January Jones ‘Mad Men’ Premiere Dress Cool Or Crazy? Daring Styles …

January Jones vs. Betty Draper! Swapping her ’60s style for a fashion-forward Roksanda Ilincic dress at the Season 7 premiere of Mad Men, the blond beauty once again distanced herself from the housewife that’s made her so famous. 

After appearing on The Tonight Show without underwear on March 28 we thought Jones couldn’t push the envelope any further. But the single mom takes every chance she gets to show she’s cutting-edge. Though no one would question the 36-year-old actress is gorgeous, her fashion choices often get mixed reviews.

That said, we adored her colorblocked, asymmetrical style at the premiere on April 2. And her thick, tousled braid (yes, they were extensions) added a playful boho vibe that was flirty and fun.

Quick switch! Taking her hair from short to long, January Jones added a whimsical braid for the Season 7 ‘Mad Men’ premiere.

“I try to take risks and shock people a bit,” Jones admitted. “It’s important to provoke some sort of emotion, negative or positive.”

One of the few actresses who doesn’t use a stylist, Jones has been criticized for her red-carpet gowns. But her message is clear. Jones wants to paint a portrait that has little to do with a prim and proper housewife.

Here are five ways January Jones has shocked us in the last few years:

1. She Posed Nude

Posing nude? No problem! January Jones was happy to shed clothes for her racy photo shoot.

Betty Draper might like everything just so, but Jones was perfectly comfortable shedding clothes for her nude photos for Violet Grey. Pictured in a bathtub in one photo and a barely concealing fur coat in another, Jones certainly made an impression. But are those the fans she wants?

2. She Talked About ‘Her List’

Sheer beauty or sheer disaster? January Jones’ transparent Zac Posen dress got mixed reviews at the 2012 Emmys.

When Violet Grey asked Jones who she’d want to sleep with, the Mad Men actress didn’t hesitate. “Paul Newman or Rihanna,” she replied. Jones has never talked about being bi. So we have to assume she was trying to raise some eyebrows with the Riri comment. We can’t quite imagine that pairing.

3. She Went Androgynous

When January Jones showed up in a mannish Prabal Gurung dress and boyish ‘do at the 2013 SAG Awards she quickly turned heads. But were the stares for the right reason?

Jones makes some very controversial choices. And that’s especially true for her wardrobe. “Most of my choices are ultra-modern and very thought-out,” she told The New York Times. ”I want to do things that are shocking,” she explained. “I wanted to go extreme in hair and makeup, like a Bowie character, maybe.” The reason for choosing the androgynous style at the 2013 SAG Awards? “I thought that might be a little confusing,” she said, “which I like.”

4. She Gave A Thumbs-Up To Plastic Surgery

Stunning in stripes, January Jones nailed the nautical look in a Topshop frock at the 2nd Annual Rebel With A Cause Gala held at Paramount Studios in Hollywood.

Jones was asked about her thoughts on plastic surgery during her Violet Grey interview, and she hasn’t ruled it out. “Whatever helps a person feel beautiful and confident is fine with me. I personally am afraid of the procedures that involve anesthetic, but ask me again in 20 years.” It doesn’t seem like Jones will be rushing out to get surgery. But you never know.

5. She Admitted She Loves Girdles

January Jones certainly didn’t need a girdle in this cutout dress, but she admits that she loves lingerie from the 1960s.

While Jones is trying to rid herself of her Betty Draper image, she doesn’t hate all 1960s clothes. “It’s strange, but when the season ends I miss wearing all Betty’s underpinnings. I love long-line bras and girdles. There’s a sexiness about girdles,” she told W. “On Mad Men I wear them four months out of the year, and I see my body changing. When you wear a girdle, you can’t bend in the usual way. Your thighs are cinched together, which makes your stride shorter. You automatically get a wiggle in your walk. It’s sexy!”

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H&M set for Australian roll out as its first local store launches tomorrow

Swedish fashion giant HM has declared it will open more Australian locations as it prepares for its first store launch in Melbourne tomorrow.

The company, which will open the doors to its 5000m² flagship at Melbourne’s heritage-listed GPO building at 10am on Saturday, expects to roll out more sites this year.

HM global chief executive Karl-Johan Persson said the retail powerhouse expects to open around six flagship stores in Australia over the next 12 months, followed by more next year, the Australian Financial Review reports.

The business is already eyeing locations in Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane, The Age reports.

Persson also said HM would offer the same product that it does in international markets and at similar prices. It will keep price equality by absorbing the higher costs for Australian rent and labour, the AFR reported.

It will also build on its Australian ecommerce site, which it launched in February this year, with a range of products exclusively available in Australia.

Last night it held a preview launch, which The Age described as “one heck of an opening party”. Australian Retailers Association executive director Russell Zimmerman attended the launch event and says he was “blown away” by the store and the product offer.

“Last night’s launch event was truly impressive,” he says. “The new HM store has something for every Australian consumer and represents visual merchandising at its finest.”

Zimmerman told SmartCompany that the store is bringing a “lot of excitement within the retail industry”. He says it makes good use of the three levels of the GPO Building and was among the best examples of a HM store he has seen internationally. 

“It is fair to say it is extremely well laid out in terms of a clearly defined store.

“This is a retailer that really knows what it is doing. There was a huge depth of range in terms of the stock and it is very much a flagship for Australia.”

He was not perturbed by the competition to local retailers, but rather embraced it. 

“Having another well-known international retailer is always beneficial to competition, and the ARA is confident that local retailers are more than capable of stepping up to the mark to compete with any newcomers to the industry.

“The fact that more and more international retailers are choosing to set up shop in Australia is a positive sign that the Australian retail industry may finally be on the road to recovery.”

Zimmerman says the HM store, coupled with the adjacent new Emporium centre that is opening in a couple of months, is making the Melbourne CBD an impressive retail hub for international and interstate visitors.

The new HM store has a series of shop-within-shop-style areas, with menswear, womenswear, childrenswear, streetwear, lingerie and accessories among the product categories.

HM was founded in 1947 and has over 3000 stores in 53 countries. It is still partly owned by the family of the original founder.

HM is one of many international retailers putting their stamp on Australia. Scandinavian label COS recently announced it would launch its first Australian store in Melbourne, while Japanese retailer Uniqlo is also set to open this year.

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