Categories / Toys and Games

British Airways’ retro air hostess Sindy dolls

Sindy_ba

Sindy was the British alternative to Barbie, conceived by Pedigree Toys in 1962 and becoming a best-seller that’s still in production today. And if you head over the BA website, you can find a range of retro Sindy dolls dressed in British Airways’ air hostess uniforms from the 1950s to the 1970s.

There’s a choice of dolls for each era. The 1950s dolls wear the BEA (as it was) uniform, the 1960s dolls wear a replica of the shift dress worn by BOAC hostesses in 1967 (for flights between New York and the Caribbean) along with the more traditional uniforms of the era, while the 1970s doll wears the BEA uniform worn just before the merger of BEA and BOAC, forming the BA of today.

Each doll retails for a reasonable £12 each and is sure to be a collectable of tomorrow.

Find out more at the BA website

Categories / Architecture, Music

Rent the old London flat of Hendrix and Lennon

Montagu

There’s an endless number of flats for rent in London – but few have the past of 34 Montagu Square in West London, which was the former home of Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon – and it could be your next home.

The ground/lower ground apartment  has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a reception room. It was bought in 1965 by Ringo Starr, who sold it to Animals’ bass player Chas Chandler, then Hendrix, then John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1968. And if you’re after creative inspiration, Paul McCartney wrote Eleanor Rigby there and Hendrix penned The Wind Cries Mary at the flat.

These days, it’s the property of a music label owner, who is offering it as a rental property. But you’ll need £795 per week to set up home there.

Find out more at the Cluttons website

Categories / Design and Interiors

Sanderson’s reissued 70s Delphi fabric

Sanderson_retro

Sanderson is going back to the past for its present fabric range, reissuing a selection of its 1970s fabrics, including this Delhi design.

Looking every bit the part in 2007 as it did in the early 70s, it features a leaf trail and is available in eight colour combinations, each woven in cotton and viscose onto a satin background – ideal for both curtains and upholstery.

The price is around £45 per metre.

Find out more at the Sanderson website

Categories / Watches

Tokyo Bay 60s-style Neptune watch

Tokyo_neptune
You can hunt around eBay or the specialist sites for a stylish vintage timepiece – or you can pick up one of the growing number of modern reproductions, including this extremely stylish Neptune watch from Tokyo Bay.

Claimed to be a "mod" timepiece (not sure about that) – it features a solid centre dial with scrolling numeric wheels and a seamless leather wristband, available bin brown (pictured), black, green and beige.

Price is dependent on where you live. Tokyo Bay don’t ship outside the US, but if that’s where you are, you’ll pay $88 (around £44). If you’re in the UK, you’ll have to buy from an approved re-seller like seventieswatches.com, which sells the Neptune for £75.

Find out more at the Tokyo Bay website

Find out more at the seventieswatches website


More retro watches

Categories / Homeware

Retro-styled kitchen aprons

Retro_apron
Can the kitchen apron be cool? It can if it’s one of these cool retro-styled aprons from Anthropologie.

There’s a wide range of styles available on the site, most in retro styles or made from retro-styled cloth. Typical is this 50s-style Raindrops apron. At first glance you probably think it’s a dress – on the contrary, it’s to protect your clothes, but without compromising your style.

Fitted, with a button collar and made of 100 per cent cotton, you can pick this particular style up for $38 (around £19). But if it’s not to your taste, check out the full range at the Anthropologie website.

Find out more at the Anthropologie website