Miss L Fire Fiesta flat shoes from Office

While a lot of retro fashion looks very much towards what our Mums and Grandmothers wore, there's still room for the decidedly youthful and cute among vintage inspired wardrobes, particularly in accessories.

These Fiesta flat shoes by Miss L Fire are a frivolous and cutesy representation of a vintage inspired look that provides an injection of fun. Available in black and cream, these mary jane flats are given a twist with appliqué jewels in a floral design, providing the sort of luxury that runs throughout fifties looks, with the youthful slant that the sixties did best.

The shoes are available from Office for £50.

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Free People Cotton Lace Tunic

Everyone insists upon a little black dress being a staple item in every woman's wardrobe, but for retro summer looks a little white one is just as much a must have. This tunic dress by Free People is a great modern take on some mid sixties chic.

Made from a simple white cotton, this simple and stylish A-line with a mini-dress hem length creates an instantly 60s silhouette. Modern twists are added with a backless cut and some subtle lace detailing at the neckline. The high neck and capped sleeves keep it demure enough to pass as a mid twentieth century ode.

Find it online at Urban Outfitters for £55.

Slapshot Storage Unit

Designed by Jonas Lindvall for De Nord, the Slapshot Storage Unit is a minimalist piece of furniture but with more than a hint of retro styling.

It has rounded edges which always gives a mid-century look to newer designs and the drawer handles are finished with wood accents, in a choice of zebrano, walnut or oak, the first two in particular adding to the retro vibe. It is also available entirely in white for a truly space-age look.

Pictured here is the two-door medium storage unit which costs £598. There is also a low three-door media unit for the same price and a two-drawer bedside unit for £325. The range is available to buy online from Funktion Alley.

Retro TV W/C 1st May 2009

Barry Murphy returns once more trawl the TV and radio guides (so you don't have to) to find anything worth tuning into this week. All listings are for UK terrestrial TV, Freeview and national radio, with the shows running from Friday 1st May to Thursday 7th May 2009.

Highlights of the week 

BBC 4 tells the story of the blues this week with Blues Britannia: Can White Men Play the Blues? (Friday 1st, 9pm - repeated 1.10am & Monday 3rd, 10.30pm), a brand new documentary telling the story of what happened to blues music on its journey from the southern states of America to the heart of British pop and rock culture, providing an in-depth look at what this music really meant to a generation of kids desperate for an antidote to their experiences of living in post-war suburban Britain.

Narrated by Nigel Planer and structured in three parts, the first, Born Under a Bad Sign, focuses on the arrival of American blues in Britain in the late 50s and the first performances here by such legends as Muddy Waters, Sonnie Terry and Brownie McGhee. Part two, Sittin' on Top of the World, charts the birth of the first British blues boom in the early 60s, spearheaded by the Rolling Stones and groups such as the Yardbirds, Manfred Mann, the Animals and the Pretty Things.

Judy Holme Mannequin Place Mats and Coasters

The image on these places mats and coasters may be familiar as we featured the mannequin cushions by Judy Holme some time ago. She has now added these sets of melamine place mats and coasters to her collection, featuring the popular 1920s mannequin design in monochrome.

Sold in sets of six ( two each of three designs) the table mats cost just under £50 and the coasters just under £25.

They can be bought online from the Judy Holme website.