Ideally situated in a sunny California café, I interview Paris from the comfort of my desk and spare room, poised to type.
So Paris, thank you for agreeing to tell me more about your wonderful collection, I have to ask, what first drew you to vintage clothing as a whole?
The draw has actually been present my entire life! I had the unusual experience of being raised by my great-grandparents. Our home, as well as their own preferred styles of dress, were time capsules of the 1950s and ’60s. They were both very dapper and liked to look good, throughout their lives. But it was only after they passed away that I began to emulate the look myself.
That’s wonderful! So the style that you have mainly focuses on the ’50s and ’60s, is that right?
Yes! I’m intrigued by anything from the 20th century, but my personal style mainly focuses on the ’50s to the early ’60s.
So I bet you were delighted when AMC announced their new period drama set in the early 60s, it must have been a dream come true! Did you watch Mad Men from the beginning or was it recommended to you?
No, I began watching it from about the 3rd or 4th season, although I was aware of it before it aired. I always associate it with that wonderful Amy Winehouse tune ‘You Know I’m No Good,’ because that’s the song AMC used to promote it just before its première. However, I was working graveyard shifts at a police department and also attending college full-time, so I simply didn’t have even a spare moment to watch it until several years later.
When you did sit down and watch the series from the beginning did you find yourself drawn to particular items?
Yes, definitely! I binge-watched the series one night after drafting my final term papers one semester. My husband was on military deployment, and I emailed him afterwards and said, “You’ve got to watch this series with me when you get back home! Oh, and by the way, I want to redecorate!”
I was most of all drawn to Don’s life in his advertising firm and his wife Betty’s contrasting solitary life inside her mid-century home. So I paid attention to props, atmosphere, and attire. It all seemed to be re-animate the essence of my great-grandparents’ lives. One of the first things I spotted was Don’s roulette cigarette dispenser in his office. I just had to have it! I finally acquired it years later. It goes so well with a roulette ashtray that I inherited from my great-GPs!
What do you love most about that particular piece?
It belonged to my great-grandparents, and I can remember it as a piece of their living room décor for at least as long as I’d been alive. We really only used that room when company was present, so whenever I had the chance, I’d carefully push in the lever on the side that activated the tiny roulette wheel so that I could watch the tiny steel ball spin round it underneath the glass. This bit of mechanical ingenuity so intrigued me that I never noticed the words ‘Las Vegas’ etched into the metal edging. The ashtray was a bit of a misfit in their home because a) neither of them smoked, and b) neither of them had ever been to Las Vegas. But it obviously meant something to them, perhaps it was a gift from a cherished friend or relative. In any case, it was one of their only belongings that I’ve managed to hold onto for all of these years. When I first spied Don Draper’s roulette cigarette dispenser on Mad Men, I instantly imagined it as a companion piece for the ashtray and spent the better part of four years trying to find a vintage duplicate. When I finally did, just before the première of Season 7, I proudly filled it with Lucky Strike cigarettes (which are still unused and undoubtedly stale) and took it, along with the ashtray, as decorative pieces for my family’s annual Mad Men season première party. They were naturally both hits!
The characters in Mad Men have such a variety of styles, which is your favourite?
For sure Betty’s style is my favourite among the women, and Roger’s is my favourite among the men. And I can see quite clearly that these tastes once again have a connection to my great-GPs. My great-grandmother, Frances, was a housewife, and Betty’s casual looks (such as when she wears cotton tops and capris) are exactly what she used to wear, as well as her style of fancier dresses when she went out). I’m so drawn to Betty’s style that most of the Mad Men pieces I’ve acquired so far are duplicates of her wardrobe.
Also, Roger’s three-piece suits and fedoras are exactly what my great grandfather Carroll used to wear all his life. Sometimes when Roger comes on screen and he’s shot from the back, I’m startled for a moment, because he looks identical to my great grandfather.
Do you think that the similarities of your great grandparents have an influence on the items you collect?
Yes… I feel that this all stems from the nostalgia of life with them, and part of the pleasure of watching the show is my frequent finger-pointing in recognition of items that look familiar. And having these items in my home make me feel as though I’ve stepped back into that era where I can better understand these characters as well as my own ancestors.
It’s also for this reason, however, that I tend to prefer and re-watch the first few seasons, as opposed to the last few, my great-grandparents weren’t into the mod scene at all!
So what was your first wardrobe piece and which episode does it come from? Was it an immediate “I want that dress!” or did you come across it by accident?
My first wardrobe piece was the Anne Fogarty harlequin print dress that Betty Draper wears in ‘Ladies Room’ and again in ‘5G’ during Season 1. Someone posted it on a Facebook group and I had the best luck of my life when I checked the page perhaps a second after the post went up. I literally gasped out loud. It’s still my favourite, and I still can’t believe my good fortune. I’ve never seen another one, either before or since. And that’s the dress that launched my collection.
That’s incredible, was it then that you decided that you were going to track down other pieces?
I don’t even think I consciously decided to track down other pieces. I probably thought I was incredibly lucky to even score one and couldn’t imagine that I’d ever find another, especially with the state of my finances at the time.
Are you still trying to find particular pieces?
Yes… well, in actuality, I’m still seeking the entire sets, [laughs]… but my very favourite piece that I’d love to have is the dress that Betty wears to her modelling audition in ‘Shoot’. I’ve only seen it once outside of Mad Men, and I think another lucky local L.A. lady owns it. If I can’t find it, I’m thinking about reproducing it myself, now that I’ve recently learned how to sew.
Has it become harder over the years to find pieces from the show or even similar to those worn in the show?
Although I’ve only seriously begun collecting Mad Men duplicates over the past couple of years, I’ve been closely watching the buying and selling of these pieces for much longer than that, and it’s most definitely become more difficult to find them. But that goes for vintage in general as well. In fact, I’d say that Mad Men served to kick off the present interest surrounding vintage, and these types of items are getting snatched up faster and faster. It’s also driven up prices… unique mid-century table lamps that could have been had for $30 [£21] ten years ago now fetch upwards of $300 [£207].
That’s ridiculous! However did you also notice the influence on the high street stores with their early 60s styles?
Yes, which I think is ultimately a good and natural evolution. Style always borrows from itself and echoes previous trends, and I like this sort of perpetual tie to the past. But I also noticed 1940s and 1950s inspired items in high street stores beginning about 13 years ago, which also makes sense in wake of the swing dance movement just a few years prior to that.
So to date, how many pieces do you have in your collection and how are you string these items? Do you have a special room?
I think I have eight items (four dresses, one piece of jewellery, and 3 pieces of décor), plus a fifth dress currently on lay-away that I found on Etsy. I proudly display the décor pieces, which include the cigarette dispenser (even though I don’t smoke), an atomic ice bucket from the Draper house, and a Keeler ‘chip ‘n dip’ similar to Pete Campbell’s all in my front room where I can see them often. I keep the dresses carefully hung in a closet inside my dressing room that houses all of the vintage clothing and accessories that I love.
Some pieces went on auction at the end of the final series; did you manage to get anything?
No, I didn’t! I was watching the auction, but the prices all went too high for me. I figured I had better luck sticking to my usual sources. Plus, I believe that the cast and crew kept all of the really desirable items (and who could blame them?). I do frequent shops that sold Mad Men many of their props, so I’m always hoping that they may re-acquire some of them in the future.
Have you thought about collecting from any other 60s set dramas? The Astronaut Wives Club, Pan Am?
I never watched Pan Am, and although I loved the aesthetics of The Astronaut Wives Club, I was mainly interested in the turquoise kitchen that one of the wives had! I thought their clothes were beautiful, but I heard that they were mostly repro, which I usually don’t do. Lately, I’ve been watching vintage films and trying to find similar items in my searches, but I haven’t been lucky yet.
So what items are on your wish list?
Number one is the Betty modelling audition dress (The costume designer for Mad Men Janie Bryant may have made this one; not sure). Number two is probably the dress that Bobbie Barrett wore when Don threatened her in ‘The Benefactor’ and although it may seem strange, Betty’s maternity dress from ‘My Old Kentucky Home’. I love the layers!
What is your overall favourite episode for its wardrobe content?
It has to be ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ from Season 3. You have a gathering of all the Mad Men characters, the ladies all look stunning!
Thank you so much Paris, it’s been lovely to speak with you, you’re obviously very passionate about your collection!
