Salvatore seems less dedicated to the full suit than his fellow Mad Men, often sporting unmatched jackets and trousers (“odd jackets” and “odd trousers” in the old-fashioned parlance) around the office.  When we do see him in a matched suit, he’s often wearing a differently-patterned waistcoat underneath it.  The look is a touch informal for the business world of the 1960s, but it’s worth remembering that Sal’s the Art Director.  He’s the creative side of the business, and people expect him to look the part.

European Style, American Suits

Despite their tighter fit, Salvatore’s jackets are still fundamentally American, however – loose in the waist and hips, they’re usually vented in the back and softer at the edges than anything a European businessman would have worn at the time as well.  He sometimes wears very small peaked lapels as another American take on classic European style.

Like all his co-workers, Salvatore wears a white dress shirt to work.  His wardrobe is more colourful, but he still observes that much of basic business etiquette.  Nothing else was appropriate in the early 1960s (and white still remains the most formal option in dress shirts).  He wears French cuffs like many of his fellows, and his cufflinks tend to be more flamboyant than theirs: For cufflinks of all shapes and designs we recommend Choice Cufflinks.

Salvatore also sports a wider-spread collar than most of the other Mad Men, which fits his broader face well.  He leans toward smaller, tighter knots for his ties, which helps keep from making the small “V” of fabric above his habitual waistcoats appear completely smothered. Appropriately, it would be almost impossible to claim that Salvatore favours a specific pattern or colour of tie – we see plaids, stripes, figures, solid colours, and anything else imaginable in the business world of the early 1960s around his neck at one point or another.

Some of the Mad Men have a distinctive approach to pocket squares; a few choose not to wear them at all.  Salvatore seems to mostly like variety, sporting rounded “puff” folds one day and very crisp, straight folds the next.  He steers clear of the pointed peaks that we often see on Roger Sterling, perhaps out of deference – something about Sterling’s triple peak certainly seems to evoke a crown, befitting the boss of the office.

Regardless of the style, though, we rarely see Salvatore without some form of pocket adornment. Like many of his fellows, he seems to simply view it as a necessary accent for a truly well-dressed man.

For a flamboyantly stylish hankerchief we suggest the Savile Row Co.

To learn about the history of the Pocket square and different folding techniques have a look at our guide.

Salvatore’s outerwear is another European nod, with very tight-fitted and flat-soled shoes in a brighter leather than the other Mad Men’s.  To eminate his footwear we suggest Forzieri Italian handcrafted two tone Wing-tip Oxford shoes.

The only hat of his that we see is a soft felt casual number with a sporty little feather, in a very classic country green.  His waistcoat’s make it hard to tell if he wears a belt or braces, but the latter seems more likely – a belt would be a difficult addition to work into his style, and would likely be less comfortable with Salvatore’s close-fitted trousers as well.

Wearing Salvatore’s Style:  Creative Dress in the Workplace

Most of the lessons to take from Salvatore’s style are about moderation:  he mixes and matches articles of clothing but always keeps his colour scheme very thematic, he borrows interesting styles like peaked lapels but wears them in very minimal forms; he breaks some of the rules of conventional office fashion but only one at a time.  As a creative voice rather than a strictly business advisor he enjoys some extra leeway, and takes advantage of it.  Too much more leeway, and he would not be dressed in appropriate business style anymore.

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As an old hand in the advertising business and a military veteran, Roger is an understandably crisp-looking gentleman when he dresses for success.  The fit of his suits is usually tighter than his fellow Mad Men’s, with higher armscyes (the hole where the sleeve meets the jacket) and less padded shoulders

The most striking feature of Sterling’s wardrobe, of course, is his dedication to the double-breasted jacket and single breasted suits with a vest.  There’s more to these outfits:  more cloth, more buttons, and more formality as well.  Since the effect of all that visual weight can be stifling, Sterling is careful to lighten the suits up with lighter colours or pinstriping on the darker suits.  The lighter threads keep him from seeming weighed down by the volume of the suit. His tight fit also helps here, keeping him from swimming in excess fabric.

Sterling is also the only Mad Man who regularly sports peaked lapels.  The flaring, upward-pointing style has a dramatic effect, especially in a room filled with men wearing the more conventional notched lapels.  Some of his peaks are more dramatic than others – the wider and more flared they are, the more lively they make his appearance, giving a good indication of the hard-drinking party-lover beneath the business suit.

Roger Sterling’s Pocket Squares

Shoes Make the Mad Man

Roger Sterling’s Style in Mad Men Terms

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