February 7, 2012 world of men's style / fashion / grooming RSS
“Mad Men”
12/23/11
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About

The 2011 Kempt Awards – Part One: The Gentlemen

Christopher Hitchens with Ian McEwan (left) and Martin Amis in Uruguay via The Guardian

We spend a good deal of time here at Kempt headquarters discussing the gentleman’s style: his clothes, his facial hair, his accoutrements, etc. In addition, though, over the past year, we’ve attempted to broaden the definition of style to include his behavior as well: his adherence to a certain chivalric code, his etiquette, the words he uses, his manner of pursuing artistic and athletic endeavors, his morality, his aspirations and, inevitably, the periodic missteps that can and squander those aspirations.

While we hesitate to dip our toe into the murky, stale bathwater of year-end reviews (and while we have even greater hesitation to hurl ourselves, willy-nilly, into the business of doling out meaningless, award-less “awards”), we’re doing so anyway.

Maybe we’re slightly more nostalgic for 2011 than we’ve been in the past.

Or, more likely, maybe we’re finding the exercise of attaching superlatives to people and things and moments to be kind of fun.

Whatever the reason, we present for your perusal—in three parts over as many days—the 2011 Kempt Awards.

Part One: The Gentlemen

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07/28/11
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Current Affairs

The Decline of the Cad

Bill and Hillary Clinton

Adultery isn’t what it used to be.

Consider this: in 1973, 51% of college-educated Americans believed adultery was “always wrong. As of 2010, that same number’s closer to 65%.

It’s a stark reminder that the days of Draperizing are over, and the current generation of women do not plan on putting up with your bullshit. Also, nobody seems to be honoring the International Exception these days.

We put it all in loving perspective…»

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03/30/11
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Dept. of Corrections

End of the Trend: Mad Men Edition

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See if this sounds familiar: a brilliant cultural phenomenon arrives to wild acclaim, and suddenly everyone wants a piece of it. There are trend pieces, magazine covers and for a solid eighteen months it seems like the whole media engine runs on the fumes of this one magical creation. Then everyone gets famous and, four years later, the tastemakers in question finally confess to being over it.

You can set your watch to it…or at least your calendar.

In this case, the magican creation is Mad Men and the sour turn comes from Esquire. And, naturally, they’re right. The two-inch tie isn’t what it used to be, and a thin-lapelled suit won’t raise the eyebrows it did in ’07. But we’d like to think there’s more to it than that.

Allow us to elaborate…»

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10/18/10
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LinkOut

Caitlin Gerard is Heading Downhill

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The Real Don Draper: In honor of the season finale, here’s the story of Draper Daniels (the inspiration for our Mr. Draper) and his style of courtship. Highly recommended. [Chicago Magazine]

Put the Book Back on the Shelf: The dangers of having an awesome library. [WSJ]

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Axl: Waxing lyrical on a mug shot of Axl Rose at eighteen. That kid’s going places. [Paris Review]

There But For the Grace of God…: One man’s terrifying journey into the soul-destroying void they call “majeggings.” [Racked]

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07/23/10
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LinkOut

Has Anyone Heard of this Mad Men Show?

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Waspwear at its Finest: The gents at Valet count down the show’s best men’s looks so far, including some great off-duty Draper looks. [Valet]

Look Back in Restrained Anger: The Times has been hitting the Mad Men vibe all week, with no less than thirteen posts on the city’s early 60s history. Detailed stuff. [City Room]

We Keep Having to Remind Ourselves that it Predates the Word “Crunk”: Here’s a Mad Men drinking montage to inspire your pursuits later tonight. [Vulture]

This is Getting Excessive: …and just because it’s there: the periodic table of Mad Men. [Flavorwire]

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01/29/10
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Milla Jovovich is Going Back to the 20s

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Millas and Millas: Milla Jovovich pops up for her yearly photoset. [Fashion Gone Rogue]

Life of a Baller: Yet another awesome Salinger story. The man kept busy…kind of. [Washington Post]

Book ‘Em: The literary version of the graphic tee—yes, they’ve got Catcher. [Cool Hunting]

Beardos: The beards of Mad Men, as ranked by Paul Kinsey. [Vulture]

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09/03/09
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LinkOut

Claudia Schiffer Gets Her Bardot On

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Subscription Card: Claudia Schiffer appears in Tank Magazine, at least doubling their subscription list. [Fashion Copious]

Be Kind: Bootleg pot farms are on the rise. As always, WSJ makes the case for entrepreneurship… [Wall Street Journal]

Mirrors in Space: It’s happening. [TG Daily]

Sniveling 101: Mad Men’s Pete Campbell is significantly more pleasant, less scheming off camera. [Vanity Fair]

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08/26/09
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There Seems to be a Run in Kate Moss’s Stocking

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We Love Kate Moss, Kate Moss Loves Topshop: We’ll keep mum about our own feelings towards Topshop. [Refinery29]

Outsider Art: Another day, another set of collegiate ties from Band of Outsiders. [Material Interest]

Back to the Future: Mad Men chalks up its third historical inaccuracy. Two more and we’ll stop watching. [Vulture]

The Return of the Chef: Raekwon the Chef readies his illustrious return. [WBE]

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08/24/09
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Ad Rock

A Sterling Reputation

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You may not have tuned in last night, but if you’re following the glossies, Mad Men is just about everywhere. And not just in the editorials.

This BMW spot in Vanity Fair co-opts a bit of Sterling Cooper cachet, but it’s one of the first spots we’ve seen to embrace the show’s Kennedy-era milieu so whole-heartedly. It’s an odd fit for BMW, since Mr. Draper himself wouldn’t have much use for a German car, and the 3 series in the spot couldn’t be farther from the land-yachts that were in style at the time. And since so much of the Mad Men is about resisting the future, we’re not quite sure what to make of it. Maybe they’re pushing the manual transmission?

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08/17/09
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The Time of the Season

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Huddle Up: Meet Kate Mara, Esquire’s new football analyst. [Esquire]

Getting Shirty: If you needed a reason to get a custom shirt, here it is. [Valet]

Mr. Nielsen, I Presume:Mad Men slays ‘em in the ratings. [Gawker]

Bands Won’t Play No More, Too Much Fighting on the Dance Floor: Eight modern ghost towns get the listicle treatment. Yes, Detroit’s in there. [WebUrbanist]

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08/13/09
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Just You and the Camera

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Untouched: A few supermodels show their unairbrushed side. Also, no makeup. [The Cut]

Axe Man: The Summer of Death claims Les Paul. [NYTimes]

A Frame-Up: A video essay on the cinematic craft of Mad Men, in preparation for this Sunday. [Film Freak Central]

War of the Worlds: The history of the recent Twitter wars. [Epicenter]

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07/17/09
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Histoire du Tumblr Gainsbourg

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David Thewlis’ Wife, Go Figure: The lovely Ms. Anna Friel. [The Superficial]

Blue Serge Shoes: Serge Gainsbourg gets a portrait blog. Maybe Leonard Cohen’s hair was too weird? [Hint Mag]

Meme Watch: Keyboard cat gets his own moonlit t-shirt. In retrospect, this was inevitable. [Boing Boing]

It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World: AMC prepares the world for the new season of Mad Men with a quick recap of everything that’s happened in the past two years…er, seasons. [Vulture]

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06/09/09
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Bad Idea/Good Idea

Mad World

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The 1960s advertising world may be taking a temporary vacation from the zeitgeist, but we couldn’t help noticing a familiar item in the latest catalog from Germany’s aptly named Wormland label.

That’s right. They’re selling Pete Campbell’s suit.

Granted, the lapels are thinner, the blue is deeper, and the whole thing is a good deal shinier—all of which makes it less desirable than the genuine article—but it’s rare to see an item jump from screen to page this quickly. Maybe they were trolling for inspiration and ran across a re-broadcast on BBC2?

August can’t get here soon enough…

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05/28/09
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The Google Box

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In the Shadows: Katy Perry goes all expressionist for Complex. [Complex]

I, For One, Welcome Our New Overlords: On the heels of Google Wave, the Mountain View gang unveil something that looks suspiciously like virtual reality. Sadly, the swimsuit module will take a bit more time to perfect. [PSFK]

Only Getting Madder: Mad Men’s third season will have an extra commercial break and two fewer minutes per episode. And yes, we’re so Hamm-starved that this qualifies as news. [Vulture]

Pencil it In: The style world gets sketched. We hope Thom Browne’s nose is ok… [Men.Style]

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04/01/09
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Labeled

Just Like Old Times

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By now, Paul Smith is big enough that we rely on him for our opinion of England overall. And based on his latest lookbook, it seems like things are getting a bit sleazy over there.

We don’t mind Smith trying out a pair of Nantucket reds—we knew he’d get around to them eventually—but these latest items seem more directed at early 60s-era beachgoers than his usual urban dandy demographic. They’re impeccably cut, of course, but it’s still a pretty big departure for our Mr. Smith. Did he get tired of the pastel Technicolor vibe so quickly?

Maybe he’s been catching up on his Mad Men?

See our picks from the lookbook»

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03/12/09
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Sound & Vision

Canned Hamm

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It’s been a while since the last Mad Men episode, so we’re looking for we’d almost forgotten how much we like Jon Hamm. Luckily, he reminded us.

This Funny or Die clip showcases Mr. Draper’s comedy chops, taking on the role of a bailout-seeking Lex Luthor. Naturally, it requires him to trade his usual pomade-heavy coiffure for a bald wig, and the suit isn’t up to his usual standard, but we’re ready to be pitched just about anything at this point.

And as bailout seekers go, we still like him more than John Thain.

See the video»

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03/10/09
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ScarJo, Junya, and Mr. Hamm

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New York Cheesecake Factory: Vanity Fair confirms its relevance in these troubled times with a slideshow of some of their best pictures. [Vanity Fair]

Eye Spy: Complex catches on to our second favorite optician. [Complex]

Up Close: Interview sits down with Junya Watanabe, and tries to figure out what’s up with all those inside-out jackets. They do not succeed. [Interview]

Happy Birthday: Jon Hamm, better known as Don Draper, turns 38 today. We wish him the best of luck with his acting and bathroom-based-meat-product careers. [TakePart]

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02/02/09
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Labeled

The New Class

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Uniqlo has a remarkably catalog for a down-market brand, but even more impressive is how many upscale designers they’ve managed to tempt in for collaborations. Alexander Wang, Loden Dager, Tim Hamilton were all on last year’s list, but apparently the ‘qlo has a few more in the works.

Over the next few months, they’re rolling out two new men’s collections from Opening Ceremony and Gilded Age respectively. (Shipley & Halmos, sadly, stuck with womenswear.)

Gilded Age acquits themselves fairly with a set of baggy, nautical gear, but we’re more partial to Opening Ceremony, not least because of their electric blue suit that looks like it could have come right off Pete Campbell’s back.

See the suit, and Gilded Age’s contribution»

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01/21/09
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Object

Plush Life

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Our favorite TV show has been off the airwaves for a while, but that hasn’t stopped the furniture designers of the world from keeping the look alive.

It’s known as “mid-century modern” to stuffier design folks, but apparently cb2 is a bit more straightforward, dubbing it “The Draper Sofa.” It’s a little too vibrant to find a place at Sterling Cooper and ad men tend to prefer couches with arms on them, but the makers aren’t all wrong. Aside from the occasional orange stripe, it’s a pretty traditional couch.

Now all you need is a credenza or two.

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01/16/09
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Blithe Spirits

So Fresh, So Clean

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Vodka: is there any problem it can’t solve?

Well, we can add vintage-clothes smell to the list at least. Valet Magazine tracked down the costume designer for Mad Men to see how they keep the vintage-heavy set from smelling like the back of your grandmother’s closet and the answer was a whole lot simpler than we thought. The secret? One part vodka in two parts water, sprayed on and left to air. Apparently astringent spirits do a lot to suck up whatever’s hovering in those threads, and vodka’s pure enough to not leave any smells behind.

Sounds like we’d better stock up.

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01/09/09
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Mottos, Irons, and the History of the Mustache Trend Piece

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Two States: If you needed a map of all 50 state mottos, here you go. A lot of them are really strange. [Cartophilia]

Clapped in Irons: Kempt favorite Scott Schuman ponders the ideal ironing technique. [The Sartorialist]

Going Mad: The threat of Mad Men without show creator Matthew Weiner is apparently real. Zombie Mad Men? Get worried. [Vulture]

Hair of the Dog: An annotated history of the mustache trend piece. [Gawker]

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12/31/08
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Two Lists, Some Glasses, and a Dead Cat

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The Big Picture: The best photographs of the year turn out to be kind of depressing. [NY Times]

Fond Farewells: We’ll miss you, New Year’s glasses with zeroes as eyes…[Gawker]

The Small Screen: The clever list-makers at A.V. Club count down the top TV episodes of the year. Sadly, Mad Men has to settle for #4. [A.V. Club]

The Cat Came Back: Just because it’s a holiday, here’s what really happened to James Franco’s cat. [Funny or Die]

Kempt wishes you a happy, tastefully bestubbled 2009.

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11/19/08
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Hamm, Letterman, and the Road

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Spiced Hamm: Jon Hamm turns out to be at least as interesting as Don Draper. [Men.Style]

TV Eye: Our favorite first lady (sorry Michelle) is on Letterman tonight. [The Cut]

Earth, Wind and Fire: The elements of the perfect shave. (Hint: the main one is water.) [Exotic Excess]

On the Road: The new Revolutionary Road trailer is skip-riffic! [TakePart]

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10/29/08
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Draper’s Hair, John Hodgman and the Majesty of the Orient

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The Block: A guide to getting Don Draper’s hair. Be warned: you’ll need a partner’s salary to afford that much pomade. [The Moment]

The Shawl: The debate over shawl collared sweaters rages on. [Magnificent Bastard]

My Dinner with Hodg: The inestimable John Hodgman deigns to participate in a livechat. [WashingtonPost]

The Spoils of the Orient: Apparently Japan is a treasure trove of specialty labels. We must not let America fall behind! [A Continuous Lean]

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10/29/08
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Filmic

But What I Really Want to Do is Direct

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Now that Tom Ford can do whatever he wants, he’s decided to direct a movie. He’s roped in Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, and the sainted production designers from *Mad Men*, so he’s off to a good start, but we’re still a little unsure about Ford’s new incarnation as movie mogul.

The movie is adapted from *A Single Man*, a day-in-the-life novel about a bereaved gay college professor in California in 1962. The novel is a gay touchstone—Elton John named an album after it, to give you some idea—so Ford’s interest isn’t completely out of left field, but it still seems like an odd choice. Ford’s ads and even clothes seem designed to project a guy’s-night-in-Vegas aesthetic. How well will he transition to measured musing about the passage of time? Is this just getting back at Thom Browne for snagging the *Mad Men* wardrobe? We’ll have to wait and see.

At least those goggles are going to a good cause.

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