By Liz White.
What do you love about the past that you want to still have in the present? Unfortunately, bringing back Johnny Depp from the 1990’s is not an option, but re-creating the styles you loved from the past is easy! Whether you want retro fashion, furniture, accessories or even make-up simply follow our retro recipe to retro your life!
Key Ingredients for your new Retro Recipe:
A large splash of Colour – Love the 1980’s? Think neon, hot pink and all the colours on a Rubik’s cube and you are on the right track. 1930’s? Golds, blacks and all things ‘The Great Gatsby’, 1950’s? Pastels, polka dots and elegant patterns ruled…you get the general idea! The colours of your re-created design or wardrobe (whether you are bringing retro into your furniture or fashion) makes all the difference.
A pinch of Unique – simply copying a style doesn’t make it retro – you need to add in a twist, make something new and bring it up to date to fit in with your life today. Retro is not about nostalgia, it’s about bringing positive influences from the past back into your life!
An eye-glass full of Iconic Inspiration – Who or what epitomizes the retro look you want to keep? Do you love the Rar Armchair of the 1940’s? The Egg Chair from the 1950’s or anything Le Corbusier 1970’s design?
Maybe icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Richard Roundtree or Jamie Lee-Curtis make your creative juices flow – the rich and famous are great for inspiration but don’t forget to look at your own life too. Maybe you had a glamorous Aunt or Granny? Old family photos are great for inspiration and take you back to your own roots as you grew up – you may see an amazing piece of vintage furniture in the background of a photo you want to recreate!
A generous spoonful of love – Your style is your style. Buying an antique chair from the 1930’s is not retro but painting it neon pink and adding big bold buttons from the 1950’s is! There don’t have to be rules in retro. Taking your favourite parts of past designs and entwining them is just part of creating a new style. Whatever you do, you have to love it because it will be a reflection of you as well as the era you are re-interpreting.
Stick to these three principles when buying retro or creating your own designs and you won’t make the mistake of simply bringing back bad design or fashion that dyed out for good reason!
If you want style tips or retro furniture then check out Vintage Vibe. Happy retro hunting my retro realists!
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