Mad Men's own January Jones presents a few helpful tips that every housewife should know before throwing the perfect cocktail party back in the 1950s. Funny spoof from the Saturday Night Live team. [Thanks Cam]

The scrumptious Bettie Page performs a varietease to the tunes of a exotica styled track that sounds like something from Martin Denny or Les Baxter. Bettie Page is often referred to as "The Queen of Pin-Ups" as she became one the most famous models and burlesque dancers of the 1950s and still continues to influence [...]

I am the mood to travel to some place warm and exciting so I thought, why not experience some vintage airline commercials from the the past for some inspiration? Here are a bunch of TWA, Pan Am and Braniff commercials produced in the late 1960s and the 1970s — the golden age of air travel [...]

It was most likely much tougher than it seemed – with charm and grace training, evacuation exercises, disgruntled passengers and endless hair and makeup sessions. Guess all the excitement and grandeur is a thing of the past. Does anyone even consider becoming a flight attendant today? Photos taken from the wonderful Life archive at Google.

Winter is almost upon us in northern Europe, but these newly found postcards of retro Sweden brings back kitschy summer vibes that are sure to warm anyone. Those of you with sharp eyes might spot that a few of the cards depict Sweden pre-1967, when we still had left-side traffic. Native Swedes might even recognize [...]

Contributor Klara have been busy time traveling into the golden age of science fiction, on a mission to find three classics that will please and catch the imagination of the readers of Ultra Swank. So, head out to the launchpad and strap your self in, our rocket's first stop is the moon! Destination Moon (1950) – The [...]

Halloween is just a few days away and to kick things off in a ghoulish way, this old piece of 1973 wax will most likely do the trick (...or treat). This record is sure to scare and entertain everyone in the family, especially if used with one speaker hidden in the ceiling for the proper [...]

And you thought baked beans and sausage weren't the least bit French? Betty & I have paired up to prove you wrong. Behold Betty Crocker's Baked Bean & Sausage Casserole aka Middle Income French Cooking! This casserole is, per Betty, an "...appetizing adaptation of the French cassoulet." Put that in your Pyrex, Julie & Julia! [...]

From the movie It's Always Fair Weather made in 1955 starring the always brilliant and talented Gene Kelly, this time singing with roller skates around Broadway in New York City. What do you daydream about today? [Thanks Cam]

Halloween is coming up and to give you some ideas for your costume, contributor Cam presents a couple of retro themed suggestions. All you need is to pick your favorite classic movie character and you are almost set to go! Some possibilities for the ladies could be the eternal style icon Audrey Hepburn as Holly [...]

Head on over to the Ultra Swank Flickr group for more tasty designs from the past. Why not join our group and contribute with your own retro related images? It's free and very easy. Which is your favorite record to play on late Friday nights? Images via the Ultra Swank Flickr Pool

This documentary about the life of famed photographer Julius Schulman looks very appealing to me. If you have been reading my earlier architecture posts you will immediately know who I am referring to. [Thanks Cam] Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, VISUAL ACOUSTICS celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the world’s greatest architectural photographer, whose images [...]

Following up on my earlier post on how to get a date if you lived in 1950s America, here is a new film which show and tell how you can have a few close friends but be popular among a large group of people too. The entertainment value and kitsch-meter is going through the roof [...]

I had the occasion this past summer to stay in a Motel 6 here in the U.S. for the first time in many years. I was most pleasantly surprised at the new look of the room. It was simple, utilitarian, but perhaps best of all, something new in that it reminded me of mid-century [...]

How would you get into dating if you were a teenager in the suburbs of America in the 1950s? Ever wonder how social life was like for your mother, father, grandmother or grandfather? The video is taken from the Coronet collection, which features lots of swell vintage movies about growing up in the 1940s and [...]

What you are looking at right now represents many months of late night work sessions. Ultra Swank has been around for a little more than four years now and I thought it was due for a real change, to give it its own style and persona that represents more elegant and fun times. This new [...]

It's the start of another week and to inspire you here is some more fashion from Paris set to the theme of the famous jet set Riviera TV-series The Persuaders starring Roger More and Tony Curtis. The theme was originally composed by John Barry but this is the moog version from the 1974 album The [...]

The weekend is around the corner and to inspire you here is artist Robert McCall's vision of man exploring Mars, scanned from the October 1964 issue of Life Magazine. McCall did many illustrations for NASA in the 1960s as well the movie 2001 by Stanley Kubrick. Have a great weekend! Via the Ultra Swank Flickr Pool

General Motors was a pioneer exhibitor back in the mid-century often with the technical assistance of Walt Disney's Imagineers. Futarama was a ride at the New York World's Fair in 1939 and was updated for the 1964 fair which offered its riders a glimpse into what life in the year 2024 would be like. This [...]

This is Los Angeles International Airport (Jetport), it was built in the late 1950s and was at the time one of the biggest airports in America. They first envisioned it to be even bigger in the anticipation of the "jet age" with lots of terminals and buildings connected through a huge steel-and-glass dome building but [...]