retro-the-best....: Latest articles from Retro To Go

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Latest articles from Retro To Go

Seventies Style Jacqueline Dress from Monsoon
Hello Kitty Liberty Art Fabrics
eBay watch: 1970s Zastava 750 car - a super-size Fiat 500
TheQ Gifts Traditional English Prints
Bo Nest of Tables
Eyre day bed from Habitat
Beacon collection coffee table from Bark Furniture

Seventies Style Jacqueline Dress from Monsoon

Posted: 21 Sep 2011 10:50 AM PDT

Channel Margo from The Good Life with this burnt orange seventies style Jacqueline Dress from Monsoon.

The seventies influence is heavy on the high street this season but you'd be hard pushed to find something more wearable than this. It's a flattering wrapover style with tie fastening. The sleeves have a great shape thanks to detailing on the shoulder seam and the mid-length skirt has plenty of swish. Accessorize with a wide brimmed felt hat, print scarf and some gold hoops.

The dress costs £70 from Monsoon here.

Hello Kitty Liberty Art Fabrics

Posted: 21 Sep 2011 07:50 AM PDT

The latest addition to the Liberty Art Fabrics Collection is a rather unlikely collaboration with Hello Kitty.

The iconic Japanese feline features on a new range of eight fabrics in a range of different styles. Apple Tree features a new interpretation of a design that dates from 1934 whilst Kitty Town, pictured, shows all of Kitty's family and friends in an English village setting.

This is just the first taste of Hello Kitty at Liberty. Later this month a whole line of new products will be available, including stationery, cosmetics, bags, umbrellas and more.

Find out more here

eBay watch: 1970s Zastava 750 car - a super-size Fiat 500

Posted: 21 Sep 2011 06:48 AM PDT

We've featured a few Fiat 500s on this site in the past (old and modern versions), but not a Zastava 750, which is effectively a larger version of one.

Here's the lowdown. The car is a Fiat 600D, made under licence by Zastava in the former Yugoslavia in the 1970s and packing a 767cc engine. It's a strange beast, not unlike a VW Beetle from some angles, but far more scarce than that particular vehicle on British roads.

This model dates from 1974 and has 52,000 in the clock. According to the owner it is 'extremely reliable', with an MOT lasting until March 2012. Plenty of money spend on it over the years (see the listing for the breakdown of that), with parts from a Fiat 600 doing the job, should that be a worry.

But it isn't perfect. The bodywork and paint are described as 'very presentable' rather than perfect, with some evidence of past repairs visible too. You'll probably need to do some work on the interior too.

If that sounds fine with you, it's on at a fixed price right now of £2,200.

Find out more at the eBay website

TheQ Gifts Traditional English Prints

Posted: 21 Sep 2011 06:43 AM PDT

TheQ Gifts takes its name from the English love of waiting in line, but there is more to the English than that as their range of prints shows.

A city gent's bowler hat and umbrella, a cricket bat and ball, a phone box, a vintage telephone, striped deckchair, traditional pram and, of course, a crown, are other symbols of English life that are used in TheQ's illustrations. The floral print that completes each illustration is taken from a vintage fabric design. The prints are available in three sizes: large (43.5 x 53.5cm) £29.50, medium (38 x 30.5cm) £21.50 or small (33 x 28cm) £16.50.

Buy them online at TheQ Gifts shop on Etsy.

Bo Nest of Tables

Posted: 21 Sep 2011 03:21 AM PDT

Nest of tables often aren't considered to be the most sophisticated furniture, but the Bo Nest of Tables from John Lewis could go some way to making them as desirable as they are practical.

This nest consists of two tables, each with splayed oak legs and MDF tops in colours that very much from a 1950s palette. Pictured here is the unusual combination of tangerine and slate, with other options being putty/oyster and quince/archer (a greenish yellow and blue-grey).

A nest of two tables costs £129 from John Lewis.

Eyre day bed from Habitat

Posted: 21 Sep 2011 03:20 AM PDT

Part of the new collection at Habitat, this Eyre day bed looks like a modernist design.

When we say a modernist design, we're thinking specifically the day bed version of Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona seating: padded leather with a minimalistic frame. Okay, while this version uses fauxleather rather than the real thing, and is built on a much sturdier looking base, if you're after the look on more a limited budget, it's certainly worth a look.

The day bed costs £700.

See it online

Beacon collection coffee table from Bark Furniture

Posted: 21 Sep 2011 03:20 AM PDT

Cast your mind back and you may remember the name Bark Furniture: we showed you their retro style of their seating before. They've just launched their new Beacon collection and it's full of unusual gems, such as this coffee table.

This low coffee table has a great shape, and is made from ash. Adding to the retro look is the black walnut inlay of the Bark motif which runs down the length of the table.

Designed to become a much-loved piece of furniture, the price of the table reflects this. It's priced at an investment worthy £1095.

See it online