Ultra Swank - Retro Adventures

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Huddle Restaurants – Googie Symbols of California

Huddle was a chain of coffee-shops and restaurants primarily located around California. Designed around the ever so popular and playful Googie-type theme that was found all over the state in the 1950s and 1960s. Bold and colorful lettering, shapes and swirls and patterns that was meant to be a reference to space-age living. But, what happened to them? Huddle was the brainchild of entrepreneur Paul...

Mantiques – A Manly Guide to Cool Stuff
Written by Baron von Swankenstein in Readable

Mantiques – A Manly Guide to Cool Stuff

Lounge Revivalists use a lot of different words for “old” — “vintage,” “retro,” “classic,” and “nostalgic.” And because of our Cold War era preferences, you also see “atomic age” and “mid-century” used as well. One word you don’t see used a lot, at least by men, is “antique.” It’s just not macho. The very word “antique” brings to mind the unmanly concept of fragile porcelain...

Survive the Bomb – A Guide to Nuclear Survival

When I first got into the Lounge Revival scene, I continually wondered why original era Lounge music was so saccharine. It wasn’t all that way, of course. If it were all that way, Lounge Revival would never have become a 1990s fad never mind a modern living subculture. But you have to admit: For every “Fly Me To The Moon” by Frank Sinatra, there’s some...

Cocktail Nation – The Interviews 2

From the Sydney Penthouse the Lounge Lothario has been working overtime putting in the long distance calls across the globe to find you the craziest cats of the retro scene along with the legends who cohabit the swank universe that is the Cocktail Nation. In this edition the Lounge Leader talks magazines with Tiki Magazine founding father Nick Camara, art with El Gato Gomez and,...

Vintage Caravan Style – The Only Guide You Need

Lisa Mora, editor of her own caravan publication Vintage Caravan Magazine which showcases vintage caravan styles and designs has just recently released a book which collects everything you need to know about vintage caravans. Her book Vintage Caravan Style is dedicated to vintage, classic, retro-styled and custom caravans and those who love them. “Lisa grew up enjoying what she describes as a gypsy lifestyle, travelling...

Jet Age Cooking for the Bachelor Gourmet

It’s off to the kitchen with author James M Kraus author of Jet Age Cooking for the Bachelor Gourmet. Pour a Manhattan to savour while you create Steak Diane, Spaghetti Maria Grazia, Filet of Beef à la TWA and other classic Jet Age cuisine. Available in the US, UK, EU and Japan, the book’s recipes display measurements and temperatures in all popular international formats. It...

Modernism Week – Coast to Coast Cool

A mecca for all things mid-century modern, Palm Springs once again showcases its world-famous modern design, architecture, and culture with the 11-day festival know as Modernism Week. Modernism was a popular design aesthetic originating in the 1950s and ’60s, which typified clean, simple lines with elegant informality. It came to define desert modernism as a sought-after architectural genre. Modernism Week has become one of the...

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