Mad Men Countdown: Joan Holloway/Harris

Hi there all, this is the second installment in my Mad Men Countdown series....this time we are covering my all time FAVORITE and personal inspiration....Joan Holloway/Harris. This curve-tastic bombshell is the epitome of sass. Her strong personality and even stronger sense of style is a constant throughout the series. Though she does eventually end up embracing the more mod styles Joan tends to dress for the body she has, not the popular body type of the day. So without further ado....onto the countdown.

The Harassment Dress:

No one can talk about Joan and Mad Men without talking about this horrible meeting she and Peggy endured. I love this bold pink, even though she is perfectly covered up she can't help but be overly feminine. It is who she is. I love that these are both perfect examples of dressing two professional women, they couldn't be more opposite.

Mod Sailor Dress:

I honestly can't remember why or when Joan wore this dress, however it definitely fits the Joan model of form fitting, plus brooch, plus scarf detail. The color and bold pattern however have a very mod feel to them.

Blue Bombshell:

Joan is always been a bombshell, but this dress makes her look like a movie star of the period. She could be a bond girl. I love that they tend to dress Joan in jewel tones, which denotes not only her sophistication but her age as well.

Two Way Glass Dress:

The only woman in a room of women who knows that they are being watched and she takes the opportunity to give the men (especially Roger) a bit of a show. This is classic Joan. Tight, Brooch, That amazing gold pen pendant. Joan is a lady who lives to match. 

Loved her passive aggressive smoke blowing at the bitchy Belle Jolie lady.

Pink/Purple Scarf Dress:

Once again Joan is in her office armor. The Mad Style blog had/has a great theory about Joan in purple and that it tends to signal some sort of emotional crisis in her life. Even though she might not be wearing scarves like she used to, the detail at the neck is very scarf like.....she was once quoted as saying "Men love scarves...."

The Flashback Black:

This hot little number is a stunner. This is pure 1950's vavavoom! This is a very important flashback, we see that Roger has bought Joan a gorgeous fur coat....which mirrors a later scene where Joan sleeps with a Jaguar executive to secure an account and her future as a partner.

The Accordion Dress:

People might ask why I call this one the accordion dress....if you haven't seen this episode Joan and her new husband Greg host a little dinner party where to break up the awkward Joan is put on the spot and plays the accordion. Roses become a theme for Joan during her marriage, here they are bright and open but in later episodes her dresses with roses tend to be brown, like her love and marriage have withered.

The Present Dress:

Roger asks Joan to wear this red dress at the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce Christmas party...."The one with the bow in the back, that makes you look like a present...." This is classic Joan all the way....

Dark Green Pants/Jumper:

The last we see of Joan is her beginning her own production company out of her own living room. We are on our way into 1970 and here Joan is finally embracing the styles of the late 60's early 70's. Once piece jump suits are going to become staples of the period. Here Joan has cast off what she once thought she wanted most (a wealthy man to take care of her) and started working for herself (finally)


Those are the top looks for Joan Holloway/Harris....who should we do a countdown of next? Comment Below!