Livin' the 'Mad Men' Life

From retailers to food and fashion web sites, many people are seeking to capitalize on the retro/cool vibe exuded by the 1960s suave drama Mad Men. Whether it's clothing, housewares or classic drinks, all things Mad Men are considered in.

Want to have that cocktail culture in your own home? Many food-related web sites have created slates of classic cocktail recipes designed for Mad Men-themed soirees, which means Old Fashioneds, Tom Collins and vodka gimlets to name a few. AMC even has its own helpful page of Mad Men-esque drinks, capitalizing on the renaissance for classic cocktails. (Today's New York Times, showcased the tremendous effort the show's crew puts into making sure that the cocktails shown on the program are appropriate for the period.)

Then there's the "Mad Men look," the one that has fashion designers watching Mad Men episodes repeatedly to examine the clothing and styles. While Banana Republic has teamed up with AMC, other web sites offer mere mortals advice on how to dress like Don Draper and style your hair like him. For the ladies, tips abound on how to doll yourself up like Betty Draper or the seductive Joan Holloway (complete with links to similarly styled duds, or as close as they could come to that without buying vintage, and make-up suggestions).

Want your house to look like the Drapers'? Your office to resemble Sterling Cooper? Over on the House Beautiful web site, the editors have found a number of things which you can put into your home to make you feel as though you stepped onto the AMC's Mad Men lot, except Jon Hamm won't be walking through the door anytime soon. In one article, the editors suggest everything from a headboard styled very much like the Drapers' (see photo above), a club chair and an electric typewriter that looks like it belongs in Sterling Cooper's offices, to a starburst mirror that seems like it'd fit in at Pete Campbell's apartment, along with basic, rounded cocktail glasses. HB also has articles and photos about how to decorate in 60s style and an online poll on which style room Betty Draper should choose for her suburban home. (My pick would be the kitchen.)

Image credit: House Beautiful.