Retro Is In Eye of Beholder

Lately we’ve seen a lot of mentions of retro in the media. Generally it’s in reference to clothing styles, but other categories have also appeared. Here’s some framework for the term “retro.” It typically refers to items and styles that are between 20 and 40 years old or so. Using today as a benchmark, that means from 1983 to 2003.

 

You might be wondering what the difference is between “retro” and “vintage”.  As a rule, vintage items are authentic of the period in question. Retro items are derivative; they’re new items that imitate the vintage period. I’m going to keep this simple and just use retro, which in my opinion is in the eye of the beholder anyway. Despite what fashion magazines are saying, in my eyes styles from 1990 aren’t retro.

 

From my vantage point, the nineties were forward looking. One magazine described four “retro” pants styles, all “non-skinny.” They cited wide leg, flared, cargo, and straight leg denim and leather. You need to go back to the seventies to find my retro pants: bell bottoms!

 

If you really want retro, look at the first wave of tie-dyes (especially if you went to San Francisco or Woodstock). Tie-dye is a good example of a trend that is retro for younger folks when you look at styles from the nineties, but truly retro for me, from when the Beatles inspired authentic Indian tie-dye. My husband imported tie-dyed styles from India in the seventies for his company India Imports of Rhode Island.

 

A lot of the 70s fashion revolved around hippies. You had peasant blouses, ponchos, hippie sandals and maxi dresses. I had a Gunne Sax maxi (by Jessica McClintock) that I bought in San Francisco, and Olaf Daughters of Sweden clogs that I bought in the West Village in New York City. Gen Xer 90s retro includes shin-length slip dresses. Today’s “retro” clogs wouldn’t have cut the mustard in the seventies. Doc Martens are said to making a comeback. I bought mine in the forward-looking nineties; now they’re being called retro. Mine were red and I wore them to death.

 

I just saw a report that flip up eyeglasses from the seventies are coming back. I confess, I don’t even remember those from the first time around. The glasses I picture from the seventies are John Lennon’s little round wire frames. They never went away, so I guess I shouldn’t really call them retro.

 

Moving away from clothes, there are so many other iconic retro items. There’s the classic Volkswagon bus. My brother used his as a camper and I made him fancy curtains for it. The website rugs.com informs us: “Shag rugs have made a comeback in a huge way. What was once thought of as a casualty of the 70s are now popular again…” It’s still a risky floor covering for anyone with pets who are prone to throwing up. My brother’s camper didn’t have rugs, but it probably saw plenty of throw up.

 

Another 70s staple that can be found on EBay is the blue cornflower pattern of Corning Ware. We have a stash of them in our cabinet. It used to be a go-to gift for bridal showers before the big stores had registries. Fondue pots were another popular shower gift back then. Raise your hand if you received at least three of those and re-gifted one of them. Lava lamps were also all the rage in the 70s.

 

Moving away from the kitchen and decor, the seventies also saw the introduction of the VHS recorder. Today’s generation is into streaming; they probably think that DVD’s are retro. But VHS is the true retro. Blockbuster has announced plans to “Rewind” and open some new stores. You read it correctly: Blockbuster. There are even vintage Blockbuster items for sale on EBay. When it comes to fun and games from the seventies, let’s not forget Rubik’s Cube, the Nerf ball and the Pet Rock.

 

My retro options mentioned here might seem to have run the gamut, but I’ve barely scratched the surface. This seems like a good place to stop and let you mull over what you would add to this list. Keep in mind that retro is in the eye of the beholder. Your retro may be from a different decade than mine. If you’re not sure, just look at some old photos and see what style of legs are on the pants you’re wearing.

 

Copyright 2023 Business Theatre Unlimited

Retirement Planning – Clearing the Kitchen and Pantry

I’m not much of a cook, but I expect to do more of it after I retire. In preparation, I’m clearing out the kitchen and pantry to see which items are worth keeping. I’m finding things that haven’t seen the light of day since they made the move with me 18 years ago. To get started, I set out storage boxes labeled “Donate,” “Keep” and “Now What?”

With my kitchen foray, I’ve developed a theory that you can tell when someone was married by the wedding gifts they received. For my first marriage, we received at least three fondue pots during the decade of “Do you fondue?” (Did you?) Two of them turned up on the top shelf in the butler’s pantry—one for cheese, one for beef cubes. I can’t remember when I last used either of them. Gobs of melted cheese. Deep fried red meat. Cholesterol. Need I say more? I move both fondue pots to the Donate box.

There are countless cheese boards, so per my wedding gift theory, I married in the ’80’s, but I didn’t (either time.) Cheese boards must be like picture frames—the universal wedding gifts that transcend time and styles. Whatever the reason, though I use as many as three of them at a time for holiday entertaining, I need to get rid of some cheese boards. I put six in the “Now What?” box and change the label on it to read “Re-Gift.”

I also have more salad bowls than I need. The large stainless one and the wooden one get regular use, so they’re keepers. The glass one with the silver-plated rim was a gift (Re-Gift.) The plastic one matches all that picnic ware I bought and used once. Will we picnic when we’re retired? Keep, just in case. These hand-painted pasta serving bowls can also be used for salads. Keep, Keep, Keep.

One of my miscalculations is a mini crock pot that goes into the microwave so it cooks faster. My microwave is called the Half Pint; that’s not just a clever nickname; it’s close to its capacity. The mini crock doesn’t fit in it. Even if I have a standard microwave in our next abode, I’m as likely to be crock potting as fonduing. Into the Donate box it goes.

Be still my heart—it’s a pull-out shelf full of Corningware, the new bride’s best friend. I have everything from serving-sized bowls with plastic covers for leftovers to huge casserole-sized ones that are missing their glass lids. I rarely use any of it, but retirement will likely change that. Sorting through all of this will be a project in itself. I find another storage box, put back the label “Now What?” and fill it with the Corningware.

Another shelf has been hiding a similar trove of Tupperware. Pie holder—Donate; my mother was the baker; I can never compare, so why try. Iceberg lettuce holder—Donate; I’ve moved on to romaine and it won’t fit. Some sort of cheese or pound-sized butter holder—Donate; I have one that holds a single stick; I don’t need to encourage milk fat consumption. All the Tupperware has been dispatched, but I don’t feel smug. I know there’s another shelf with Ziploc bowls and used deli containers that still need sorting.

My Donate box still has a lot more room. I wonder if there’s a show like The Biggest Loser, but for people who need to get rid of stuff, not pounds. I could use someone like Jillian to be my tough-as-nails coach. “Don’t you dare put that in your Keep box! It’s Donate or the trash or you’ll never reach your goal. You can do it! Focus. Lift. Push.”

I’m exhausted just thinking about it. I need a glass of wine and a snack. I grab a cheese board from the top of the Re-Gift box. Hmmm… This is kind of cute—just right for one serving. Maybe I should keep it. Jillian is shouting something vile at me, but I turn off my mental TV, lean back and relax. I carefully stack slices of artisanal cheese onto gluten-free crackers. Who says I don’t know my way around the kitchen?