Categories / Retro Women's Fashion

DR Foster dress from LK Bennett

Lkbennettdress For the second of our dresses this week we have gone for a 50s feel, with this DR Foster cocktail dress from LK Bennett. We normally prefer a 60s look, but this dress caught our eye, and makes a nice change from the usual shift style cocktail dresses.

This elegant dress is high on glamour, with a full skirt and bold water lily print pattern. The blue flowers definitely make a statement, and make it a great alternative to the usual little black dress.

The great thing about LK Bennett is they also do great shoes and handbags. With this dress you can get matching satin peep toe shoes and clutch bag, so you can get a complete look from one shop. Ideal if you don’t want to brave the crowds looking for matching accessories.

This dress is also more affordable than the Jaeger one we featured yesterday, at £149, but it will still ensure you look like a 50s film star at any party you choose to wear it to.

You can find out more and the location of your nearest store on the LK Bennett website.

Categories / Design and Interiors

Nookart’s Mod Target Stool

Target_stool Yes, never be without anywhere Mod-friendly to park your behind with this Mod Target Stool from Nookart.

Essentially, it’s just a folding/occasional stool with a vinyl padded seat – the kind of thing you can pick up from any DIY store. But if you’re into your targets, the one on this seat is big and bold and guarantee to add a splash of colour (and a talking point) to any room.

It’s 46cm in height, 29.5cm in length and 30cm wide and retails for just £18.99.

Find out more from the Igloo website

Categories / Art and Photography

Classic Please…Keep Britain Tidy poster

Keepbritaintidy
Some time back, we covered a vintage travel poster auction at Christies – and pinpointed the 50s/60s work of British artist and designer Royston Cooper as shrewd investments. Similar in style (and era) is this Please… Keep Britain Tidy poster by Reginald Mount.

Like Cooper, Mount is famous for public information posters – and this anti-litter poster, available from the V&A, is fantastic and quirky example of the era – seen around the country between 1950 and 1955.

While it’s unlikely to make you money (like an auction-bought original), it’s great value art for your wall. Prices start at £5 for the 5" x 7" version, rising to £50 for the largest version, which comes in at 30" x 20".

Find out more at the V&A website

Categories / Design and Interiors

Target Alarm Clock

Target_alarm
Yes, it be a bit tired and cheesy, but this Target Alarm Clock, spotted in Urban Outfitters (and also available online) is still very eye-catching.

Nothing out of the ordinary about the actual clock, it tells the time, has a seconds hand and a hand to select your alarm time. The alarm, as you’d expect, is a big ringing bell, the kind of thing that would make you jump out of bed in a morning – just to switch it off.

Available now and powered by a single AA battery, you can pick it up for £15.

Find out more at the Urban Outfitters website

Categories / Retro Women's Fashion, Watches

Vivianna Georg Jensen watch

Vivianna
We love beautiful design here at Retro to Go, and is doesn’t get more classically elegant than this watch, by Vivianna Torun Bulow-Hube for Georg Jensen.

The Swedish jewellery designer produced an extensive range for Georg Jensen during the 60s, but this is one of her outstanding pieces, and still looks as fresh today as it did when it was designed in 1962 for an exhibition at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs at the Louvre.

The bangle style wrist watch known as the Vivianna in tribute to the designer, reflected the sculptural confidence of the period, and the clean pure lines favoured by Scandinavian designers. It has a mirror face, which is free from numbers. The idea behind it was that a watch "should not make us prisoners of time – but liberate us"

The watch is still produced today, and is available in a range of sizes and materials. The classic is the stainless steel version, but you can now get a blinged up version in gold complete with diamonds.

You can see the full range, and find out where you nearest stockist is on the Georg Jensen website. The bad news is that, as with any classic watch it isn’t cheap, at around £1,200, the good news is that you will have something that looks great and will last a lifetime.

Find out more on the Georg Jensen website.

Categories / Design and Interiors

Smeg 50s-style retro washing machine

Smeg_washingmachine
Ok, so you’ve got the Smeg fridge, but you can’t find any of other retro appliances to fit in with it. Never fear – Smeg has come to the rescue with the Smeg 50s-style retro washing machine.

It has the same retro look as the fridge when closed. Open the door and you’ll get a washing machine with all the technology of any modern equivalent, with an electronic display panel, buttons for all your essential functions, programming (15 programmes) and up to 5kg load capacity.

Note that this is designed as a free-standing unit and cannot be slotted under a worktop.

Available in either pink or cream, you can pick one up for around £740.

Find out more at the Smeg website