Curve Goddess Christina Hendricks Shows Off Fall’s Most Flattering Colors

Step out in olive: it’s not drab! Military green gets some sex appeal via glossy, shape-showing satin.

1. Yup, she’s blond

But by age 10, Hendricks knew her real hair destiny. “I was obsessed with Lucille Ball and Ginger from Gilligan’s Island as a kid,” she recalls. “They seemed so fun and spirited, and I admired them.” Her mom suggested she try a red rinse before committing. “I loved it and I kept it.”

Christina on her always-look-great secrets >>

Wear red—you too, redheads! Pair a muted shade—like this russet—with one that pops: intense lips and nails!

2. She doesn’t follow red-hair rules

“I like extremes and drama. Red, red, red!” says Hendricks, who has no fear of wearing the color, even on the red carpet. “It never occurred to me I wasn’t supposed to wear it.”

3. She has a shape secret

The number-one reason Hendricks looks great no matter what she’s wearing: the fit. “Tailoring is of the utmost importance,” she advises. “You can shop at Target or Yves Saint Laurent, and it will look wonderful if it fits you well.”

Christina on her childhood and love of vintage duds >>

Try teal: it’s very 11. The universally skin-flattering jewel tone was a regular on the Fashion Week runways.

4. She was bullied in school

Because her family moved, Hendricks started high school in a new town and faced social pressure: “I went to a fairly intense school and, you know…I was in drama,” she says. Drama was not a ticket to popularity. “We were eccentric, and we dressed differently. Kids are generally afraid of what they don’t understand, so the way they handled it was to call us horrible names and be quite cruel. It was not a happy time. It was hard to go to school and be treated like that.”

5. She loves vintage

“I’ve been wearing it since I was 11 or 12 years old,” says Hendricks. “I love the attention to detail, the tailoring and all the little special touches that you don’t find these days. I do tend to stay away from vintage from the sixties, because I don’t want to look like I’m walking around in my Mad Men costume!”

Christina on Mad Men and her upcoming projects >>

Think pink…magenta’s always hot. A sexy cut makes the kid-favorite hue very adult.

6. She’s learned from Joan

Hendricks has played Joan Harris (née Holloway) for four seasons now, and the character’s resilience has had an impact. “I try to remain confident like her,” she says. “Joan makes mistakes, but she picks herself up and puts herself together again, and I’d like to think I can do that.”

7. She’s branching out

With Mad Men on hiatus, Hendricks isn’t wasting time pining for Joan’s office and period-appropriate support garments. “I wanted to try some new things,” she says. So in September you can see her in Drive, playing Ryan Gosling’s partner in crime, and in I Don’t Know How She Does It, as the best friend of a juggling-it-all Sarah Jessica Parker. Mission accomplished.