Categories / Art and Photography, Books

Beauty Is In The Street book – A Visual Record of the May ’68 Paris Uprising

Beaut

There was a hugely-expensive, extremely limited edition book about the subject a couple of years back. Thankfully, the Beauty Is In The Street book, also known as A Visual Record of the May '68 Paris Uprising, is more affordable and plentiful.

The subject matter is the May 1968 student protests in Paris, which also spread to factories and other workplaces to create a general strike that brought the country to a standstill. Among the students were a group called the Atelier Populaire, which produced hundreds of posters to encourage the protestors and to report on police brutality.

This book reproduces over 200 of these iconic posters, as well as featuring  a number of photographs, many published for the first time and translations of first-hand accounts of the clashes between the students, strikers and the police. 272 pages and published by Four Corners Books, this hardback book is available for £25.

Find out more at the Amazon website

Categories / Women's Fashion

Sunflower Shift Dress from Boohoo

Sunflowerdress

The shift dress may well have become a timeless cut that each decade can make its own, but there's little argument that the sixties did it best. That might explain why many modern designs rely on a sixties inspiration, like this Sunflower Shift Dress from Boohoo.

The use of florals has the cute and quirky feel of mid-sixties design, without plumping for the more obvious choices like daisy print. While the shift shape is simplistic, the mini hemline and lace insert keep the retro influence at the forefront.

Get yours from Boohoo online for £20.

Find out more from the website

Categories / Architecture, Property

For sale: 1960s six-bedroomed modernist house in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, near Paris, France

Paris1
Our search for a super-cool property has taken us to the outer suburbs of Paris, specifically to this 1960s modernist house in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, near Paris.

No mention of the architect, but we suspect this was cutting edge design for someone affluent and forward-thinking back in 1969. Indeed, fast forward 42 years and it's still cutting edge. A testament to someone's vision 'back in the day'.

Read more

Categories / Design and Interiors, Travel

La Vie Ordinaire wallpaper from B&Q

La vie ordinaire
If you like Cath Kidston's London design or the retro city views of Lizzie Allen's City Gents wallpaper or indeed the the C'est Magnifique wallpaper we featured a couple of weeks ago, this La Vie Ordinaire wallpaper from B&Q could offer you a good budget option.

Like those three designs, it's decorated with illustrations of a city, in this case showing London, Paris and New York. It's a very nostalgic, touristy viewpoint so New York gets yellow cabs and the Statue of Liberty; London gets gents in suits and a girl in a rain mac holding a bulldog. The retro feel is further enhanced by the red and yellow highlights that have been used as part of the illustrations. 

The paper costs £19.98 for 10 metres

Order it online

Categories / Design and Interiors

C’est Magnifique Wallpaper from Anthropologie

C'est magnifique
Want to add some European chic to a wall? Take a look at the C'est Manifique wallpaper for sale from Anthropologie.

The wallpaper is screen-printed with some charming retro-style illustrations of some of Europe's most famous landmarks. As its name might suggest, France - specifically Paris – is well represented with an illustration of the Eiffel tower. Look a bit closer and you'll also see the gondolas and bridges of Venice. Finally, bringing the subject matter slightly more up-to-date, the wallpaper also includes an illustration of the London Eye alongside traditional red buses and phone boxes.

Pretty and whimsical, the paper costs £58 a roll. 

Buy it online

Categories / Homeware, Women's Fashion

Paris Fashion coat racks from Dotcomgiftshop

Coat rack
Add some French chic to your coat racks with these Paris Fashion coat racks available from the Dotcomgiftshop.

They're made from a very simple wooden plaque with metal coat hooks. The 'Paris fashion' description relates to the panel in the centre of each plaque. These feature 1950s-style fashion illustrations, showing mannequins, frocks and accessories. Available in red, yellow or blue, each colour of coat rack features a different design. The wood has also been given a distressed look to match the vintage style of the illustrations.

Each coat rack costs £12.95. 

Buy them online