Something a little different from the usual plastic-framed sunglasses are these wooden variations – the iWood Style 312 sunglasses.
The look is decidedly vintage – think Jackie O. But she probably didn’t wear wooden frames. The glasses are handmade, using sustainably harvested wood and are on offer right now – so you can buy them and put them away for the summer break.
Priced at $210 (around £110).
Colin MacInnes’ tale of the teenager at the turn of the sixties – Absolute Beginners – has already been a novel and a (widely panned) film. And now it’s set to be a play, debuting at London’s Lyric Theatre.
Details are so far quite sparse, but according to web sources:
"Roy Williams, Soweto Kinch and dance theatre director Liam Steel join forces to create an explosively physical evocation of sexual liberalism, gang culture and racial tension, based on Colin MacInnes’ bestseller Absolute Beginners. Set in the summer of 1958 that ends with the Notting Hill race riots, Absolute Beginners paints a vivid picture of London’s changing society and the emergence of a style-conscious youth culture, as teenagers blow away the cobwebs of post-war life and create the world anew."
It’s down for a run from 26th April 2007 to 26th May 2007 (with an official opening on 3rd May 2007). We’ll let you know more as soon as we receive further information. In the meantime, if you haven’t read the book, add it to your wants list – it’s an essential read.
Lyric Theatre website
Not cheap, especially for something you throw around, but we really love these retro cushions from Jonathan Adler.
The two featured here are "Mod Model" and "Studio 54", but there’s a range of stylish and indeed retro designs available. The above two are needlepoint cushions with a feather/down insert and sized at 16 inches x 16 inches. Each retails for $165 (around £90) and the company ships worldwide.
Check out the website of Dutch designer Henk Stallinga for some weird and wonderful product designs, including these inspired vintage phone salt and pepper shakers.
Retro in two ways. The first is obvious – both of the condiments are created from unused ear and mouth pieces from ivory-coloured vintage telephones. The second is the mounting – which is an indicator from a vintage Mini.
Unfortunately, you can’t yet buy direct from Stallinga’s website, but you can pick up these quirky pieces from the Charles and Marie website, priced at a very reasonable $22 (just over £11).
Verner Panton’s Geometri design has been around since 1960 – but it’s still very widely used and is every bit a contemporary design as we approach 2007.
Amongst it’s many current uses is this Verner Panton Geometri watch. It’s a very simple timepiece using this very simple design – a square steel frame for the case, no numbers/markers and a plain black strap. Anything else would probably look too fussy.
It comes in a presentation box and is available online – expect to pay around $120 (just over £60).
Elvis might well have left the building around 30 years ago, but his merchandising bandwagon is still going strong.
This limited On Stage Elvis Presley pen is available as an edition of 1935 worldwide. It’s a roller ball pen, featuring an Elvis silhouette and delivered in an Elvis box.
Just the right side of cheesy and available for $95 online (around £48).
Find out more at the Acme website
