Categories / Men's Fashion, Women's Fashion

London Undercover Traditional British Umbrellas

Commuterumbrella

London Undercover specialises in making umbrellas that celebrate traditional aspects of British life (besides the constant need to carry an umbrella in case of rain!).

Their range of classic umbrellas include houndstooth, Prince of Wales check, Royal Stewart tartan and the design pictured here, the Commuter, which combines pin striped with a London Transport seat covering pattern. The Slim Walker umbrellas include designs made from gingham and union jack print, as well as quirkier designs incorporating newsprint with fish and chips, and table-cloth pattern with images of a traditional English breakfast.

The classic umbrellas cost £60 each and the Slim Walkers cost £50. Buy online directly from London Undercover.

Categories / Homeware

Urban Alphabet Tiles

Robo

A few years back Retro To Go mentioned the mugs by the Big Tomato Company, but I’ve only just come across the Urban Alphabet Tiles by the same company.

Whereas the mugs featured a letter of the alphabet on one side and an illustration of an object beginning with that letter on the reverse, the tiles feature either a letter or an image, allowing you to buy a mixture of both. For anyone not familiar with the range, the images include an anglepoise lamp, a Dalek and a teapot.

The glazed stoneware tiles cost £3.95 each from Supernice.

Categories / Theatre

Broadway production of Hair comes to London

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Musical theatre does not offer much for the retro connoisseur, but last week it was announced that the Broadway production of Hair is coming to the Gielgud Theatre in London.

Hair was first performed off-Broadway in 1967, transferring to Broadway a year later. It has since been revived several times with the current Broadway production winning a prestigious Tony award. For the first time ever, the entire cast of a Broadway production is coming over to the UK. The show is set against a backdrop of the Vietnam war and features a cast of hippies, the infamous nude scene and songs including “Aquarius” and “Let the Sun Shine In”.

Described as “a celebration of life, love and freedom, and a passionate cry for hope and change” Hair may sound like a naïve relic from a more innocent time, but new audiences have been finding parallels between the anti-Vietnam sentiments of the show and the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Previewing from 1 April, tickets are currently on sale priced between £17.50 and £65 from the Delfont Mackintosh website.

Categories / Homeware

Glass Cube Lamp Base

Glasslamp

This Glass Cube Lamp Base reminds me of the glass designs by Geoffrey Baxter for Whitefriars in the 1960s, but it is in fact a new item.

The lamp base is made from glass in a colour described as “beer bottle” which looks to be a suitably retro yellow-brown hue. The product is simply the base, so you would have to provide your own shade to top it off.

It is available to US residents only from Urban Outfitters, priced $38.

Categories / Books, Design and Interiors

“Joe Colombo – Inventing the Future” Book

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If you missed out on the exhibition of the same name a couple of years ago, then the book “Joe Colombo – Inventing the Future” is a most have for any fans of the pioneering designer.

This beautiful hardback book has 320 pages, featuring 300 images including reproductions of Colombo’s hand-drawn sketches, floor plans, objects and interiors. The book also contains essays by leading experts on Colombo’s work. As befits an iconic designer, the book has been created with great attention to detail with an emphasis on quality and design, hence the hefty price tag.

The book is available to buy from the Vitra Design Museum shop, priced just under 60 Euros.

Categories / Homeware

Cassina Kanu Tub Chair

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The Cassina Kanu Chair doesn’t look the most inviting in terms of comfort, but it is certainly a stylish piece to look at.

Combining attractive curves with American black walnut finish, gives the chair a retro look which belies its recent creation in 2008 by Konstantin Grcic. It is also available in maple stained white or black.

The Cassina Kanu chair is available from Nest for £1006.