Frederick's of Hollywood Blog

Today we celebrate the birthday of one of the most recognizable actresses on TV, Christina Hendricks! Starting her career as a model at 18, she made numerous guest appearances on TV series like Firefly, before making it big as Mad Men’s pragmatic office manager, Joan Holloway.

Photo via Imdb.com.

Her signature hourglass silhouette has reinvigorated the appreciation for curvy women in Hollywood, and she has been labeled the “new modern ideal Hollywood glamour—full figured, voluptuous; a throwback to the days of Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell and Veronica Lake”.  British designer Vivienne Westwood, chose Hendricks to be the face of her 2011 jewelry line, calling her “the embodiment of beauty”.

Photo via Instyle.com

Christina takes a different approach to the attention, stating, “It just seemed so odd as people had never commented on my body before. Every woman obsesses over her figure, but I was happy, I felt sexy – I never thought about it. I know this sounds naive, but I honestly never expected this kind of attention.” With SAG Awards, Emmy nominations and other accolades pouring in, it seems as though people are paying attention to her hard work and her fabulous looks. Fun fact: Christina is not a natural redhead. She’s a blonde and has been dying her hair since the age of 10! She went red because she always loved Anne of Green Gables.

Last week, when we were still jonesing for our Don Draper fix, we touched on some of the places in Los Angeles where you could go for Mad Men-era ambience. Thanks to the premiere, we’re feeling much more level headed, albeit still excited about this Sunday, and thought we’d do a round-up of places in and around L.A. that have appeared in the series. Enjoy!

675 Arden Rd Pasadena, CA 91106. Photo via Google.

The home Don and Betty Draper shared in Ossining, NY is actually played by a house in Pasadena, located just east of Los Angeles. And yes, they do change the color of the door back to it’s original red each time they film.

Ebell of Los Angeles. 743 S. Lucerne Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90005. Photo via Curbed.

In season 3, Roger Sterlings’ daughter’s wedding was hosted at the Ebell of Los Angeles. When the women’s club was founded in 1894, it was rare for ladies to attend college. The members lined up erudite speakers to cover subjects such as ancient Egypt, Shakespeare, prison reform and other noteworthy presentations to ensure they got a proper education. The club is still going strong today, with members of both sexes enjoying all it has to offer.

L.A. Music Center. 135 N. Grand. Los Angeles, CA 90012. Photo via Getty. 

Located in downtown Los Angeles, the Music Center was transformed into Rome during season 3′s episode, “Souvenir”. Comprised of 11 acres, the Music Center is made up of 4 houses: The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum and the Frank Gehry designed Walt Disney Concert Hall and plays an ongoing role in revitalization of downtown L.A.

Frank Sinatra Fox Residence, a.k.a. the Farralone. Chatsworth, CA. Photo via Curbed.

Built in 1951 for Chase Bank heiress Dora Hutchinson, the Farralone is a Hollywood star in it’s own right. The heiress rented it out to Frank Sinatra,who in turn sublet the guesthouse (which has it’s own pool!) to Marilyn Monroe. It’s the site of her last photo shoot and JFK is rumored to have dallied with her there before her death. Used in the season 2 episode “The Jet Set”,  it made viewers drool with it’s sleek mid-century design.

Share other spots that we might not know about in the comments below!

Mad Men airs Sundays 10/9c, on AMC.

Here at Frederick’s, we’ve been counting down the hours to the season premiere of Mad Men. To satisfy our craving for all things dapper and incredibly cool, we’ve been compiling a list of places where you can go in our fair city that have that “Mad Men” flair.

Mad Men premieres Sunday, March 25th. Photo via imdb.com

Photo via homeawayfromhome.

Located in Koreatown, The Prince is a historic restaurant that’s been used in movies such as Chinatown and of course, our beloved Mad Men!

Photo via DovesToday.

Famed Musso & Frank’s  is the oldest restaurant in Hollywood . If you want to know what it’s like to travel back in time, this Don Draper-approved institution is a must. Trust us, it’s an experience you’ll never forget!  

The Seven Grand Bar in Downtown LA. Photo via 10best.

Situated above a gorgeous ballroom, the dark wood and leather interior of Seven Grand creates an incredible atmosphere. An enclosed cigar room at the back harkens back to the days when men would talk business over 3 martini lunches. Do you ever wonder how they got any work done?

We also stumbled across an amazing video of Los Angeles, taken in the late ‘60s. Watching this was the  perfect way to celebrate our incredible city and satisfy our retro-cravings! See if you can spot some famous landmarks that are still around today.

If you look closely, you can see a sign for The Party, which reopened as the famous Whisky A Go Go several months after this video was shot!
Do you have any hotspots in your city that evoke a nostalgic ’60s feel? Share them in the comments below and please, tell us how you’re coping with the agony of waiting for the 25th!