RetroMania Continues Its March to World Domination!

We don't generally get into brand-new stuff, but here goes: RetroMania's added a new location, at Montgomery Street Antique Mall! You know, the one off I-30 and, um, Montgomery Street. We're on Aisle 4, not far from the front desk at the main entrance: a great spot and really convenient. Come see us, yo! And while we're dropping news on you, we wanted to let you know that our shop at Butler's Antiques will be closed during July and August, as Butler's continues upgrades.

Luxury on a Budget

There's just no getting around it: This belted loden-and-cream coat is absolutely stunning — and uber feminine. Who wouldn't look like a midcentury goddess with miles of soft silver fox fur framing their face?
If you're into a more recent era, the sleek sheared mink bomber was once worn by Bianca Jagger. (Just kidding. But can't you just see her wearing this over some slinky disco duds?)
RetroMania is kind of excited about finding this Russian "watch" hat. Julie Christie looked so great wearing a fur hat in Dr. Zhivago — girls with long, straight hair can really rock that look. What's extra-cool: It's from the U.S.S.R., comrades! Inside are the letters "CCCP," the Russian abbreviation for the Soviet Union. Do svidanya!

Cutting-edge Vintage Fabrics

I love beautiful vintage fabric and I can't say no to some of the fantastic midcentury textiles that I come across from time to time. Yet I haven't operated a sewing machine since I was in junior high!
But the hoarding had to stop. Here are some fabrics that have left the dark drawer and are now in RetroMania. It's high time for some creative Etsy types to let these beauties shine — as amazing skirts, dresses or tops; on pillows or chairs; or as very cool curtains. For more eye candy, get a load of one of the midcentury master designers, Lucienne Day, whose designs went on everything from carpets to towels to teapots. It'll take your breath away.

Sporting Vintage Letterman Jackets

Letterman jackets look so cool. Always have, always will. Apparently, celebrities and fashionistas think so, too -- The New York Times ran an article about letterman jackets in spring, saying the trend was heating up. In the article, Jack Marcus, the owner of Cheap Jack’s vintage clothing shop in Manhattan said, “Designers started buying them from me about a year ago, so I knew it was coming. About two months ago, I’d say, customers started buying them, too.” Well, then. Never one to be left behind, RetroMania is representin' with this awesome vintage letterman jacket (left).

Vintage clothes at RetroMania

We love vintage clothes as much as the next Fort Worth and Dallas midcentury freak. So while we were rearranging things at RetroMania recently, we decided to add some coats, dresses, heels and assorted accessories to the mix. Take a peek and see what you think — we'd love your impressions. The orange silk heels are about a size 7 or 7.5 (oh, so close!) and most of the dresses/coats are about a size 8 to 10. I think the little '70s dress with diagonal bands of brown and cream would look so great with tall ankle booties and ratted-up hair (man, I miss Amy Winehouse!). There's also a very ladylike double-breasted nubby green coat with fox collar -- just screams for a poofy ponytail and sexy shades. While we're at it, we need to give a shout-out to the latest cool local blog. It's called Mosey! and it chronicles local street style. Hey, maybe we'll spot someone on Mosey! wearing our stuff! BTW, thanks, Fortworthology, for spreadin' the news!

Say Hello to "The Ghost of Goodnight Lane"

We realize it's unbecoming to brag, but we've never been good about doing what we're supposed to. We're psyched about playing a part in an independent feature film called The Ghost of Goodnight Lane. It stars Billy Zane, at right, (so gorgeously creepy in Dead Calm and, admittedly, less exciting in Titanic) and Lacey Chabert, who's been in tons of things but whose biggest movie was probably Mean Girls. Producer/director/writer Alin Bijan is directing and co-wrote the film, which is being shot in Dallas. The movie is -- get this -- based on real paranormal events that have taken place for years at Bijan's production company, Media World Studios in Dallas. Apparently, paranormal investigators have confirmed the hauntings. This is serious, people. But back to us. Actually, our furniture, linens and housewares appear in the movie -- we don't. (Though RetroMania was promised a mention in the film credits.) We've had a blast with our little cinematic foray and made some new friends, like the movie's production designer, Adam Dietrich. There was one casualty during filming: the side table that was part of the Tropitan set we wrote about in our last post. The good news is that our two chairs and ottoman are fine and dandy and the price of the now-three-piece set is $295. We gladly suffer for art.

Packed and Ready for Fort Worth's Music 4 Mutts Festival

We're as nuts about animals as we are about everything mid-century. That's why we're so excited about a certain outdoor party next weekend right here in Fort Worth. It's called Music 4 Mutts, and it's a music festival aimed at raising money for local dog & cat rescues and Fort Worth's only public low-cost spay/neuter clinic.

While everyone's having fun and listening to local bands, we'll also be raising awareness for the need to spay & neuter pets, adopt from rescue groups and showcase local businesses that invest in our community. There'll also be pet adoptions, a costume contest for the doggies, food and beverages (alcoholic and nonalcoholic), and a silent auction.
Here are the deets:
Saturday, Oct. 23
9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
2301 Scott Ave., Fort Worth
(I-30 & Beach Street, just east of downtown.
Look for signs at the intersection.)

Admission's $15 for adults, but it's free for everyone 18 and younger.
If the price bugs you, think about this: Fort Worth kills about 60 dogs per day due to space constraints in our shelters. We can begin to stop this by getting more dogs and cats spayed and neutered, helping local rescue organizations get these babies out of the shelters, and educating our community.

These are the groups who will benefit from Saturday's shindig:
Canine Soulmates Rescue (based out of North Richland Hills)
Cattailz Rescue (a low-cost spay & neuter program for feral kitties in Aledo, Willow Park, Hudson Oaks, Weatherford, Brock, and Fort Worth)
Homeward Bound Animal Rescue (in Bedford)
Texas Low Cost Spay and Neuter (the Texas Coalition for Animal Protection)

Hope to see you and yours there!

Fort Worth 'Mad Men' Fans, Start Your Bidding!

Dashing Don Draper and his buddies didn't steal EVERYTHING when they left Sterling Cooper -- their awesome office furniture stayed behind, and some of it is up for grabs on eBay!
Sure wish the Peter Hvidt chairs in Don's office were among the goodies, but there's still lots of cool stuff to choose from -- everything from Pete Campbell's office settee (surely the one on eBay is too small to be the one in that very special scene with Peggy) to the fantastic abstract art in the conference room (top photo) to the numerous black chairs on casters in "the bullpen" (below).
Oh, yeah, and vintage clothes aficionados will be salivating over this: Three dresses worn on the show are also up for bid. How cool would it be to catch Los Noviembres at Scat Jazz Lounge decked out in the outfit shown here, the one that Betty wore to the Stork Club. Just go easy on the champagne, OK?
To add to the temptation, shipping for many of the sofas, desks and other large furniture pieces is FREE. The 10-day charity auction ends Sunday, with proceeds benefiting City of Hope, a medical and research institution dedicated to fighting cancer.

Pink Enamel Midcentury Appliances

I love Craigslist. RetroMania posts lots of things there, and last summer I stumbled across some to-die-for appliances on the freebies listings and -- Bonus Round -- also came to learn about a wildly talented local man, the late Wayne Grubb. Here's more about the appliances and Mr. Grubb.

Oh-so-smart little midcentury credenza

So often, each vintage credenza we find is as long as a city bus -- which can be a good thing, depending on your space. This retro baby is in fantastic shape, and it's a great size: 63 1/2" long, 29" high, with interior space that's 15 1/4" deep. Two drawers and two levels behind the sliding cabinet doors. So many possible uses! Of course, as with most midcentury furniture, it's built to last -- waaaaay past any wackiness 2012 might bring (aren't those Aztec calendars cool-looking, though? Dig the green-turquoise color!)

RetroMania's Christmas Visitors

Next door to RetroMania is Retromania Too, opening up especially for the holidays so we can share our retro-riffic Christmas stuff with the rest of the world. We're just one door down (look for the mid-century light-up Santas and aluminum Christmas trees!). For items in the Christmas shop, payment methods are cash or check. For credit purchases via PayPal, our e-mail address is retromaniafw@gmail.com

A Vintage Thanksgiving Feastival

Well hey there, Pilgrims! Because we're traditionalists here at RetroMania, we refuse to skip straight from Halloween to Christmas. No sir. Especially not when we've got so much to be thankful for, not the least of which is our fellow retro and modernist aficionados, aka you guys! Thanks to all for the kind words and the warm welcome, and for stopping in to check out the midcentury stuff that gets us goin' in the morning. Now, how about passing that Russel Wright gravy boat this way?

Happy Halloween, Retro Ghouls & Boys!

We're suckers for retro holiday kitsch, which must be painfully apparent to anyone who's drifted into our shop this past month. (Next up: wacky tacky pilgrims!) To our fellow MCM enthusiasts in Fort Worth and Dallas, have an over-the-top, insanely fun -- oh, and OF COURSE, safe -- Halloween!

Restoring midcentury furniture

I'm currently working on refurbishing this little Lane table (top photo) to put in the shop. In this line of work, we see lots of furniture that needs love. Some of us are better than others at bringing these works of art back from the brink. On Dallas and Fort Worth Mid-Century Modern, I recently interviewed a man named Hank Tosh, who is dead serious about this endeavor. Check out his shop,Toshmahal (it's on Hampton Road in west Dallas) and you'll see: This man knows how to restore the glory of these deco and midcentury works of art. This is a Lane table (bottom photo) that Hank features on his website. Don't the contrasting colors just melt your heart?

Put a Cork Lamp in It!

Chuck a deuce at our newest lamp -- it JUST DOES NOT GET COOLER, children.
Nice and tall, too, at about 45" high, give or take an inch. There's wood around the top and the base, and the original vintage shade with its nubby vanilla fabric packs a wallop. Both the shade and lamp are in fantastic condition. Our midcentury cork lamp, which will be in the shop starting Sept. 27, costs $150.

Eastern Exposure South of RetroMania

Ni hao, y'all! Just a little shout-out for the folks at Butler's Antiques, who are featuring a special exhibit in the room right next door to RetroMania. They've made a new friend named Alfred Jones, a former instructor at TCU who has a collection of Asian artifacts. Butler's has fixed up one of their rooms in Butler's Alley just for the occasion and has put the items on display, where they will be for sale through Sept. 27.

Vintage Marushka Silkscreen Prints

And then along came Marushka!
The nature-themed prints that sprang onto the scene in 1971 are our latest passion. Apparently, we're not alone, because the folks at Apartment Therapy also have the Marushka monkey on their backs. The simple graphic art on tan and white linen often features sea creatures and coastal scenes because of the company's Great Lakes location. The founder, an art instructor named Richard Sweet, named the business after his wife, Mary ("Marushka" is a Polish form of the name "Mary.")
So romantic!

The small ones (each is 16x14) are $20 each, and the large one (18x24) is $50; all three are available for $80.

Make a Midcentury Fashion Statement

If only I'd thought to carry this sexy little leopard-print bag during my photo shoot for Banana Republic's "Mad Men" photo contest -- it's so Joan! And imagine Betty with the bejeweled bucket bag, lunching poolside at the country club. $28 each.

Awesome-Under-Glass. Or Resin.

Yowza! How many of THESE have you seen? Encased inside each glossy table are swirly, colorful cross sections of agate. A quirky little discovery: If you look really closely at the white-and-green agate in the big table, you can see that someone has identified it as "tree agate India." The larger table sports a sparkly background. Both pieces stand on dark wooden legs.
Because the little guy is missing his shoes, our confetti couple has an as-is price of $60; if sold separately, they're $35 apiece. Shoot us an e-mail if you want to buy them before they land in the shop!

*** LAMP-A-PALOOZA ***

RetroMania's ushering in August with
a 20% off sale on every lamp in the store
EVERY ... LAMP ... IN ... THE ... STORE!
(And some that aren't even here yet!)
It's this Saturday (Aug. 1) and
Sunday (Aug. 2).