Scenting Mad Men

*Current Fragrance: Green Tea and Cucumber Essence Body Splash by Bath & Body Works
*Currently Listening: Night Train by Buddy Morrow

MAD MEN COMES BACK SUNDAY! MAD MEN COMES BACK SUNDAY! Yep, just a little on the excited side. It is without a doubt, my favorite show currently on TV. I've mused about it before in my ode To All The [Fictitious] Men I've Loved Before, and will be ripping my scenting of Don Draper straight from that post, as I stand by both what I said about Mad Men and about Don (but more on that later).

Here are my "rules" as I have set them: I'm going to make believe that all the fragrances that would be available today, were available to the characters when the show is set. I do a little self projecting on a few of the characters. Can you guess which ones? Also, I'm not going to scent the entire cast, just the ones that I...well...want to! I'll do Don first, and then the others in alphabetical order...that just seams fair.

Don Draper

Taken from a previous NDC#5 post: "Don Draper is the current fictitious love of my life. Yes...he's a Cad (yeah, so much so that it gets a capital "C'), a ginormous Cad, a f'ing ginormous Cad, but an inextricably sexy f'ing ginormous Cad! He's one of those "men want to be him, women want to be with him" characters. I'm a little obsessed with "Mad Men", I love the idea of New York in the early 1960's where old world style and glamour are still holding to outward appearances, while powerful zeitgeists like the Civil Right Movement and the Sexual Revolution were taking hold in minds, news, politics, sentiments and bedrooms. Plus, men still wore fedoras. All men look just a little bit sexier sporting a fedora. JFK, I love you...but did have REALLY have to take the Oath of Office without your top-hat on?!??!?! Men's millinery has never been the same; well, sort of.

I think Don Draper would smell like leather and honey. Pretty much the two sexiest scents I could conjure in my mind for a man to smell like. My mind goes to all sorts of place I should just not type about because it's way TMI, and well...I'm pretty sure my Mom is going to read this! (On a women for the record, it's jasmine & unsweetened blackberry jam), But you see, Don drinks and smokes too much to smell just like honey and leather...so I've decided to throw in scotch and tobacco. After searching through several fragrances, I've decided that Don Draper should wear either (please make sure you click on all the links for full fragrance descriptions) Eau d'Italie's Bois d'Ombrie or Odori's Tabacco.  "

Betty Francis

Every time I think of Betty, I roll my eyes. She's turned into (OK, more of it is showing now) a petulant child. I'm pretty sure her daughter is more mature than she is! However, she still has maybe enough good sense to wear something somewhat "socially acceptable" for a lady of her age. I'm going to go with the marshmallow-y sweet, yet girlish Love By Kilian....for when she's actually out in public. In private though, when Henry's at work and she's left to her own bat-shit-crazy devices; she has a drawer where the following bottles are stashed: 1) Aquolina's Pink Sugar, 2) Taylor Swift's Wonderstruck and 3) Justin Bieber's Someday...along with a framed autographed black and white glossy of The Biebs that I'm SURE better wrote a letter to his fan club to get. (We're doing some weird time twisting things here...just go with it!)

Joan "You Make Me Just Want To Give Up Now and Quit Trying" Harris

"Oh Joanie!" There are two distinct Joans in my mind. Joan 1: The sex-on-a-stick-b!tch-in-heels-body-that-won't-quit-damn-I-wish-I-could-be-her Joan.....and then there's Joan 2: The sad Joan. The "I didn't get what I bargained for" Joan. The "under the War Paint" (if you will..) Joan. While I find Joan 1 to be much more exciting, I find Joan 2 to be much more interesting.

For Joan 1: Do I really even have to say it? I mean...hello...you know EXACTLY where I'm going here! It's a total Diva Scent Death Match: Fracas VS. Carnal Flower! (I'm pretty sure she would have bought Fracas for herself and Roger bought her the Carnal Flower.)

For Joan 2: Something a little bit more melancholy and reflective but still somehow sensuous. I'm going with Le Parfum de Thérèse or Liaisons Dangereuses (perhaps I'm just projecting my coconut, blackcurrant, rose obsession a bit here with the latter...)

Oh, and Joan...you REALLY make me miss my red hair!

I've missed ya, Red!

Lane Pryce

Mr. Price was a bit of an anomaly for me to figure out how to scent; then I started thinking of giving him something very American but with a type of "Across the Pond" sensibility. I started thinking of memorable scenes with Lane, and couldn't stop thinking about the one where he picks up his steak and drunkenly declares for all the restaurant to hear and to Don's horror, "Look at me! I've got a big ol' Texas belt buckle! YEE-HAW!" Then I had it! Yep, Lane Pryce wears Lonestar Memories. He bought the bottle himself. I'm pretty sure he thought his Bunny would like it!

Megan Calvet

I like Megan and I think she's good for Don. She's most assuredly not the bumbling moron that we thought she was at the beginning (OK I thought the was kind of a ding-bat at first) of her time on the show. I thought Faye was good for Don though....and look how well that worked out! I'm pretty sure that Megan is going to get crushed by a rogue Street Vendor Cart or is actually a Russian spy or something like that; but for now she's making Don happy and his kids are quite fond of her as well, so she gets something full of sunshine, warmth and light - yet still chic and sophisticated. I'm thinking Parfum d'Empire's Osmanthus Interdite.

Peggy Olson

 I'm a TOTAL Peggy Olson Fan Girl! I've loved Peggy from the very start! I'm always rooting for her, very seldom does she do something that pisses me off (I may not agree with everything she does, but I never feel "disenchanted" with her), and I see a lot of how I want to see myself in her. She's very pleased with herself, but not in a smug way; yet is striving for and wants MORE. (Side note, I also appreciate that Peggy's apartment is something of a hot-mess. Sister, I feel ya!) Notice though...Peggy herself, is seldom (well NOW, anyway) a hot mess. I feel that she would wear something that would not be so utterly feminine when she's in a room full of men, it reminds them that "hey....inferior being with boobs in the room!", but just feminie enough to make it clear that she's not just "one of the guys." I can see Peggy wearing both Oliver Durbano's Jade and Diptyque's L'Ombre dans L'eau. (Yes. I know I'm TOTALLY projecting upon dear Peggy, as I am rather enraptured with both of these fragrances at the moment.)

Roger Sterling

Poor Roger. Jane has cut him off at the balls and he's a total sad sack. I miss the old Roger. The one who had no moral compass but a sh!t-ton of fun. He still doesn't have a moral compass, but he's not having fun either. Poor Roger. Bring him back those twins...the ones right before he had one of his...which heart attack # was it? He needs some cheering up. I miss his first wive, Mona. She at least had a spine. Jane's just....she puts the "step" in "Stepford Wives", as in "someone should step on her, squash her, and remove her from the show. She's served her purpose in making Roger actually miserable, now go. I think Roger wears Bleu de Chanel. Jane bought it for him.

*Currently Listening: Flambee Montalbanese by The Hot Club of San Francisco

**Image Credits: 1) beyondhollywood.com 2) popcrunch.com 3) telegraph.co.uk 4) my own 5) projects.accessatlanta.com 6) tvfanatic.com