Influence of Mad Men on Office Clothing

Following the phenomenal success of the American TV show Mad Men, are we to see the return of smarter clothes being worn in the city? If so, I feel it's not before time. The casual dress code adopted by some city companies has prompted many inappropriate choices of clothes for the office. Flip flops, plunging necklines and bare midriffs are surely sights best kept for weekends and holidays ladies. The same applies to combat trousers and denim gentlemen!

The businessman of the 1950s dressed conservatively in a flannel suit. Colors of the day tended to be dark brown, charcoal gray or dark blue. The office junior would dress similarly to the company head. Office fashion followed that of the American style with wide legged 'peg' trousers, shorter jackets and single breasted jackets. Shirt collars were small and neat and tie widths slim. Hats with narrow brims were worn by most men. In the early 1960s, men were wearing smart, hand finished Italian suits with narrow lapels along with a jauntily worn smart hat to the office.

Working ladies of the 1950s were expected to wear dark colored suits at their office desks. Jackets would be short with a fitted waist. Skirts for the most part would be fitted or in a 'pencil' style, knee length and narrow, precluding wide strides. This created the effect of a very alluring (for the men) wiggle as the ladies traversed the office! To make up for the dour coloring of office clothes, brightly colored jewelery and accessories were worn. Looking forward to the Mad Men influence impacting office wear trends soon!