retrophilia
n. An intense attraction for things of the past.
Other Forms
Etymology
Examples
2002
If trying to relive the 1960s were a crime, there wouldn't be enough jail space to hold all the duly convicted guitar-pop bands. Still, there is something particularly brazen — and boring — about the retrophilia saturating Teenage Fanclub's new CD, a collection of jangly midtempo ditties that nod unabashedly to The Beatles, The Byrds and any number of less iconic groups from the era of mods and moptops.
—Elysa Gardner, “Caress a Jaguar, experience Religion,” USA Today, January 29, 2002
1987 (earliest)
Just when you thought it was safe to start shopping in specialist shops again, George Davies has opened a Next department store in Kensington High Street. With Next's various outlets on virtually every street corner, the big question is whether it will work. some style pundits have already compared it to Biba — true, the interior does smack of retrophilia — but with Davies's enthusiasm, we'll all be kitted out there for the next couple of years.
—“Quick Look,” The Times, May 31, 1987