This paper traces the notion of "retro" back to its theoretical origins in European semiotics, and in particular to the works of De Saussure, Baudrillard, and Derrida. It is shown how the notion represents a "simulation of history as style" for Baudrillard. Concrete examples of a "red retro" fashion in contemporary China show how communist "icons" are vacated of their historical meaning and are employed as pure style without ideological significance.