Have you noticed that television shows, furniture and clothing are all being re-introduced to us with a healthy dose of 1960's reality? So what if it doesn't reflect 2012, maybe it just simply makes people feel happier. When life feels complicated, we crave simplicity, we reminisce about how things used to be.
Even people who say they don't like retro are drawn to the occasional piece that is totally out of character; suddenly finding themselves being cheered up by a square, orange teapot, or a ridiculously, impractical new dress. Typically, the colors back then were brighter, and the designs more streamlined. TV shows from that era depict an old-fashioned view of life; men and women had defined roles, and families spent more time together. People drank a bit too much, and smoked without worrying about getting sick. Technology and cars were limited and expensive, making your private life very public, and forcing teenagers to rely on the availability of their parent's old station wagon.
Of course our nostalgia removes all of the bad bits, but a retro life, on the surface, just sounds less complicated. Incorporating our lives with these quirky, bold reminders makes us smile when we are over-scheduled, forcing us to take ourselves a little less seriously.
Some trends are deliberate, forced upon us by bored designers, but I don't think this one is. I think it was born from an emotional need to cheer people up when the world became a little glum!
How can you be worried when your sofa is lime green? Living with a little bit of retro makes you feel like it can all be fixed with a pie in the oven, a good hug, an Elvis record and a shiny, pink Cadillac!
(Lovely photograph courtesy of Kate Bingham, UK, with a little bit of Elvis added in for good measure)
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