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

Our party decorations were pretty simple: I searched Google Images for Mad Men Ads, found a few good ones, printed them, and taped them to the walls. Some of my favorites are from this page; they should look familiar to fans of the show. I also found quite a few entertaining, real ads from the era, and printed those as well. This is a great example:

We also wanted a great soundtrack to set the mood. A few months ago, my husband had the foresight to pick out a new television that allowed us to watch YouTube directly on the television. So, I chose the first hour of the Trololo 10 hours video for the first part of our party.

No one really seemed to mind, or notice, even, since they were just getting here, meeting and greeting everyone, and catching up. Once everyone was here and settled, my husband cut over to a playlist of 1960's-era ads. Alternatives this could be streaming Mad Men on Netflix through your Wii, or even playing episodes on your DVD.

As an added bonus, I made personalized wine glasses for all the ladies that came to the party. I used the same font I mentioned in Part 3 and printed out each name. I then cut the name to fit into a wine glass and taped it to the inside of the glass. I used a Pebeo Pen to trace the name on the outside of the glass.

These pens are wonderful for personalizing and painting on glass and ceramics. Just let the paint dry, then bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, turn the oven off, and leave the glass inside the oven until it cools. Once you do this, it's microwave and dishwasher safe. The Pebeo paints really do hold up well and last much longer than others I have used.

We had a great time at our party! We had a lot of booze left after our party, so we're thinking about having a premiere party on March 25. Too bad it's on a Sunday night, though...

How to Throw a Mad Men Party, Part 3 of 4: Menu

The menu for our Mad Men party was a mix of old and new. While some 60's party foods are still considered delicious, let's face it: not many people look at a shredded chicken and Jello salad these days and think to themselves, "Let's dig in!" So, I didn't think any of our guests would mind if we broke with the period and threw in a few modern snacks as well.

Drinks

My handsome husband was daring enough to volunteer to be the party's bartender for the evening. Since neither of us have experience with cocktails, we picked out six for our drink menu, from which the guests could all choose. I have to say, he did an excellent job and all the drinks were delicious!

I printed out the menu and we kept it at the bar for our guests. I used this font, to give it a retro feel. We also printed out a recipe list and instructions for each drink, so my husband would be able to mix them for us. This was our menu:

1. Old Fashioned: bourbon served on the rocks with muddled cherry, orange and Angostura bitters
2. Manhattan: Rye Whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters
3. Gin Martini: Gin and vermouth, garnished with an olive
4. Chocolate Martini: Godiva chocolate liqueur, creme de cacao, Vanilla vodka, and cream
5. Gin Fizz: Gin, sweetened lemon juice, and sparkling water

We also included several varieties of beer and soda (including Heineken, placed in a silver ice bowl on the dining table as a nod to Betty's "Trip Around the World" party).

Food

Our Mad Men themed snacks included:

• Cheese and Grape Kebobs
• Several single serving sized bags of Utz potato chips and Mixed Nuts (Placed beside each other with an "Utz is better than Nuts!" sign)
• Jello salad - just Strawberry Jello, canned pineapple chunks and walnuts, presented on a bed of lettuce
• Candy Cigarettes

To round out the food, we had meatballs, quiche, fruit, veggies, hummus, crackers, and four types of dessert verrines.

Everything was a big hit, except for the Jello salad (and I didn't expect it to be eaten, to be honest - it was more for decoration).

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.

How to Throw a Mad Men Party, Part 1 of 4: Invitations

This past weekend, we had a few friends over for a Mad Men-themed party. I just can't begin to say how much fun it was! One of my friends is a Tupperware representative, and she recently asked if I wanted to have a Tupperware party. I thought about it, and I didn't just want to have a Tupperware party, I wanted to have a Mad Men party, complete with a Tupperware demonstration (and a Jello salad mold!). It's no coincidence that Season 5 will debut exactly a month from last night, either! I can't think of a better way to get excited about the new season.

I've been planning this party for a couple of months, so I'll break it into four parts: Invitations, Dress, Menu, and Decorations / Soundtrack.

The invitations were a cinch, thanks to Evite.com. They offer three Man Men themes from which to choose: Don Draper, Joan Holloway, and the entire cast. If none of those pre-made options suit your tastes, you can choose an "Upload Your Photo" design and use a Mad Men image that you prefer. This is what I chose, using the Film Strip design.

Evite makes it simple to send your invitation - simply complete your template with your party details, including location, date, and time, enter the email addresses of anyone you want to invite, and an email will go to them from evite on your behalf. The recipients can then RSVP and/or comment on the invitation, and you, as the host, will be notified with each person's RSVP.

In the hosts' message area of the invitation, I included this text:

All you foxes and cats get ready to put on your Betty Draper or Roger Sterling best and party Mad Men style. 

Dust off your bullet bras and skinny ties and join us for an evening of retro fun. Come and enjoy classic cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, jello salad, and even an old-fashioned Tupperware demonstration! 

Obviously, you can include a message that is specific to your particular party. Just have fun with it and your guests will be sure to be there!