CULTURE

Retro Futurism

by W Magazine

Pierre Cardin

“I’m fascinated by the Space Race, which, in the ’50s and ’60s, influenced everything from art and architecture to fashion and advertising,” says Eugenie Niarchos, the designer of the year-old jewelry line Venyx. “It gave people a utopian vision of the future—that from today’s perspective is totally retro but still very cool.”

1

A Corvette Sting Ray sport coupe at Los Angeles International Airport, circa 1962. Courtesy of Getty Images.

2

A pair of Eero Aarnio Bubble chairs, 1968. Courtesy of Eero Aarnio.

3

A Matti Suuronen Futuro house, 1970s. Courtesy of Museum of Finnish Architecture.

4

Ford’s Lincoln display at the Chicago Auto Show, 1955. Courtesy of Ford Motor Company.

5

Futuro Lounge installation at MoMA PS1, 2008. Courtesy of Matthew Septimus.

6

Verner Panton’s Phantasy Landscape, 1970s. Courtesy of verner-panton.com.

7

The Jetsons book, 1962.

8

A film still from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Courtesy of Everett Collection.

9

A Verner Panton Heart Cone chair, 1958. Courtesy of Vitra.

10

A 1958 GM Firebird III. Courtesy of GM Motors.

11

A Knoll ad for the Saarinen Tulip chair, 1960s. Courtesy of Knoll.

12

Pierre Cardin looks, 1968. Courtesy of Pierre Cardin.

13

A Verner Panton pool, 1969, at the Spiegel Publishing house in Hamburg, Germany. Courtesy of verner-panton.com.