For over 60 years, Original Penguin’s distinct style and aura has been emblazoned on originators and pioneers that have helped shape the cultural landscape around them. Emanating from the banks of the Mississippi, Original Penguin has grown from a local success story to a globally defined landmark of individuality that has represented Americana since 1955, and is set to celebrate six decades with a unique birthday celebration this November.


Win 2 tickets to Original Penguin's exclusive event!






Taking place at renowned London hot spot Dingwalls, this very special celebration will play host to an evening of trailblazers who have taken 2015 by storm.  Heading up the night will be international multi-platinum selling duo Sigma, fresh from a year that has seen them obliterate the UK dance scene with a succession of seismic club anthems and establishing them as the leading name at the biggest events on the electronic music scene. Supporting the night will be Croydon’s shaman of seduction Dornik, an underground pioneer whose meticulously crafted electro soul and sumptuous, arty R n’ B has marked him out as a true shining light on the UK club scene and his eponymous debut album has received huge critical acclaim.

This season Lee Jeans are trying to get people to 'Move Your Lee'!  The style and fit of Lee clothes are important but what you do in them is what matters! Everyone has their own way of moving through their unique personal expression. Lee have created such comfortable jeans that whatever your doing you can express yourself. Move Your Lee is a celebration of the movement, style and freedom that lives in every one of us!

Lee's 'Move Your Lee' womens video shows a woman expressing herself using roller skates. This is her way of moving and her personal expression. She is wearing Lee jeans which shows how comfortable they are that she can roller skate but also she feels like wearing Lee clothing it gives her the freedom to express herself in a way she loves.





Lee's 'Move Your Lee ' mens video have styling influences from Northern Soul; which is a music and dance movement which emerged in England in the late 1960s. It combines classic Northern Soul dance moves with new contemporary dance styles to create an overall exciting dance video! They are all wearing Lee jeans and clothing, which shows it is super comfortable to dance in. It also shows that when people wear Lee clothing it gives them the freedom of their personal expression, which for this group of guys is through dance.


Check out the two videos for Move Your Lee:





Every season Lee Jeans create fantastic collections and AW15 is no exception!

Listen to and claim a free download of the title track of the new Nic Armstrong and The Thieves new EP, Negative Slant. Head to www.nicarmstrongmusic.com for a listen and click the 'buy' link to download it for absolutely free! Don't forget to support real music and pre-order your copy of the Negative Slant EP while you're there!

Eagle-eyed readers will notice this cover pic also features the Madcap England Trip Op Art Shirt!

The New EP from Nic Armstrong and The Thieves is available for download pre-order now, from Bandcamp. Featuring five new tracks, the new EP is set for release on download on the 11th November 2015.

Pre-order the Negative Slant EP here, and check out Nic Armstrong's website, nicarmstrongmusic.com for more musical treats and the latest news on the band. (The Store is well worth a visit too!)

Catch a sneak peek at the new track, Negative Slant, performed by the band for VDub Sessions recently (in a VW Camper Van!)

Marmalade are well known for their fabulous 1960's inspired dresses. Their Autumn Winter 15' collection is no different! Full of bright colours which is the perfect way to inject a pop of colour into your Winter wardrobe to liven up an outfit on a dreary day.

First established in 2001, Marmalade first started out as a boutique shop specialising in Vintage clothing. That same year Marmalade launched their own line of 1960's Mod inspired clothing. They have been thriving ever since, creating new stunning items every season.

Every piece of Marmalade's clothing is 1960's Mod inspired. They always contain bright colours, bold designs and distinctive Retro vibes. Conveying Vintage Sixties patterns in a thoroughly modern way, Marmalade dresses invoke a longing for Retro nostalgia in some and a daring and new look for others. The dresses cover both day time and evening wear and there is definitely the perfect Marmalade dress out there for anyone!

Check out the AW15 Marmalade Collection:




Marmalade striped 60s Winter coat. A bold and beautiful coat which is the perfect way to inject colour into your Autumn/Winter wardrobe!

Matching coat available.

Pre Order now: Stock expected 19th October.

















Marmalade 60s centre striped dress. Contrasting graph print and block colour mini skirt it has all the qualities of the perfect 1960's Mod dress.

Pre Order now: Stock expected 19th October.












Marmalade 60s dogtooth Winter coat. Crafted with heavy weight virgin wool, it is the ideal coat to keep you warm this Autumn/Winter! Gorgeous dogtooth design throughout in red and cream.

Matching coat available.

Pre Order now: Stock expected 19th October.













Marmalade 60s colour band dress. Featuring Space Age style contrast colour bands in a luxurious stretch wool jersey. The perfect item for your Mod dress collection!

Pre Order now: Stock expected 19th October.









Shop all Marmalade >>

Chunk Clothing have created some fab t-shirts in the past and now have creates more quirky t-shirts but with a Star Wars theme.

Chunk clothing is usually based on popular films, TV series or iconic subjects. Stylish t-shirts but with hilarious designs, there is a t-shirt for anyone. Whether you're a Star Wars fan, a Breaking Bad fan or a Jurassic Park fan you will find the tee perfect for you!

Chunk Clothing first launched in 2001 and have been thriving ever since. Chunk produce four collections each year, two in season graphic tee collections and two in fashion forward Bike Polo collection. With creating more and more unique and quirky designs over the years, they have managed to build up their company to be one of the most iconic t-shirts brands around.

A new range of Star Wars t-shirts are in now just in time to snap them up to wear to the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens! Perfect for Star Wars lovers world wide, these t-shirts contain some of Star Wars most iconic faces with a fantastic unique twist. Several designs include; Darth Vader, Yoda, Storm Troopers and Chewbacca!

Chunk Clothing in the past have focused on the Retro angle to the t-shirts with creating Vintage Star Wars comic strip tees. However Chunk have decided to take a humorous angle with their new collection which includes Star Wars iconic faces and put it out of context for humour. A great example is the selfie tee, which consists of Darth Vader and Storm troopers taking a selfie which has been a hype over the past few years. Whatever you're style, there will be a Chunk t-shirt out there for you!


Check out some of the Star Wars Chunk T-Shirts:











Ever wondered what Chewbacca looks like on a morning? This is probably it! 
Buy Now>>








With a scene from Battle of Hoth from Star Wars Empire Strikes Back. Photo landscape imagery in one of the most iconic Star Wars figures. 
Buy Now>>



















Who knew Storm Troopers took holidays? Darth Vader must have been in a good mood to allow a storm trooper go snow boarding! Everyone needs a holiday, even if you work for the dark side! 
Buy Now>>



















Darth Vader and his Stormtrooper pals are getting down with the 'Selfie' craze. Here they are posing in front of the Eiffel Tower taking a snap on their galactic smart phone.
Buy Now>>








Shop Chunk Clothing Now>>

Issue 6 of Up&Atom is out now! Free with all orders of clothing and/or shoes (while stocks last)!
The fab new issue features:

• 20 Years since The Britpop War - Let's decide it, once and for all - Oasis or Blur?! Win a fab FLY53 Britpop tee by telling us why either Oasis or Blur are the reigning Britpop Kings (www.atomretro.com/britpop)
• A Pint With... Drew Hipson: Kevin Stone chats with All Mod Icon editor, Drew Hipson. 
• Who's Next? Being Pete Townshen with guitarist, Dante DiCarlo from Who's Next
• Mama Roux: Win a signed copy of the Mama Roux debut EP
• Ian Moore: Comedy, France and proper chutney stress with stand up, Ian Moore
• 'Til It's Overtures: Interview with Den Pugsley of top 60s band, The Overtures
• Ev'rything's Coming Up Dusty: A chat with Arabella Rodrigo, co-star in the new Dusty Springfield musical in the West End. 
• The Magic Mod: Interview with the Mod-est Magician you'll ever meet! 
• Plus: Gola Classics, Wrangler Jeans, Bass Weejuns, Traffic People and more! 

Want to get your mitts on a copy? Simply place an order at www.atomretro.com! Up&Atom is free with all orders of clothing and/or shoes, until stocks run out. (Some of the articles will also be featured on the Up&Atom blog - right here!)

Mademoiselle Yéyé's new collection for Autumn and Winter started arriving at Atom Retro this week - look out for it online soon. In the meantime, here's a quick peek to whet your 60s fashion appetite!

Retro, Mod and Sixties Vintage inspired Dresses, Tops and Skirts by Mademoiselle Yéyé!

K-Swiss are a iconic American foot wear company. They design and develop a range of athletic shoes and are very well known for their Tennis Court shoes. They began by creating Tennis shoes for worlds best tennis players in major championships and then moved onto to developing them to be worn casually.

K-Swiss's story all began when K-Swiss was funded by two Swiss brothers in 1966. Art and Ernie Brunner were entrepreneurs who moved to California to start their own footwear company which was a dream they both shared. The two brothers shared a love for skiing and this is where they got their inspiration. Leather skiing boots need to have tight fits that will support aggressive side-to-side movements, conveniently this is what tennis players need also. So they set off on their journey to create the first all-leather tennis shoes.

K-Swiss Classic were the first pair of shoes to be born. They have been successful for nearly 50 years and they have won numerous awards. They have been branded one of the most influential trainers of all time and they have powered some of the worlds best tennis players to major championships.

After making trainers for successful athletes K-Swiss moved on to creating trainers for fashion. Often companies create legendary trainers for sporting reasons and they tend to become a retro fashion statement and are worn casually and K-Swiss are no stranger of this! They have created several shoes that have a contemporary twist on the original court style trainer. These trainers have earned a place as one of the style icons of our generation. Check out a few of K-Swiss trainers that Atom Retro stock.

Belmont T K-Swiss Trainers:

Made out of canvas these trainers are a contemporary take on a classic court trainer. With signature branding and blue colour theme they are a perfect way to add an Indie vibe to any outfit.


Belmont SO K-Swiss Trainers:

Made out of leather these trainers are very alike the traditional tennis court style trainer. However with trainers include navy K-Swiss signature branding that contrasts upon the white leather to give them a fab Indie look.


Hoke K-Swiss Trainers:

Made out of leather these trainers are a very Indie take on the traditional court style trainer. In a black and white colour theme they are a great addition to a casual outfit. 

AdCourt K-Swiss Trainers:

Made out of suede these trainers are a contemporary Indie take on a traditional court trainer. With cushioned inners and suede fabric they make a very comfortable shoe.

K-Swiss can definitely be applauded from taking an idea from a hobby and turning it into a great successful company that have been responsible for helping tennis players win major championships. They still carry on creating trainers till this day but focus more on designing contemporary takes on classic court trainers.

Find these fab Retro K-Swiss trainers here!

Lord John, Carnaby Street in 1967

Very sad to hear that Warren Gold, proprietor and founder of the legendary Lord John shop in Carnaby Street in the 1960s, has passed away. Here's an article and interview we did with Warren Gold for Issue 2 of Up&Atom magazine, originally published in December 2013.


“The codswallop fashions of perverted peacocks!” - so one newspaper christened Carnaby Street in the 1960s.

Far from being ‘codswallop’, Carnaby Steet was revolutionising fashion. The sixties youth - tired of wearing clothes their dads or granddads might have liked - wanted something new, daring, colourful and different, and Carnaby Street did just that.

John Stephen’s His Clothes opened on Carnaby Street in 1957 and more followed. John Stephen had as many as eight shops on Carnaby Street alone, and they were joined by Irvine Seller’s Mates, Tom Salter’s Gear, Henry Moss and Harry Fox’s Lady Jane boutiques, and of course, Warren Gold’s Lord John.

One of the most iconic and enduring symbols of Carnaby Street is the world famous Lord John boutique. In the late Sixties it was painted with a huge psychedelic mural, making it one of the most photographed buildings in London at the time. Up&Atom sent Simon Parr, a 60s fashion enthusiast and sales exec for Gibson London menswear, to catch up with Lord John himself - Warren Gold.

Lord John opened it’s doors for the first time in 1964. Warren Gold and his brother, David had originally began trading on Petticoat Lane, but as Warren explained, the foundations for what became Lord John began long before then. ‘That really goes back many years,’ Warren told us. ‘David and I lived in Stamford hill, North West London. David was studying to be a master tailor which he achieved. My interest was more on the artistic side of the clothing industry and window displays and then I got involved in actually drawing and designing clothing. We complimented each other. My late father, Joseph known as Johnny Gold, was in the mens clothing business as well and I suppose it's in the genes. I knew nothing else.’

The move to Carnaby Street seemed inevitable. Carnaby Street had quickly become the fashion centre of the world. The Gold brothers opened two shops at 27-28 Great Marlborough Street, just off Carnaby Street and what would become the world famous Lord John boutique at 43 Carnaby Street.

Warren recalls it wasn’t an easy start. ‘David and I opened our first shop in Carnaby Street on February the 13th 1964. The rent was £3000 a year. We had to pay a quarters rent up front. We had a bit of money in the family, something like £700, but we didn't have enough to satisfy the landlords. We asked an uncle if he would lend us four or five hundred pounds, but he said, "No, I can't do that because my money is my business.” He was a money lender; a very wealthy man. We managed to overcome that and got the money. As the years went by, this same Uncle, Uncle Len his name was - a lovely man! He wanted to invest in our business when we had about 15 or 16 shops, and being very respectable, from a nice Jewish family, we politely told him to piss off!’

In the sixties, fashion designers became celebrities in their own right for the first time. Warren remembers a taste of this, ‘At times I used to sign customer’s receipts. They said, "Lord John would you please sign this?" and I'd say ‘With pleasure, yes’. They loved it!’

Up&Atom Issue 2, signed by Warren Gold, Lord John of Carnaby Street

John Lennon's Cape

Warren Gold in 2013

Other famous artists can still be seen to wear the iconic polka dot shirt in present day. For example Miles Kane has sported the polka dot shirt in a black and white theme, this showing that the polka dot trend is still going strong and is still very influential when it comes to giving off bold fashion statements.


Ben Sherman has existed for 5 decades and is still going strong.  The Ben Sherman brand has been embraced by almost every youth culture or style movement for the last 5 decades, these ranging from the mods to the 2 tone and ska, right through to Brit pop. Ben Sherman is still worn in the current period by a vast majority of bands and style leaders and is still seen as a major fashion label within the mod culture.


Find these fab new Ben Sherman Polka Dot Shirts here. 

Up&Atom - How did you become - not just a Beatle - but a Cavern Club Beatle?

Paul Jones - Me and some friends started a band in high school, when I was 14, and we decided we’d learn some Beatles songs. The next year, when I was 15 years old, we entered ITV’s ‘Stars In Their Eyes Kids’ and we were successful! So through The Beatles I (very early in life) entered the world of music and performing! From there it just grew from strength to strength to strength. I spent about 4 years playing all over the world on a cruise ship as a ‘John’, then after a while I wanted to come back home. The Cavern Club were auditioning for a ‘George’, so I learned a few songs and went for it and got the gig! This was about 2 years ago, and since then the band is the best thing I’ve been a part of. We’re all great friends who have a good laugh daily, but more to the point everyone is very good at their jobs and has a genuine love for performing, Liverpool as a city and The Beatles.

U&A - You recently went to the States to mark the 50th anniversary of the Beatles American invasion. What was that like?

PJ - Our trip to the USA was amazing. From the moment we arrived at Heathrow on the morning of the flight it was non-stop interviews, media and all sorts of attention! We even spent the whole flight in costume, which the air hostess’ loved! Arriving in the same terminal 50 years later to screaming fans and camera flashes was incredible, and what’s more frightening is what we experienced wasn’t even 1/100th of what The Beatles did! It was humbling because everyone was there to celebrate and just marvel at what The Beatles were. The audience and fans were having just as much fun as we were experiencing the ‘hype’ around us.

The performances were some of the most important I have ever has the privilege to be part of. Having your name in Times Square was so special and knowing you were on the same stage, playing the same songs, in the same clothes as they did was just surreal. Cavern City Tours who arranged it all were fantastic. We stayed in a suite in The Plaza, overlooking Central Park. We travelled in limousines, played iconic venues like The Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square (formally The Paramount Theatre), The Deaville Hotel (where the Miami episode of The Ed Sullivan Show was recorded) as well as an open air beach gig! Also supporting us every step of the was was Julia Baird, John Lennon’s sister. We would be driving around Miami with her telling us stories about John - very surreal! I’m sure any tribute band will tell you that attention to detail is paramount, and having John’s sister describe you as ‘the best Beatles tribute band’ she’s ever seen is just amazing, and only makes you want to try new things and develop the show.

Looking back, it couldn’t have gone any better. We loved the excitement when we were there, but now a few weeks have passed and we’ve seen all the coverage I think we’ve all realised how lucky and fortunate we were to be part of such an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime anniversary!

U&A - What’s been your most memorable moment as a Cavern Beatle?

PJ - America was such an amazing trip. Me, Tony Coburn [who plays Paul in The Cavern Club Beatles] and Paul Laverick (our keyboard player) all got our first tattoos in South Beach, Miami at 4am to remember the occasion!

U&A - Which Beatles era is your favourite to perform?

PJ - The best section of the show for me is the Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour section. This reflects the band circa 1967, when they were experimenting a lot in the studio with effects, orchestration, arrangements, lyrics, etc. This is why it’s so good to play live, because essentially some of it is difficult and challenging. The early stuff is great and lively, real rock n roll, but the Pepper stuff is intricate and really takes some time getting right, so when it works it’s great and very rewarding!

Catch The Cavern Club Beatles at The Cavern Club, Liverpool every Saturday night at 8.00pm
and find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheCavernClubBeatles


This interview was originally printed in Up&Atom magazine, Issue 3 (May 2014). 
Images used by permission, © The Cavern Club Beatles & The Cavern Club, Liverpool. 
Big thanks to The Cavern Club Beatles and Nick Robinson from The Cavern Club, Liverpool. 

Find Chelsea Beatle Boots here -
The boots worn by The Cavern Club Beatles are Madcap England Outlaw, Casbah and Lightfoot Boots and Delicious Junction Beatle Boots.

A Pocket Full Of

Dean West: It had been a dream of Liam’s for sometime, to create a clothing brand that reflected his personal style. He always knew what it would be called (the name, taken from the track on The Jam’s Sound Affects, means money), designed the logo, taking his inspiration from The Beatles Rubber Soul album and set about gathering a team of like minded people together to help make it happen.
We started with a small collection based on the outfits worn by the kids in Ethan Russell’s photo book from The Who’s Quadrophenia album; a parka, a striped boating blazer, a Harrington, the target t-shirt. So with a core of traditional British street clothes, still at the heart of every collection, we’ve developed and grown those same looks into the broader brand offer you see today.

U&A: There’s several elements to the Pretty Green range, including limited edition collections. What’s the inspiration behind these ranges? Can you give us some inside info on future ranges?!

DW: We’re an extremely music obsessed bunch at Pretty Green and music is always at the heart of every collection. Pretty much every piece you see can be tracked back to an authentic link with the world of rock and roll. Our eponymous Lennon Jacket is based on the ones worn by The Beatles at their Shea Stadium gig in America, ’65. A print based on the embroidery on George Harrison’s kaftan in ’68, that jacket Keith Richards was wearing in the photo of him in a scuffle outside the Speakeasy in ’70, the graphic from the t-shirt Keith Moon was wearing in his incredible solo at Hammersmith Odeon in ’72. There’s so much we draw from. The embroidery on next seasons desert boots for instance is John Lennon’s guitar strap from The Beatles last live performance on the roof of Apple in Savile Row in ’69.

U&A: Pretty Green is a complete menswear brand with clothing, footwear and accessories in it’s range. What exciting pieces can we expect to see added to the range going forward?

DW: Well, we’ve really expanded the footwear offer, from 9 styles to about 50, so that’s very exciting. The tailoring collection is coming along very nicely thank you. The Theme collection next season is all about Abbey Road and the album cover artwork of Storm Thorgerson. We’ve taken the giant pig seen floating above the Battersea Power Station on the cover of Pink Floyd’s Animals album and used it as the collection motif, but we’ve embellished it with black and white stripes representing the famous zebra crossing outside Abbey Road studios.

U&A: You’ve been with Pretty Green from it’s inception, but what did you do before tackling this project?

DW: I’ve been working in fashion since I was very young. My Nan was a seamstress in Soho and my Dad, who trained at Simpsons of Piccadilly, made leather jackets and was proud to include Apple, the Beatles’ clothes store in Baker Street amongst his customers. I’ve had many roles over a long and happy career, from an international buying director for a key independent to creating and opening stores for brands in Tokyo, taking in retailer of the year, export manager at Ted Baker and working in a tannery in Mumbai along the way. Pretty Green feels like the role I was working towards the whole time though, to be honest. I love every minute!

U&A: What’s your favourite Pretty Green piece? Is there anything you’d like to add to the range?

DW: My personal favourite is the Fool On The Hill Overcoat from the second collection. It was a beautiful re-imagining of a British military coat from the mid 1800’s. We made it in the original fabric, a 900 gram cavalry twill, so dense it could apparently stop a musket ball at 100 yards and had a domed Pretty Green logo brass button specially cast for it. The half belt at the back and inverted vent gave it a striking flared-out silhouette. Really cool and very 70s rock star!

I’d quite like to do a version of the traditional Perfecto leather jacket. The double breasted, zip front, cinched biker jacket as sported by Brando, Iggy, Sid, etc but as it’s the jacket most associated with the Rockers of the 60s I’m not sure how well it would be embraced by our loyal mod followers!

U&A: What’s your personal style?

DW: I dress to fit my mood really, but I have a real passion for Japanese raw selvedge denim and only ever wear dark jeans, with a t-shirt and leather jacket ideally, but even to weddings, funerals and events with a tailored jacket. Now I’m an older gentleman, I would love to have a Savile Row made to measure suit and a Crombie overcoat, one day!

U&A: What’s next for Pretty Green?

DW: We have a few stores opening over the next few months and a really exciting collaboration launching later this year. (If I tell you, I’d have to kill you though!) Personally I’ll be concentrating on taking the brand a little further afield and into the global market place as my next step. Onwards and upwards!

U&A: Now for a question we always like to ask. Do you have an all-time favourite album and/or film?

DW: Soooo hard! Probably Quadrophenia and Clockwork Orange. Or Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On and Goodfellas. Or...

U&A: Finally, we’ve got to sneak this one in before we let you go... What’s it like working with Liam Gallagher?

DW: As Liam once described the original Pretty Green 12 colour paisley... ‘It’s fuckin’ Biblical, man!’


Big thanks to Dean! 

This interview was originally printed in Up&Atom magazine, Issue 4 (Winter 2014). 
Image of Dean and Liam used by permission, © Dean West. 

Look out for the Pretty Green Storm Thorgeson & Abbey Road collection arriving soon. Check out the current range of Pretty Green at Atom Retro here.