first of all – i really enjoy typing “2010″ and i also like saying it.  twenty-ten.  much snappier than “two-thousand and nine”.  and speaking of snappy – one of my most favorite trends of 2009 that i hope continues the journey through 2010 and beyond is the ladylike sex-appeal of the Mad Men style. 

i”ve always been a sucker for retro.  and i adore thinking about a time when women wore dresses most of the time.   so feminine, so pretty, so refined.  the body looks amazing in little sheaths and pencil skirts.  not only do they harken to the feminine mystique – they are also quite powerful.

i love this Milly sheath from one of my fave portland boutiques, Mabel & Zora.

the full skirts worn by the ‘nice girls’ of the era are also a lot of fun – especially when scaled down for modern times.  belts that enhance the waist are a simple, elegant way to create shape.

loving the bright sassiness of the Lady Belle dress from my fave retro maven, Trina Turk.   perfect for an outdoor spring wedding.

and then of course, there is the skinny cropped pants – a perinneal spring favorite for me.  always chic and carefree with a pair of flats and sexy, sexy with heels and a jaunty scarf around the neck.

love this cute pair from Nanette Lepore  (her fit is dreamy and you gotta love that the modern styles come with ample stretch!).

the thing about these styles is they aren’t really trendy – they’re classics.  you’ll never have buyers remorse and they rarely end up at the consignment shop – preferring to hang in your closet for the long haul.

i’m thankful for the show Mad Men not only for entertaining me – but for bringing this style back to the forefront of fashion.

call me old fashioned – but there it is!  i love this style.