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Ultra Swank - Retro Living and Design
ultraswank.net
9
Ultra Swank takes you back in time into the kitsch, chic and swank living of the 50s, 60s and the 70s. We mainly focus on the design, architecture and the lifestyle of the happy-go-lucky and space-age-living mentality of that era – but also on the music and movies that takes you back to happier times.
#121702 in All , #365 in Design

Postcards from a vibrant Retro Boston

There are numerous times in my role as the self- appointed retro cultural historian for Boston that I feel just like Gloria Swanson in 1960 standing in that classic photo taken amidst the destruction...

8 h ago

The Best of Everything

“Here’s to men… bless their clean cut faces and dirty little minds!” A publishing house typing pool is the seething heart of the aspirations of a cadre of working girls, marki...

2 days ago

Podcast Episode 207

On the show this week, Koop Kooper chat with our movie expect Kramer about loungin bachelor pad movies. He’s also got news on a Grace Kelly exhibition in Australia, an interesting story about a...

4 days ago

How to create vintage looking posters

Here is a handy guide written by Roger 99 that shows us how to create old-fashioned posters with that special vintage look, complete with aged paper feel. The tutorial explains in detail using a step...

6 days ago

Scandinavian Airlines Boeing 747 – The Viking of the 1970s

The Boeing 747 was introduced in 1970 as a answer to handle the demanding mass tourism boom of the late 1960s. Built by the Boeing Corporation and guided by legendary Juan Trippe of Pan American airw...

07 feb 12

Podcast Episode 206

On the show this week, Koop Kooper broadcasts from the Viceroy hotel in Bali on a weeks vacation. In swank advice Koop talk about being a traveler rather than a tourist and he’ll introduce you ...

05 feb 12

Unique Retro Flavored James Bond Cover Prints

Here’s something for the bachelor (or bachelorette) pad that has everything. Michael Gillette is the creative genius behind these unique covers of Penguin’s Ian Fleming James Bond novels ...

04 feb 12

Destination Berlin

Sometimes, the city in which a movie is set plays a role more important than that of the main characters and, over the years, New York and Paris and London have provided lively settings for many popu...

02 feb 12

Podcast Episode 205

On the show this week, Koop Kooper replay a 1994 interview with Etta James, swank advice on Bow Ties, news on a lost Ed Wood film that has been rediscovered and new music from Sydney vocalist Angie H...

29 jan 12

Classic Las Vegas Hotel Casinos and Gambling

Come fly with me… to fabulous and fantastic Las Vegas! Established in 1905, it was nowhere near the oasis of fun, sin and lost weekends as it is known for today. But when major developments and...

24 jan 12

Podcast Episode 204

On the show this week, Koop Kooper checks out the Ohana Luau at the lake, reviews OSS 117 and play some music from the film. Takes a look at the world of swank with some great gigs and parties to att...

22 jan 12

A Mid-Century Shopping Centre in Northern Sweden

Shopping is one of Europe’s first interior shopping centers ever built. This mid-century gem is hidden away in the cold northern parts of Sweden. It was designed by famous British-Swedish archi...

16 jan 12

Podcast Episode 203

On the show this week, Koop Kooper introduce you to a man who is going to join us once a month by the name of Kramer to talk about lounging movies. News from author Bill Raetz, swank advice on what t...

15 jan 12

The Cocktail Nation Podcast joins Ultra Swank

We are starting the year off with a bang at Ultra Swank! Coming this weekend – famed and swingin’ radio show and podcast “The Cocktail Nation” will find a permanent home here at Ult...

06 jan 12

When The Mob Ran Vegas

On September 7, 1963, during a performance at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Dean Martin joked “Right now, ladies and gentlemen, somewhere backstage, Frank Sinatra is punching a deale...

05 jan 12

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

From all of us here at Ultra Swank, to all of you – happy retro flavored Christmas! 2011 was a great year for us and we are hoping that next year will be even better. We’ve got some swank surpr...

24 dec 11

Retro Christmas Cards

From WhatsBuzzin.com, comes a handful of original, well designed retro Holiday Cards that trend with the popularity of 1950s and 1960s themes as seen in the television shows “Mad Men“, &#...

22 dec 11

Destination London

Sometimes, the city in which a movie is set plays a role more important than that of the main characters and, over the years, many filmmakers have been drawn to the old school majesty of London. Here...

14 dec 11

Seattle World’s Fair 50th Anniversary

Seattle’s CityStream goes back to the future in preparation for the 50th anniversary of the Seattle World`s Fair. Century 21 was the 1962 Fair’s theme and now that we’ve arrived, it...

13 dec 11

Three Classic Movies to get you into the Holiday Spirit

Christmas is around the corner and to make the wait for Santa’s arrival less excruciating, here are three classic movies from bygone years that are sure to get you into that special holiday spi...

08 dec 11

The Stylish Art of Kevin Dart

Stylish, bouncy, curvaceous, deadly – And she wants her panties back from old men who carry them in briefcases! “Yuki7 and the Gadget Girls” are the Mangaesque brainchildren of L.A. artist Kevi...

06 dec 11

Cocktail Nation – The Interviews

Mid-century retro goes by many names — Retro culture; Atomic culture — and it sometimes overlaps with many other subcultures like kustom kulture (i.e. hot rod & rockabilly fans); tik...

30 nov 11

Destination New York

Sometimes, the city in which a movie is set plays a role more important than that of the main characters and, over the years, many filmmakers have been drawn to the crusty liveliness of New York. Her...

11 nov 11

Pan Am Boeing 747 cabin recreated in garage

Anthony Toth’s home in California holds a hidden treasure unknown to most of the world. From the outside, his garage looks like any garage – but step inside and you are transported back in time...

09 nov 11

Mad Men’s Bacardi-fueled Fantasies

While the rest of the Sterling Cooper staff attends a Kentucky Derby party thrown by Roger Sterling and new wife Jane, Peggy and the other writers are stuck in the office to brainstorm ideas for the ...

29 oct 11

The Mini Cooper and the Monty Carlo Rally

The Monte Carlo Rally is a historical rally event that has been around since its inception in 1911. The Rally takes place in January at a designated route along the French Riviera. It is known for ha...

22 oct 11

Destination Paris

Sometimes, the city in which a movie is set plays a role more important than that of the main characters and the City of Love, in particular, has long been a favorite of filmmakers. Here are a few fi...

18 oct 11

Confessions of a Playboy Bunny – Part 2

In 1964 when Sharon Bernstein Peyton was 18 years old she worked as a Showroom Bunny at the brand new Baltimore Playboy Club. Join Ultra Swank as we continue our journey into a more stylish, sexy and...

11 oct 11

An Audible Smorgasbord of Luxuria Music

Tired of spinning the same old Esquivel and Les Baxter on the hi-fi? First, make sure you’ve given a listen to the fabulous Ultra Swank compilations curated by our own Chris. Then feast your ea...

06 oct 11

Confessions of a Playboy Bunny – Part 1

In the summer of 1964 when Sharon Bernstein Peyton was 18 years old, she saw an ad for the new Baltimore Playboy Club opening. This stylish, sexy and glamorous world was quite different from the life...

28 sep 11

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