How to Throw a Mad Men Party, Part 2 of 4: Dress

Who doesn't love to dress up, right? And the '50's and '60's fashions that we see in the Mad Men episodes are not only still very stylish and elegant, they're widely available as vintage clothing in local thrift and vintage shops, as well as online on sites such as Etsy and eBay.

For over a month, I searched for the perfect dress. I did find some gorgeous ones on Etsy, and some were on year-end clearance and priced to move. Unfortunately, though, vintage sizes run much smaller than modern sizes, so most of the stylish dresses were too small for me.

Every few days, I stopped by our local Goodwill second-hand shop to see if they had any vintage dresses for sale. Lucky for me, my local shop always has a good selection of dresses, and even though none of their actual vintage dresses were my size, I did find a lovely modern dress in a vintage style that reminded me of many worn to the office by Peggy.

I picked it up for $9, and found a pair of plain pumps for another $5. I added in a string of pearls (formerly my grandmother's), gold-tone earrings, and some beige stockings (the less sheer, the better!), and my party dress was complete!

Now, for the hair and make-up. I have really thick, shoulder-length hair, and I toyed with the idea of putting it up, Joan-style. I didn't have any luck, though - my hair was too heavy, and as the hostess trying to get all the food ready before guests arrived, I ran out of time to try any longer. Instead, I pulled the front back, with a bump, and left the very front section loose. I then pulled the loose section to the side and secured it with a bobby pin in order to give me a faux set of Peggy short bangs. I used my curling iron on the bottom sides to give me a little flip.

I didn't do anything too outlandish for makeup - I used liquid eyeliner on the top only, making sure to get the eyeliner as close to my eyelash as possible. I also put mascara only on the top. I used the brightest red lipstick I could find.