As high heels become increasingly towering, the classics of shoe design are still in the shops if you look hard enough. Hush Puppies have been a staple of classic shoes for decades, and they haven’t stopped producing the goods, as evidenced by these Marigold courts.
With a sizeable dollop of forties styling, these courts are perfect for day or nightwear in three colours of leather.
They’re a bit of a bargain at £50 new in shops and online.
Launched just two years ago, Kate & Kass is already a label with impressive output and popularity, and it’s easy to see why. Drawing inspiration from 1960s films and female icons of the time, designer Anya Teresse marries modern techniques with retro styling perfectly.
Shown here is one of my favourite sixties inspired pieces, the Bam Bam dress. With a wonderfully simple minidress shape, the tailoring and cut are perfectly imitated.
For info about their many online stockists and new designs for the coming Autumn, check out the Kate & Kass website.
A modern watch with a very classic look – the Michael Graves Witherspoon watch.
Named after a colourful Arts Centre that Graves designed, the watch follows in its footsteps, with a bright enameled-brass dial, leather band with coloured stitching and a stainless steel case.
Choose from orange or blue, both selling for $165 (around £80).
Find out more at the MOMA website
One for the Star Wars die-hard, as the Darth Vader nesting dolls don’t do much apart from look pretty on a shelf.
Ok, there’s more to it than that – the dolls tell Anakin Skywalker’s story from boy to man to cyborg, by way of the Russian doll-style of fitting into each other. Or you can pull them out for three ornaments for the price of one.
Whatever you decide, you can pick a set up for $22 (around £11).
Find out more at the Fred Flare website
If you liked the look of the recently-featured Armchair 400, but want something a little bigger, then maybe the Sofa 544 is for you.
Very much cut from the same cloth as the 400, the 544 was also produced back in 1934 and features those distinctive Alvar Aalto curves for the frame (made from natural birch), with a range of upholstery available (including the ‘zebra’) to choose from for seat and back, all filled with a comfortable/hard-wearing foam.
Not cheap, with prices starting at £4,000.
Find out more at the Skandium website
The new Fiat 500 certainly has its merits, but for authenticity, you can’t beat the original. And you can hire one for a holiday, courtesy of the 500 Touring Club.
Once you’ve touched down in either Florence or Tuscany, you can hire a vintage Fiat 500 no an hourly, daily or weekly basis. Or if you want some structure, the club also has a range of guided tours – everything from a classic tour through to candlelit dinners, picnics, wine tasting or a chauffeur-driven ride around the scenery, all with local knowledge behind you.
Prices obviously vary according to what you want, check out the site for specifics or drop the company a line for private hire details.
Find out more at the 500 Touring Club website
