Is “Pan Am” the next “Mad Men”?
If the ratings are any sign, probably not, but Pan Am promises to bring more 60s fashion to the small screen. There’s a nice interview in TV Guide with Ane Crabtree, fashion designer for the series. I especially liked this quote about the hats:
What kind of time goes into constructing one the hats? They look very polished.
Crabtree: They’re such works of art. The actors are so freaked out by the hat. I’m talking guys and girls are like, “Oh please, please let me try on the hat!” They are so precise and built in the old style of millinery standards. There is one guy in L.A. who makes them. There are tiny, tiny trapunto stitching, rows and rows that I hope you’ll be able to see on camera, that form this beautiful shape. The fabric has to be dyed this very, very specific Pan Am tunis blue because it doesn’t exist anywhere. And the buttons have to be hand-cast. Starting with Episode 5, we have the very beautiful hatpin on the back of the stewardess cap that was fashioned after stewardess Sheila Riley’s personal Pan Am pin she wore on the flight to Berlin.
I wonder if the current fad for the glamorous mid-century is going to lead to the return to favor of a more polished look generally and more hat-wearing specifically. Here’s hoping!
