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20 affordable retro tech gift ideas

20 affordable retro tech gift ideas

10 of the best retro alarm clocks

10 of the best retro alarm clocks

Retro reading glasses by London Mole

Retro reading glasses by London Mole

Categories / Books, Kids, Travel

Miroslav Sasek’s “This is” Books

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Thisisbooks

Czech artiist Miroslav Sasek was inspired to create children’s guides to famous cities around the world by a visit to Paris. “This is Paris” is the first the in his wonderful “This is” series of books, which was first released in 1959, followed by the “This is London” in the same year, with other titles added throughout the 1960s.

Each book presents the sights of the city as a child might see it, beautifully illustrated in Sasek’s colourful quirky style, with just a few witty words of explanation.

In total he produced 18 books and 10 of those have been re-issued in recent years. Most of the titles are available to buy on Amazon and they make a great series to collect for keen travellers as well as children.  More information on Miroslav Sasek can be found on this website dedicated to his work.

Categories / Women's Fashion

Black square neck shift dress from Dorothy Perkins

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Warehouse_dress

Forties tailoring styles have been big in recent dress design, seemingly revived to perfection by top name designer Roland Mouret. His groundbreaking Galaxy dress has been much imitated, and now his newest hitter, the Pigalle dress is being copied with plenty of retro style by the high street.

This Dorothy Perkins take on the dress is a great thing for us mere mortals, with a decidedly smaller price tag, but a dollop of all the best parts of the look. The sculpted bodice and square neck are really flattering details to a well cut, body hugging dress that has all the structured glam of the 1940s.

It’s available from Dorothy Perkins now for £35.

Find out more from the website

Categories / Kids

Alga introduces retro science projects for kids

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Alga

We all had things like chemistry sets as kids, but Swedish toy firm Alga has gone one step further, offering up some cool retro gadgets to create as part of its Alga Science range.

Just like that chemistry set, the Alga Science range is designed to stimulate young minds about science, but also throws in a few lessons about the environment and a finished product, which is where the fun really starts.

You see, it offers things like the retro-styled solar radio above and a gramophone-style music player, along with more mundane things like a wind turbine and weather lab. Before you rush to the shops, we have some bad news – this looks to be Sweden-only so far. And we can’t even find a price for mail order for the UK. If you really want one, maybe drop the company an email for details of buying.

Find out more at the Alga Science website

Via Below The Clouds

Categories / Design and Interiors

Verner Panton 1970s Illumesa table lamp

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Illumesa2

OK, the use of a child in the picture might make it look that much bigger, but the Verner Panton Illumesa table lamp is still a hefty piece of kit.

Well, in size anyway, This 1970s design is actually made of white acrylic, so should be fairly light. And that acrylic means you can use it outside too. But it’s the size that gives it real impact – 37cm high and with 78cm diameter – which means a very large table is required to host it.

If you have one, you can pick up the Illumesa for £399.

Find out more at the Panik Design website

Categories / Cars and Bikes, Film and TV

Jimmy’s Lambretta scooter from Quadrophenia up for auction

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Quad_scooter

A piece of movie history is going through Bonham’s auction room later this month – the scooter rode by Jimmy Cooper in the cult mod flick Quadrophenia, complete with its original KRU 251F number plate.

It’s a Lambretta Li 150 Series 3 scooter, originally dating from 1967 and being sold by current owners Allstyles in Portsmouth. The bike is on its third owner since the movie finished, but has been overhauled to a high standard fairly recently – although this does mean some of the original parts have been replaced by modern spares. Its recent used has been mainly confined to shows and press events of late – a possible money spinner should you want to invest in it.

And it might need to earn its keep, with a hefty estimate being quoted by Bonham’s, between £20,000 and £25,000. Check over the page for a picture of the bike in the movie or check out the Bonham’s site for more on the bike. The auction is being hosted at the Knightsbridge branch on 25th November 2008.

Find out more at the Bonham’s website

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Categories / Men's Fashion

Vans Authentic – a 1960s original

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Vans_60s

The name Vans isn’t readily associated with the 1960s – but that’s the decade that gave us the Vans Authentic.

The year was actually 1966 when this lace-up deck shoe made its debut, still using that timeless simplicity to sell units today. Take your pick from a seemingly endless range of colours for the suede upper, with a padded footbed, white outsole and saffle sole completing the look.

Yours for £38.

Find out more at the Oki-Ni website