How to Get Don Draper's Timelessly Perfect 'Mad Men' Hair
(photo courtesy of Mad Men/Facebook)
Every Monday, Mad Men crawls one step closer to its final episode, and through it all, Don Draper’s perfectly parted haircut stays peerless as ever, even as a forest of facial hair and seventies shags springs up around him. For those of us not running an ad empire, the folks at AMC have teamed up with Birchbox Man to curate a collection of products that best capture Draper’s iron-clad cool (their suggestions include a slick Truman razor, Parlor Reworkable Hold Paste, and a Declan pocket square).
But before you start sculpting your own old-school look, read our interview with Emmy-winning Mad Men hairstylist Theraesa Rivers, who gave us the inside scoop on what goes on behind the scenes at Sterling Cooper Draper Price (or whatever the hell they’re calling it this season).
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DETAILS: Mad Men is famously true to period. Where did you go for inspiration?
Theraesa Rivers: I used old Time Life magazines. This was a good reference for everyday people, politicians, and celebrities. I also looked through vintage hair-salon magazines, which showed the current trends. When we hit the early 1960s, I had good reason to binge-watchThe Twilight Zone—my all-time favorite!
DETAILS: If I wanted to get the Draper cut today, what would I ask for?
Theraesa Rivers: Guys wanting to emulate Don’s look should just ask for a classic men’s haircut. His hair was always cut with scissors only. No clippers.
DETAILS: Did you end up using old-school hair products to match the style?
Theraesa Rivers: Matt [Weiner] was pretty easy going about what products we used, as long as the style looked authentic. Every head of hair is different, so we used gel, pomade, hairspray, and mousse, though Matt did like Brylcreem on some of the men. That’s been around since 1928.
DETAILS: Of everyone’s transformation, Pete Campbell’s balding has been the hardest to watch. How’d you do it?
Theraesa Rivers: Pete’s receding hairline was a challenge only because we had a very busy and lively trailer—there was always a lot of movement happening in the there. Yikes! I used an old-fashioned straight razor to shave his hairline back and thinned it out significantly. The progression gradually started in back in season 5. That’s true commitment to the character.
By Jon Roth
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