Categories / Art and Photography

Playboy Cover To Cover: The 50s

Playboy_50s

Playboy may not be everyone’s favourite publication, but it’s been a true American icon since its inception in 1953. While Hugh Hefner’s brand grows, they’re providing the more discerning among us with a fantastic retrospective.

Playboy Cover To Cover: The 50s is a comprehensive Digital Archive of every article, photoshoot and issue of the magazine throughout the 1950s, featuring starlets like Marilyn Monroe and Bettie Page. It also includes a book about the history and the highlights of the decade.

It’s available from Amazon online for the reduced price of $40.

Find out more from the website

Categories / Retro Women's Fashion

Miss Selfridge Bow Trim Cloche Hat

Cloche

Whether you’re looking for a casual or formal twenties look, a cloche hat is the must have accessory. Great with long or short flapper hairstyles, this version from Miss Selfridge is a fantastically genuine version.

Made from black wool felt with a suede bow trim, this is an unmissable high street retro steal.

The best part is the price, at just £15 now in shops and online.

Find out more from the website

Categories / Food and Drink

“Jumbo” Mugs by Andrew Martin

Jumbomugs

One of the UK’s leading interior designers, Andrew Martin has produced a range of crockery entitled “Grand Hotel” for John Lewis, surely one of the UK’s leading department stores. The range includes his signature elephant design, Jumbo, which can be found on these pop art style mugs.

The mugs are made from porcelain and feature the Jumbo design in white against candy coloured backgrounds. A set of four mugs costs £30. There are also various sized plates, teacups and coffee cups available in the same style.

Buy online from the John Lewis website.

Categories / Retro Men's Fashion, Retro Women's Fashion

Vintage Sunglasses from American Apparel

Vogue20_02_2

Although you wouldn’t know it from the cloudy sky today, it is technically still summer, and as such there is some small justification for showing American Apparel’s Vintage Sunglasses range.

The sunglasses, as the retailer is at pains to point out, are not produced by American Apparel, but have been sourced from various places included “remote factories in the Valley and out-of-business optometrists in Montreal”. Most of the range is unisex with prices between £24 and £44.

Visit the American Apparel website to view the whole collection.

Categories / Retro Women's Fashion

Alexander McQueen retro military dress

Alexander_mcqueen

It seems pretty obvious in hindsight why military and nautical themes were so prevalent in the fashion of the forties and fifties, but it still never fails to look fantastic even now. Taking a 1940s structured dress shape and adding a touch of military influence, Alexander McQueen has thrown up yet another designer piece that’s steeped in vintage inspiration.

Made in fine navy wool with gold piping and buttons, this dress is certainly an investment that will last even longer than the 60 odd years since we first saw this style.

Good thing, too, since it’ll set you back £990 from Matches Fashion online.

Find out more from the website

Categories / Architecture

To let: Art deco Stillness house in Sundridge Park, Kent

Stillness

The house market isn’t up to much right now, but the lettings market is booming – and art deco Stillness house in Sundridge Park, Kent is one of the best on the market.

It’s a grade-II listed house, the work of Gilbert Booth, dating back to 1934 and widely acknowledged as one of the finest examples of 30s architecture in Britain. The five-bedroom house also offers an octagonal swimming pool, roof terrace and plenty of garden, not to mention two bathrooms, a private drive and garage.

You can find out more about the house on the website. And if it’s you, the house is available for up to two years at £808 per week.

Find out more at the Modern House website