News and Inspiring Thoughts

Check out our Autumn 2021 Men's Clothing Collection

August 28, 2021 • Matthew Baines

Super excited to launch this season's Autumn 2021 menswear collection for BillingtonPix! We are all about patterns at BillingtonPix and this year we are focused down on 90s retro vibes. Take a look at our men's compression tights and joggers for more detail on the designs we offer. We have a growing collection of clothes, homewares and accessories based around independently created designs that you won't find on the high street. BillingtonPix is a small but fast growing enterprise that seeks to offer more choice to our customers like you. Sweatpants or joggers, whatever you call them, we have you...

Check out our Autumn 2021 Men's Clothing Collection

Is the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 olive green watch a tale of horological obsession?

July 25, 2021 • Matthew Baines

The latest hottest luxury timepiece, the olive green dial 5711 Patek Philippe Nautilus (ref. 5711/1A-014 to be precise) hit the luxury watch market on April 8, 2021. Long long after, that same watch was spotted for sale in the secondary watch market (aka the grey market) in a promotional video for the Antiquorum auction house in Monaco. The furore that happened next will amaze you.

Memories of a School Ski Trip to La Polsa Italy

June 28, 2021 • Matthew Baines

One memory that has always stuck with me was a family holiday of sorts, piggy-backing on a school trip, to La Polsa ski resort in Italy. Slightly embarrassing I suppose as my parents were the only parents who came along. They seemed oblivious to it at the time, and to be fair I was only about 10 or 11 years old. Still, it involved a plane and a new sport that I hadn't until that point undertaken.

Memories of a School Ski Trip to La Polsa Italy

What does 'Hove Actually' actually mean?

June 20, 2021 • Matthew Baines • social history • t-shirts

You might ask where exactly does the term "Hove, actually" come from? It often heard in Hove and by people of Hove and is a great source of amusement, with, perhaps a little bit of snobbery mixed in. I first came down to Hove in 1993, when my best friend moved down there from Aberdeen (yes, that was quite a move, actually!). It was a gorgeous summer and we would often take the open top bus onto the (grassed) Hove sea front and wander along the painted beach huts to look at the view. Once in a while we would...

What makes retro so awesome?

June 5, 2021 • Matthew Baines • contemporary retro

Why are some folks drawn to retro or vintage style whilst others prefer brand spanking new and cutting edge design? We see retro style in all areas of life, whether that be homewares, clothing, stationery or even personal accessories such as phone cases or tote bags. What is it that makes the retro aesthetic so alluring to some?

Are Patterned Leggings in Style in 2021?

May 18, 2021 • Matthew Baines • fashion • leggings

Leggings were always seen as a halfway house between pyjamas and trousers. Then, with the arrival of jeggings and different fabric thicknesses and flexibilities, we entered a whole new ball game. Patterned workout leggings in the sense of the gym and the yoga class are always a great gig. My suggestion here is that you can really allow to let yourself go when it comes to bold colours and loud colourful patterned yoga pants. For day wear, however, we might need a few style tips.

Sonia Delaunay: Businesswoman and Living Work of Art

May 8, 2021 • Matthew Baines • graphic design • Sonia Delaunay

When you are married as a woman to an artist husband in the early 20th century, your destiny is rarely one of longevity from your own art. But become practical, commercial and self-promoting and you might be remembered. Sonia Delaunay: Elevated applied arts to the same level as fine art.

Sonia Delaunay: Businesswoman and Living Work of Art

Alexander Girard - Modernist Graphic Designer

April 26, 2021 • Matthew Baines • alexander girard • graphic design • mid century modern

To summarise Alexander Girard in one word, I would say color. I would then say that he was also a follower of Mid-Century Modern ideals but at the same time a traditionalist who was able to soften the edges of Modernism to produce design that was unique amongst most of his contemporaries and so timeless that his work is still sold today.

Alvin Lustig - Graphic Designer

April 23, 2021 • Matthew Baines • Alvin Lustig • graphic design • mid century modern

Alvin Lustig is best known for his book covers, but he also worked on his own modular typeface in 1939 entitled Euclid, always following his principles of simplicity and geometry. He also worked with Paramount Furniture to create the Lustig Chair, circa 1950. I talk about the Alvin Lustig book covers and how he invoked a subjective interpretation to Mid Century Modern graphic design.

Saul Bass: Best Graphic Designer of 20th Century?

April 22, 2021 • Matthew Baines • graphic design • mid century modern • Saul Bass

Saul Bass was a man of his time, designing in a minimalist mid-century modern style that often reduced the essence of his subject down to the abstract idea in both his movie posters and his film title sequences.