Steve's Retro Blog

The retro blog is my take on the world of retro, both in the news and from the past. I cover design, furniture, interiors, fashion and gadgets. Just about anything fun or amusing from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.

Steven Braggs (founder - Retrowow)

BBC1 - Rock and Chips

24 January 2010

Don't forget to watch 'Rock and Chips' on BBC1 tonight at 9pm. It is the prequel to 'Only Fools and Horses'. We get to meet Del's mother and the teenage Del Boy and the rest of the gang. Nicholas Lyndhurst is the only member of the original cast to make an appearance as Freddie the Frog, allegedly Rodney's farther.

The episode is set in Peckham in 1960.  It will be a contrast to the glamour of Maddison Avenue, set in the same era and  as portrayed by Mad Men.

For more detail and some preview clips go to BBC Rock and Chips.

Why I'll be glued to Mad Men series 3

19 January 2010

I'm thrilled that Mad Men is returning to BBC4. This retro show combines fantastic edgy storylines with a retro geek's attention to detail. Unlike most retro shows, I don't find myself screaming at the screen 'that telephone was made in the 70s', or 'that guy would never have worn that suit or tie'. I've never found a thing out of place from the cutting edge modernism of the office, to the New England style suburban houses, to the sharp business suits or the glamorous ladies' fashions.

Mad Men is a grown up world, where grown ups look like grown ups. The women are fabulously glamorous and the men razor sharp. I'm from the generation that moved from childhood to adulthood still wearing denim. Perhaps the influence of Mad Men might makes change our dress habits.

Tune into BBC4 Mad Men series 3

Check out our guide to Mad Men era fashion

A case for retro

5 January 2010

Retro products seem to be popular props on TV shows these days. The victim in Lynda La Plante's new thriller 'Above Suspicion: The Red Dahlia' has a 1940s coat. The murder itself is a copy cat of a 1940s killing. The murder victim also has a pale blue 1960s suitcase.  I'm not quite sure of the choice of this item. Was the victim keen on retro and bought it specially, or did it come from her grandmother's home?

Retro suitcases can make an interesting accessory and they are quite cheap to buy today, although you will have to do without modern conveniences such as wheels. Alternatively they also make great storage for treasured processions.

On status symbols

3 January 2010

Why is it that cars from the past have so much more glamour than today's supercars? I have no desire to own the kind of transport associated with premier league footballers, but yesterday's status symbols have an allure that I find hard to resist.

This middle aged gent, right, has bought himself a secondhand 1970 E-type Jaguar in 1974. (I'm guessing, as there is a date on the picture and the registration is 1970.) It might have been a long dreamed of reward once the kids had flown the nest. It has been a stretch, but he has finally got there and it's worth every penny.

In those days an E-Type had a certain magic that no modern car could ever aspire to. A world of summers on the Riviera and winters in Saint Moritz could be yours if you could afford the fuel bills in the early 70s.

But is this really any different from an Aston Martin DB7 or a Jaguar XK8? In those days the E-Type was all about performance, now it's the style and elegance that are so seductive. No modern car can do the same job.

Record price for vintage mobile

6 September 2009

A 1980s mobile phone sold for an amazing £460 on eBay today. The phone was a Motorola bearing a BT logo. It may have been the coveted Dynatac 8000X, the world's first mobile phone. I say may have been because the seller's photograph was rather blurred that it was difficult to tell. It could have been a later 8000M.

The reason for this amazing price was a recent Daily Mail article. See Hello, I'm on the brick! in which it was claimed that the BT versions of the Motorola 8000X sell for £1000.

I was surprised at the seller's approach. He was by no means a first time trader, but took a very indistinct picture and described it as 'The Brick, 1986 Motorola Vintage'. The only extra information was 'Was this the first mobile phone?'

Read more: Brick mobile phones

Check out eBay -

Park Hill Flats, Sheffield

1 September 2009

Did you see the BBC2 programme 'Saving Britain's Past - Streets in the Sky' last night? The subject was the Park Hill Flats in Sheffield and their famous or infamous 'Streets in the Sky'. The architects brought the community of traditional streets to a modern setting, with modern facilities. For a time it worked. Such a bold plan would be doomed to failure today. The question we should be asking is not why Park Hill failed, but what have we lost?

Retro breakfast

29 August 2009

I spotted this retro breakfast in Bath at the Retro Café. They do a range of salads was well as the traditional fry up. Enjoy!

Cath Kidston Roberts Radio

11 August 2009

Cath Kidston designed this lovely pattern for Roberts Revival Radio, left. It has a faded flower power feel to it. You can almost imagine that this radio was around in the Summer of Love.

Retro radios are a great way to get the retro look with a new product.

See our review of retro radios

Buy it from Amazon - Revival DAB Cath Kidston -Electric Flowers

Retro Olympus Pen

25 July 2009

There have been rumours of a serious retro style digital camera for over a year now. Olympus have finally made the bold step and put one into production. The Olympus E-P1 is a small, but highly functional camera that owes much to the Company's heritage. Olympus make no secret that the styling is heavily influenced by the Olympus Pen range, launched in 1959.

The camera is aimed at the serious amateur, or semi pro market. In the past, Olympus made small, but high performing cameras, from the original Pen range to the innovative OM series, which set the standard for professional cameras in the 70s.

See also original Olympus Pen EE and new Olympus Pen

The new retro Olympus E-P1 sells for £700 see Olympus Pen E-P1 Micro Four Thirds Digital SLR Camera (14-42mm Silver Lens Kit) - Silver

Jaguar to drop retro X-Type

15 July 2009

Jaguar is to drop its retro style compact saloon, the X-type. X-type production was to have gone onto 2010, but the small Jag has fallen victim to the recession. Jaguar will be making 300 workers redundant.

The demise of the X-type marks the end of Jaguar's new retro style cars. Read more Jaguar X-type - a retrospective

Retro on eBay

4 July 2009

What are the hottest retro categories on eBay right now? I searched for the term 'retro' and found that the main headings are:

• Home and garden
• Clothes, shoes and accessories
• Collectibles
• Sporting goods
• Mobile and home phones

Retro style furniture and interior decor is really taking off in a big way, with many top retailers stocking retro or retro inspired furniture and gadgets. Heals, for example, has some great retro sideboards by Orla Kiely and some fabulous retro clocks. If you want the real thing though, eBay is often the best source, but you need to know what you are looking for.

Interest in retro phones has been strong for several years, but mobile phones seemed to have got their own retro following.  Did you see the brick phones they had on 'Supersizers eat...the 80s'?  You can still catch it on BBC iPlayer - see BBC iplayer - The Supersizers Eat...the eighties Remember to stay in for the 'Supersizers eat...the 50s' next week. 

Retro wallpaper - 50s style

31 May 2009

'Look, this one matches your cravat dear'. In the 50s, it was a wife's duty to choose the right colour scheme for the home.  Attitudes may have changed, but retro style wallpapers inspired by the 50s are back in fashion.

In the 50s you could chose from polka dots, abstract patterns or more traditional, floral designs. It was all about contrasting colours. It was trendy to mix and match two different wallpapers in the same room. You had to make one big choice though, contemporary or traditional.

Read our guide to Retro wallpaper

Joy for owners of white bathrooms

27 May 2009

What did you do with a boring white bathroom suite in the 60s? Answer: cover it with Contact self-stick vinyl covering, in a jazzy abstract pattern.

Stick on vinyl, often known by the trade name 'Fablon' (or as per Blue Peter - sticky back plastic), was a favourite way to improve an old piece of furniture in the 60s.

Read more about retro bathrooms

Retro kitchen colours

25 May 2009

These days our lives are more packaged. Manufacturers give us a choice of different styles and themes for our kitchens. You can get the country cottage look, the ultra modern look, even the retro look, but with a rather limited choice of colours. In the sixties there were fewer styles, but a much wider choice of colours.

This selection is from 1966. Sixties kitchen colours

Retro carpets

16 May 2009

I remember when we first moved into our house over twelve years ago, a colleague asked my wife if it had 'swirly carpets'. Clearly something nasty. The previous owners' taste was a multi-shaded, brown, 80s nylon carpet.  This look from the late 70s and 80s is still languishing in the bad taste bin.

In the 60s people liked random, abstract patterns on their floors, this gloriously retro carpet, left, is from 1965.

The design is an Axminster weave. Axminster carpets can be woven with a number of colours, usually in a traditional pattern.  But in the 50s and 60s abstract designs were in vogue. The Axminster weave was a wonderful way to make your floor look like a modern art masterpiece.

The Jackson Pollock inspired look for the floor was deeply unpopular for many years. Could it be poised for a comeback?

Retro Carpet