that she "...smells amazing." At first I thought Shalimar might be the scent to fit Joan, but I realized it didn't seem like the right fit, it then occured to me I wanted a scent that Joan could get for herself and that was new, it then occurred to me that the perfect fit was the spicy wonder of Estee Lauder's Youth Dew; striking, spicy, scintillating, and very womanly.

image provided by http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2008/04/16/tv_s_best_dressed_characters

Joan Holloway played by Christina Hendricks

The Birth of Cool and AMC's Mad Men

I admit I am not usually obsessessed with the style of films or television shows, every once awhile my attention is truly grabbed by the style I am seeing on screen. The first show that has captured my fancy in long time with its sheer visual appeal is AMC's Mad Men it is so authentically 1950's that I often sat watching it completely loving just the visual of it (not to mention the awesome acting and incredible writing.). I have come to appreciate the art of the show even more after going to an exhibit yesterday called The Birth of Cool which directly dealt with the style of the 1950's and all I could say is the set designers of Mad Men are truly worthy of admiration. I juxtaposed a few images to show how Mad Men capturing the style of the times.

enjoy. By the way I have for awhile tried to fragrance Joan (the voluptous gorgeous red head in the green dress in the top photo) for quite a while after a scene between her and one of the male leads, after he says she smells incredible, and it finally occurred I would put her in Youth Dew, it fits to a T.

image provided by http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/06/madmen200806 for Mad Men cast visual

image provided by http://grainedit.com/2008/05/07/mid-century-modern-design-exhibition-oakland-museum/ for Birth of Cool people
image provided by http://electricityandlust.wordpress.com/2008/01/21/series-review-mad-men/ for Mad Men official poster

images provided by http://www.cartoonbrew.com/books/birth-of-the-cool for The Birth of Cool