The amped up sex appeal of skyscraper heels is something of a staple for fifties style, but if you want to carry the pin-up look on when heels aren't an option, these Leopard Print Ballerina Shoes from Barratts are ideal.
Available in both classic leopard print and a red version, these simple flats still have enough style and flair to carry off a high glam look. A slight point is given a retro edge with perfect curves throughout.
They're available now from Barratts for £20.
Jumpers are a much underrated aspect of retro wardrobes, and a well done version can fit with any era's look. This Lipstick Top from Topshop is a great piece of 50s look knitwear that's versatile enough to mix and match.
With a great combination of nautical style stripes and a kitschy lipstick logo, this makes knitwear a little more sassy. The great fitted shape and petite look added by the 3/4 length sleeves adds an extra edge of a pin-up style sex appeal.
Get it new from Topshop for £32.
While Knoll still sells Jens Risom's Lounge chair, one of the very first designs produced for the company, Design Within Reach (DWR) exclusively offers the Jens armchair and ottoman. They are based on designs Risom originally produced for the Caribe Hilton Hotel in Puerto Rico in 1949. Though they still look the same, DWR have collaborated with the designer to update the production techniques, meaning you get mid-century style married with contemporary cost-effectiveness.
Sadly, this is a treat for North American readers only as the company doesn't offer international shipping. If you do reside that side of the Atlantic, the chair is currently reduced in their sale to $935.
See it online
Tomi Ungerer's children's book The Three Robbers has been reissued in English. The book was originally written in 1961 and shows, through 20 fantastic illustrations, the story of three gruesome robbers who encounter an orphan girl, Tiffany, who is not afraid of them at all.
The book is the first of twenty children's book titles by Ungerer being reissued by Phaidon, who describe him as 'the most famous children's book author you've never heard of'. Ungerer's prolific illustrative career in fact stretches far beyond kids' stories, as he also produced posters protesting the war in Vietnam and erotic adult titles.
If you would prefer to stick to his child friendly offerings, this book is for sale for £9.95.
Buy it online
When we first started Retro To Go, one of the first items we wrote about was one of our all-time favourite designs, the original Isokon Plus Penguin Donkey, which dates back to 1939. But for some reason, we've not got round to mentioning the update, the Penguin Donkey 2 by Ernest Race. Until now that is.
For the uninitiated, the Penguin Donkey is a small bookcase, designed in 1939 to hold (as you've probably guessed) Penguin paperbacks, but good for storing everything in practice, from magazines to CDs. The Penguin Donkey 2 is an update, with iconic British designer Ernest Race asked to re-design the Donkey back in 1963, producing something more 'modern', a little more simple and with a flat top so it can double up as a side table.
It's still in production today, although it is less common to see than the original. However, Skandium sells them in a mix of white and solid cherry, priced at £410.
Cheapo by name, but hopefully these Cheapo calculator watches will not prove cheap in nature too.
But they will offer you some 80s-themed style for your wrist, with an oversized design, LCD display for all your time essentials and of course, those nice chunky buttons to do that important maths on the go.
Take your pick from various colours, all at just £22.50 each.
