Biba's store front

The Biba brand began life in sixties London as ‘Biba’s Postal Boutique’ a small mail order business run by Barbara Hulanicki and her husband Stephen Fitz-Simon. Hulanicki’s first venture into the fashion arena was as an illustrator, having graduated from Brighton art College in the late 1950’s. Biba quickly grew into the fashion mecca of west London, developing into a five-storey boutique on Kensington High Street. It offered glamour on a budget and was regularly frequented by, among many other, the Stones, David Bowie and Marianne Faithful. Biba was emblematic of sixties and seventies London - effortlessly capturing the youthful bohemian essence of these periods of exciting change.

Model Twiggy in the Biba boutique

Many of Hulanicki’s designs were inspired directly from the reworked fabrics of vintage 1920’s and 1930’s dresses. “My favourite store was Pontings, a department store that sold very old dresses. We used all of their fabric stock to make Biba dresses. The designs were very beautiful and dated back from the 1920s and 1930s.” The young women of sixties London flocked to Biba to nab that perfect little mod number in dark colours of “mulberries, blueberries, rusts and plum”. Dresses were hung casually from hatstands, while jewellery and other accessories were clustered into bowls. The interior of the shop was decorated beautifully with Victorian furniture and antiques.

Mini dress, Barbara Hulanicki, 1967

In the 1970’s Biba relocated to an enormous building with an ornate Art Deco interior – Hulanicki’s refurbishment of this space helped to revive the Art Deco movement. The building had an exotic roof garden (with live flamingos!) where Hulanicki would regularly host dazzling cocktail parties.

The Biba Art Deco interior

The Biba Art Deco interior

In 2010 Biba was successfully re-launched exclusively to House of Fraser. The designs have a great deal of twenties influence, which is of course bang on trend with everyone having a serious case of flapper fever of late (Aloha Great Gatsby!) Check out our Gatsby inspired style picks; because we of course love the 1920’s, just as much as the next person. Biba’s most recent designs are simple tees and dresses decorated with intricate art deco detailing.

Biba t-shirt from a selection at House of Fraser

Beyond Retro has a treat in store for all you Biba loving babes and boys out there! On Thursday the 13th of June at Beyond Retro Dalston will host Barbara Hulanicki's book signing from 5-9pm at 92-100 Stoke Newington Road N16 7XB. ‘Seamless from Biba’ is a pictorial celebration of every aspect of Hulanicki’s work and career.

Barbara Hulanicki, 1960's

Iconic Biba logo

An original Chuck Taylor

They were actually designed as a basketball shoe, all the way back in 1917 when the very first All Star was produced. In1921 a basketball player named Charles ‘Chuck’ Taylor, hence the nickname Chuck Taylor’s, joined a basketball team sponsored by the Converse Company, he soon quit basketball to become a salesman for the company, and he helped improve the shoes he loved into what we know them as today. After Taylor joined the team the Converse All Stars were soon worn by athletes in the Olympics. They were also worn of soldiers training during World War II.

After a while the Converse had a shift from being the shoe of choice for the athletes to being the shoe of choice for rockstars. The Ramones famously wore All Star all through their career, sparking up a new audience for the company and making the look timeless with blue jeans and a leather jacket.

The Ramones 'Anthology' album cover

Ever since Converse has been linked to music, in particular the rock genre. For the 100^th anniversary of the Converse brand, they teamed up with Pharrell Williams, Julian Casablancas and Santigold to make the original full-length track My Drive Thru. The song was an instant hit with its catchy beats, The Times called it “a three-headed Frankenstein monster of coolness”.

Julian Casablancas, Santigold and Pharrell Williams

For a few years now Converse have been prominent at festivals, last year they were at Bestival, Leeds Fest and The Secret Garden Party, doing back-stage interviews, helping people put up their tents and giving people fresh Chucks. They’ve also been featured at some other pretty amazing festivals around Europe – Lowlands, Roskilde, Melt and Hurricane, anyone?

All Star Logo

So before you head out to this years Glastonbury, Isle of Wight or Reading, why don’t you pop into Beyond Retro and grab a pre-loved pair of Chucks, All Stars, Cons, or whatever you choose to call them. You’ll be sure to look the part when you’re dancing in front of your favorite band!

You can get your own piece of denim history with our great selection of vintage Levi's 501's available both in-store and and online.

You'd have to be living under a rock to not know East London is world renowned for vintage shopping. Alternative London has teamed up not only with Beyond Retro, but with some of the best independent stores to give you exclusive discounts including Absolute Vintage, Blitz, Rokit, Vintage Emporium and Hunky Dory. Your expert local guide is an experienced fashion stylist for T.V and film and will be on hand to give you advice and tips. We will also take you to Rough Trade East, Shoreditch’s most famous record shop, to choose from some of the most exciting names in music.

Join Alternative LDN as they guide you through the East End's best shops and markets where you’ll discover the history of the area and its markets and their important role in East End life today. Along the way you'll also have plenty of time to stop, shop and explore East London’s secret hotspots.

The Sunday Market Tour is a tour like no other and a truly unique Alternative London shopping experience. This 2.5 hour tour leaves Liverpool St every Sunday at 11a.m. and is just £15. This includes your Alternative London discount card which is valid all day so you can continue shopping long after the tour is finished. To book tickets visit alternativeldn.com

The world's first 'sunglasses' from 1200-1600 AD (image courtesy of canadacool.com)

It was not till Emperor Nero we see sunglasses worn for sun protection, when he used colour lenses to protect his eyes from the bright glare he would find himself in while watching the gladiators fight.

Emperor Nero around 37-68 AD

In the 1900's sunglasses started to become more common, especially with silent movie stars who would wear them in the bright, harsh light of the studios. In 1929 Sam Foster introduced cheap, ready-to-wear sunglasses to America, after he saw a marked for it on the beaches of Atlantic City.

1920's film set in Hollywood (image courtesy of pophistorydig.com)

Beach babe in the late-1920's (image courtesy of bobbinsandbombshells.blogspot.com)

In 1930 Army Air Corps ordered a batch of sunglasses from Bauch and Lomb to protect their pilots from high altitude rays, and a few years later, in 1937, these sunglasses were made available for the rest of the public.

Authentic Bauch & Lomb sunglasses (available on ebay)

Original Ray-Ban Aviators (image courtesy of tingsic.com)

General Douglas MacArthur in the Phillippines 1945, Life Magazine (image courtesy of tingsic.com)

In 1953 the Wayfarer style of sunglasses was born: cited to be the best –selling style of sunglasses ever! These were a welcome and revolutionary change from the metal style aviator style from the past. Design critic Stephen Bayley stated that the Wayfarers “spoke a non-verbal language that hinted at unstable dangerousness”, and the glasses quickly became popular in the 1950's and 1960's.

Ray-Ban Wayfarers (available at ray-ban.com)

The sunglasses popularity got heightened even more in Fosters Grants add campaign “Who`s that behind those Foster Grants?” in 1960. This was a celebrity filled campaign with icons like Raquel Welch, and later on the likes of Woody Allen, Mia Farrow and Cindy Crawford. The king of rock’n’roll, Mr. Elvis Presley himself was also known to wear the brand.

"Isn't that Raquel Welch behind those Foster Grants?" poster 1968 (image courtesy of adclassix.com)

Vintage Ray-Ban Poster

Fosta-Grantly Sunglasses poster 1956

Vintage Ray-Ban poster

So going from simple sun blindness protection sunglasses have become a fashion statement we can’t seem to live without! Buy your sunglasses in all Beyond Retro stores and online

Shop Womens Sixties 

Shop Mens Sixties

Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink (1986)

Nicolas Cage & Deborah Foreman in Valley Girl (1983)

Proms were inspired by the more formal ‘Debutante Ball’. In America the ‘Debutante Ball’ was the formal introduction of a girl from a prestigious family into polite society. In the United Kingdom the formal ‘Debutante Ball’ once heralded the beginning of the social season. It was a chance for the British aristocracy’s most eligible daughters and sons to meet and make important social connections, in the presence of royalty of course. 1958 signalled the final decline of this formal ceremony when the monarchy stopped attending the balls.

Débutantes at the Queen Charlotte Ball 1950

1950's Prom Queens

In the 1950’s the prom sky-rocketed in popularity alongside the rise of America’s booming youth culture, high school seniors and juniors were all eager to get a piece of the dance hall action. Classic attire worn for a 1950’s prom dance would have been paired down versions of Dior’s iconic ‘new look’; a bell-shaped, frothy and colourful gown.

Christian Dior's iconic 'New Look' shapes in the 1950's

Check out some vintage variations below. Add the wow factor with a bell-shaped petticoat.

1950's Dress £53.00

1950's Lace Dress £50.00

1990's Party Dress £25.00

Petticoat £38.00

The prom is now a permanent rite of passage for sixth formers, high school seniors and secondary school leavers alike. That one special night of drunken debauchery in fancy clothes and even fancier limousines, and even if after one to many Jagerbombs there are a few scenes missing you’ll have all of those lovely awkward photographs forever and ever.

Shop our selection of prom dresses and accessories online and in all Beyond Retro stores.

]]> Thu, 09 May 2013 17:09:06 +0000 beyond-retro Love all the crazy knick knacks dotted around all our stores? Want to recreate a Beyond Retro world at home? Well friends, now is your chance. Last week we announced our brand-spanking-new homeware section at Cheshire Street, but now you can have another little rejoice as we're including Beyond Retro props & furniture into the mix for a very special sale!

Have you always pined after the flamingo mirror? Or ever wanted to take Alan the squirrel back to your place? These vintage gems are all yours. You'd be a fool to miss out!

Come down to Beyond Retro Brick Lane from Saturday 11th May for our props and furniture sale. Don't miss out as it will all be over on Sunday 19th May!

All photos are by the lovely Ashanti Jason

Experience couture craftsmanship as you witness your chosen tattoo embroidered on the garment of your choice on Jenny’s 1950's machines in a perfect vintage setting in-store at Beyond Retro Brighton. Choose from a classic swallow to a personalised rose on to the shirt off your back or choose from an array of dazzling vintage items on the rails of Beyond Retro Brighton.

Tattoo designs start from £5.00 and items purchased from Beyond Retro will be priced at normal cost. This event is listed as an official activity for Brighton Festival 2013.

Click attending on our Facebook event page!

Embroidered Tattoo Parlour, Beyond Retro Brighton, 42 Vine Street, BN1 4AG

10am - 6pm | Saturday 11th May