McDonald's Debuts Designer Uniforms Inspired By 'Mad Men'

It seems that the retro-chic style portrayed in AMC's mega hit Mad Men even has fashion designers across the pond taking note. McDonald's hired Hemingway Design, led by designers Wayne and Geraldine Hemingway, to dream up new uniforms for the company's 87,500 employees across the U.K. — and the designs are clearly inspired by the 1960s-era show.

The designers wanted to create a uniform that reflects the newly remodeled McDonald's locations, which opened in the U.K. throughout the year. They also consulted with employees to get feedback on a design that would be practical and stylish for the staff's widely varied size and age range.

In an interview with the Telegraph, Wayne Hemingway explained that the managers' outfits "hark back to a day of really classy air travel." He added, "There's just a little bit of Mad Men."

Rather than sticking with the vibrant yellow and red hues in the chain's iconic logo, the designers chose to stick with a more muted color palette of greens, tans, and plums. The customer care assistants will get a more professional look, complete with skinny ties for the men and pencil skirts for the women. The main staff will wear polo shirts (mustard yellow for guys and light green for gals), and the managerial staff will wear black and white uniforms, with a mustard yellow neck scarf for the women). The designers also chose to ditch the classic baseball caps, and the uniforms are also designed to be completely recyclable (meaning that all old or damaged uniforms will be used to remake new ones).

Hemingway also expressed in a press statement yesterday that "We can't wait to see our new designs on show at McDonald's restaurants up and down the country. Having worked closely with McDonald's employees to come up with a uniform that is practical and also fashionable, I'm confident that the designs reflect the strides that the brand has made in terms of restaurant ambience and its menu offering."

The new uniforms will make their debut at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, when 2,000 McDonald's employees will sport the looks while working at the four Olympic Park restaurants. The uniforms will be rolled out to the rest of the staff throughout the fall.