Mad About Mad Men

I know that I'm a little late in jumping on the bandwagon, but I was recently introduced to the wonder that is AMC's Mad Men by my glorious sister (who knows my taste in television so well!). For those that may not know, the show is set in Manhattan during the 1960's at a Madison Avenue advertising agency. Besides the intriguing storyline, fantastic period clothing and vintage props, the first item to really capture my attention was of course, the nails!

How fabulous are housewife Betty Draper's perfect pink oval-shaped nails? They are always flawlessly manicured and complement her clothing and accessories with panache. Even prim and proper Peggy Olsen's nails are obviously well maintained, though she has yet to sport nail polish even once throughout all four seasons of the show! Then there's sultry Joan Holloway with her lovely red talons that just ooze sex appeal.

Betty Draper (January Jones), Peggy Olsen (Elizabeth Moss) & Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks)

Not only do the main characters get to wear stunning 1960's style manis -- the supporting female characters get in on the action too. Next door neighbor and fellow housewife, Francine Hanson is always elaborately coiffed and manicured with full face makeup. Young wife Trudy Campbell is fresh-faced and smartly dressed with a mani to match her proper Manhattanite outfits. By far, the glitziest nails on the show so far belonged to Bobbie Barrett -- one of Don Draper's short-lived trysts. She rocked a solid gold metallic manicure to match her cocktail dress in true classic Hollywood style.

Francine Hanson (Anne Dudek), Trudy Campbell (Alison Brie) & Bobbie Barrett (Melinda McGraw)

Of course, there is an amazing woman behind the fabulous nails of Mad Men! Series costume designer Janie Bryant is the creative mastermind behind all that goes into creating the phenomenal period costumes, hairstyles and nails for the show. Her eye for detail is nothing short of genius! In the fall of 2010, Bryant paired with Nailtini of the 'Tini Beauty Lounge cosmetic brand to create a limited edition set of Mad Men nail lacquers inspired by the lush and luxurious fabrics popular in the 1960's. Since liquor is practically a supporting character on the show, a cocktail-themed nail polish line makes perfect sense!

The limited edition collection features four luxuriously opulent hues. Bourbon Satin (chocolate mousse brown), French 75 (micro glitter gold lamé), Deauxville (metallic platinum silver), and Stinger (iridescent green/black chrome). It's been sold out in stores for quite a while now, but I did a little research and found it can still be purchased online at Amazon.com, among others.

Limited Edition Fall 2010 Collection

Due to the success of their first collaboration, Nailtini released a second nail lacquer collection created by Janie Bryant for the Spring of 2011 called Garden Party. This second vintage-inspired spread includes four shades fit for a Sterling Cooper company picnic! The collection is comprised of Garden Jubilee (gold shimmer), Blue Carnation (milky blue/gray), Blushing Lady (baby pink), and Admiral Perry (patent leather royal blue).

Garden Party - Spring 2011 Collection

Word is that due to contract disputes between AMC and Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, the highly anticipated 5th season of the show isn't going to premiere until some time in 2012. Until then, all we can do is indulge our obsession by watching re-runs on Netflix while wearing our Mad Men Nailtini nail colors!