Style & Wisdom

The Sterling Look

Pearls of Sterling Wisdom

“I like redheads. Their mouths are like a drop of strawberry jam in a glass of milk.”

"Look, I want to tell you something because you're very dear to me. And I hope you understand that it comes from the bottom of my damaged, damaged heart. You are the finest piece of ass I've ever had and I don't care who knows it. I am so glad that I got to roam those hillsides." 

"Look, we've got oysters rockefeller! Beef Wellington! Napoleons! We leave this lunch alone, it'll take over Europe."

"Don't you love the chase? Sometimes it doesn't work out; those are the stakes. But when it does work out, it's like having that first cigarette: your head gets all dizzy, your heart pounds, your knees go weak. Remember that? Old business is just old business."

"Can I just fire everyone?"

Mad Men style.

There are many redeeming features to AMC's hit series Mad Men, not the least of which is a new found attention to the classic and nostalgic standard of men's haberdashery that is associated with JFK, the early 60's, Ivy league preppyness, et al. I am a huge fan of the show and the style it showcases. I'll save the attempt to wax uneloquent about the various political, social, and cultural overtones of the show during another post. However, I have been bemused and slightly perturbed by how Don Draper is frequently branded as the show's paradigm of style. This is a mistake, methinks. Draper, while certainly projecting a muted reverence for classic Madison avenue style, is slavishly boring when contrasted with the more colorful, poignant, and imperial Roger Sterling. Sterling, superbly portrayed actor by John Slattery, is frequently armed with a tumbler of scotch in one hand, a Lucky Strike cigarette in the other, and he possesses a endless quiver of scene stealing one-liners that showcase his sardonic wit. He qualifies as a dapper Dan extraordinaire. Between the meticulous silhouette on his three-piece suits, the understated color contrast of his neck ties, and clean cropped hair cut, he is clearly the titan of style on the show. If dominant suit manufacturers such as Brooks Brothers, Adrian Jules, Oxxford, Hickey Freeman, or Samuelsohn had a true understanding of the show, they'd try and leverage "Sterling style" at some point in the near future.

Disclaimer: I secretly yearn for the return of three-piece suits.