This book looks really swell! There are probably no one left in the world who hasn't heard about IKEA with its affordable build-it-your-self-furniture concept. Ingvar Kamprad, the man behind IKEA was only seventeen when started his soon to be blooming enterprise in 1943. Ten years later he opened his first IKEA store in Sweden. Today there are over 200 stores worldwide and as much as I love IKEA I also think it's too ubiquitous and consumer driven. People throw away their furniture to buy new every two years because it's so inexpensive, not stopping for two minutes reflecting on the design and functionality.
The book is titled "IKEA Design och Identitet" and can be bought from Adlibris if you live in Sweden. Which is your favorite IKEA piece?
IKEA's catalogs are like a photo book of the Swedish home. Here contemporary living is reflected from the 1970s brown corduroy couches and painted pine kitchen tables to todays modern design of the PS-collection of top international class. It's retro, nostalgia, present and future vision, all at once. But what lies behind such a strong concept that allowed them furnish almost every Swedish home for decades?
The great Taschen gives us another treat just in time for Christmas, Magic 1400s - 1950s. Illusion, enchantment and wonder are all words that have become synonymous with magicians and entertainment. For decades we have been fascinated by the unknown, in fear, amusement and even laughter. Author Noel Daniel takes us on a fun 650-page journey from darkness of the middle ages up until the legendary magicians of the early 20th Century. The fabulous artwork alone should be enough to convince you to get your hands on a copy.
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Is a man's home his castle? Is she always the perfect homemaker? Here are two fun and kitschy retro guides that will help you to keep your spouse happy. Apparently, the journal Ladies Homemake Monthly had a famous adage which was "You can judge a good husband by how well-dressed his wife and children were and contentment of his wife." True or not, it is still cute — even in a innocent sexist way. Both guides can be obtained for under $10 through Amazon, a great gift for someone who loves retro culture and living. [Thanks Cam]
Spacemen Magazine was a relatively short-lived publication. It was published from July 1961 to July 1965 and was a spin off from the more successful "Famous Monsters of Filmland." Both were edited by the late Forrest J. Ackerman and Published by James Warren. The cover art for the 1965 Yearbook was by well-known comic book artists Russ Jones and Wally Wood. This particular cover was unique because the magazine's covers were usually a color photograph (still) from a film, or an artist's rendering of some more sensationalistic aspect of science fiction. This cover, with its urbane space bachelor gives a rather obvious nod to Hugh Hefner. The magazine featured mostly photographs from, and articles about the Hollywood "Space-Age" films and television programs which usually took a rather fanciful view of outer space and the future (e.g. robots, alien invaders, space travel, etc.).
Taschen is one of my favorite publishers of 20th century design and architecture themed books. I have a couple in my collection, but there's room for many more – like this one. 20th Century Fashion: 100 Years of Apparel Ads takes us through a stylish 100 years of fashion during the 20th Century via 400 fashion advertisements from the Jim Heimann Collection. This is a must have for any fashionista or trendsetter. 20th Century Fashion: 100 Years of Apparel Ads can be obtained from most book stores or through Taschen's website. It covers 464 pages in total which makes it a steal at only £27.99. [Thanks Cam]
The 20th century saw fashion evolve from an exclusive Parisian salon business catering to a wealthy elite, into a global industry employing millions, with new trends whisked into stores before the last model has left the catwalk. Along the way, the signature feminine silhouettes of each era evolved beyond recognition: House of Worth crinolines gave way to Vionnet's bias-cut gowns, Dior's New Look to Quant's Chelsea Look, Halston's white suit to Frankie B.'s low-rise jeans. In menswear, ready-made suits signaled the demise of bespoke tailoring, long before Hawaiian shirts, skinny ties or baggy pants entered the fore.
I'm a big fan of Taschen's books. So far I have purchased their two advertising books from the 1950s and 1960s. The 50s book is the newer edition with only some 350 pages, the first edition had over 900 pages, but it seams that it is out of print now. I was lucky to find the 60s book at the swank department store Harrods in London last year. If you are into Googie design or just like the colorful, simple, but yet elegant designs of that period, be sure to get the advertising series from Taschen.
