Ultra Swank - Retro Adventures

Inspiration • style • fashion

Where did our sense of dressing well go?

At some point in history our standard of dress has deteriorated to the point of no return. I blame this partly on the youth of the seventies and the baby boomers who seemed to think that they needed to rebel against everything and anything their parents stood for. Reading the paper today I was struck by the amazing comparison of British PM David Cameron next...

The Selling of the Jackie Kennedy Lifestyle in the Movie Magazines

As long as they have been in public life, the Kennedys have been associated with the press, making their first fan movie magazine appearance in the September 1927 issue of Photoplay. By the early 1960s, there were upwards of forty fan magazines, including Photoplay, Motion Picture, Modern Screen, and TV Radio Screen. The forerunners of the modern “celebrity magazines” such as Us Weekly and In Touch, the movie mags covered the misadventures,...

Retro Photo Apps for Android Phones

Have you ever experienced a time when you’re out with friends, enjoying the evening at the lounge bar, and suddenly, you want to take some photos of those good times? Of course, I’m sure everyone has. Well, like me, you probably pulled out your mobile phone to take a quick picture of your lovey-dovey as they sip that colorful cosmopolitan drink. Mobile phones have come...

Creating the past for Polaroid wins Competition

Lisa Predko, who we have mentioned before on Ultra Swank, is a talented photographer based in Chicago. Her love for everything vintage inspired her to start shooting retro inspired photographs about a decade ago. Since then she has created a impressive collection of really neat photos that look like they were freshly taken out from a time capsule in perfect condition. Not too long ago,...

Style in the Aisle – Flight Attendant Fashion

The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington is nearing the end of a temporary exhibit called “Style in the Aisle: Flight Attendant Fashion.” The exhibit first began in 2008 and has become so popular that the museum has added new uniforms to the exhibit. Travel Channel has a great photo compilation of “Style in the Aisle” with captions describing each of the photos. The exhibit shows...

Video

Twiggy, born Lesley Hornby, is without a doubt one of the biggest fashion icons to emerge from the 1960’s. Her thin frame and big blue eyes became the envy of fashionistas everywhere. The look of drawn on lashes (anything to make the eyes look bigger) and pale lips became a Twiggy staple as girls copied her look to fit in with Swinging London and everything...

The Uniforms of Braniff Airlines – Designed by legendary Emilio Pucci

Remember when flying was fun? Living in the post-September 11th world not everyone does. Security measures have changed the way we fly. With tedious carry-on and travel restrictions as well as economic hardship, airlines have cut travel benefits like in-flight meals and free baggage check-in. But at the height of the aviation world, flying was a special occasion that called for you to dress to...

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