Retro is in. In any form these days it seems. When I look at fashion trends I see retro from the 1920’s to the 1980’s popping up in every magazine. Wedding decoration has gone totally retro, and even photography is looking backwards for inspiration.

I love it. Maybe it is just a sign of our times, where our future looks so dismal (poor economy, layoffs, longterm unemployment, lack of retirement funding, social conflicts, the struggle for equality, all top news headlines), so it only seems natural to turn towards a retrospective where life seemed less complicated (of course hind sight is always blurred). But we seem to all want to take the best of the 20th century and celebrate it in an attempt to ease the bitter pill of our futures.

And Paris, being that age old city that holds onto its legacies and promotes its historical monuments as the massive treasures they are, has caught the retro bug. You can find it in many different ways here.

A fun retro bike ride in the capital is a place for Parisians to sport their dandy attitude and flaunt some major old school wheels. Ride Baguette & Berets

RBB 2013 from Benjamin Donadieu on Vimeo.

Another fun retro self indulgence can be found in how we pamper ourselves and take care of our beauty regime, for men and women alike!

Detaille, whom I have written about before, is a retro cosmetics brand that is still standing and still offers that vintage feel but modernized and effective products that are little luxuries and small treasures.

Men can also indulge in something that at one time, quite a long time ago, was a regular ritual for most men : getting shaved at the barber shop. Alain will give you (according to Chéri) the best shave of your life!

There is also vintage for your appetite :

The boutique La Pistacherie that I recently wrote about has a vivid retro style to the store décor.

And, a retro Parisian beer brand, Bière Gallia Paris, has been revived in the past few years and is thriving quite well! I now see it on the menus of bistros and bars all over town.

Or grab a crêpe on the go at an adorable little vintage styled crêpe truck. (Seen near Les Invalides).

Fifties Sound holds a vintage/retro market every year. Make sure to keep your eyes open for the next one. The Oberkampf quater also hosts a retro market (the last one was in May). These markets are cheap for entry and you can stay all day, browse, have a snack, listen to the fun oldies music, chat with other vintage aficionados, and perhaps find the treasure of your retro dreams!

And then of course, there are dozens of fabulous vintage clothing shops in Paris, with some of the best name brand vintage fashion you could image… Dior, Lanvin, Hermès, Chanel… all vintage. One of my favorite shops is the Thanx God I’m a VIP boutique, which now sells some items online!

Also, my friends over at 4 Roues sous 1 Parapluie can be seen driving all over town! I see their brightly colored vintage 2 Chevaux cars bopping happily along on the Parisian streets all the time.

The fabulous ladies over at Do It In Paris have compiled a fun list of retro things in Paris as well. Check it out!

Parisians are crazy for everything vintage, retro and a little old fashioned. But then I am not surprised. This city has a penchant for aesthetics, and these days bygone styles have become all the rage! Hop on the bandwagon… It’s charming and dandy!