June 2011

Undostill 18

Undostrial

Part of the fully rimmed Undostill Collection designed by Lucas de Stael, this frame is made of a Swedish stainless steel sheet of just 0.5 mm wide, which is then folded and formed to achieve the perfect balance between comfort and aesthetics. The textured temples are made of silicone and exist in three different patterns, crosses, stripes or lines. They are exchangeable which allows you to modify the appearance of your frame by yourself, a clever touch. The highly flexible memory steel allows you to fold the frame by crossing the temple and locking them together in a closed position. A very practical optical style for fans of minimalist design. Undostrial is a French technology oriented label which takes an interest in the research of materials, colours and shapes, and produces all its frames, unusually, in its Paris workshop. CN

www.undostrial.com

 

Les Plus Belles Lunettes du Monde, France (Paris)

Parisian Eyewear Concept Store

1st June 2011 Just a few steps from the acclaimed Plaza Athénée Hotel, and numerous prestigious fashion boutiques, is the recently opened stylish and stunning Les Plus Belles Lunettes du Monde.  The Who’s Who of frames can be found here in beautiful surroundings – Tom Davies, Alain Mikli, Emmanuelle Khanh, John Vavatos, Linda Farrow, Loree Rodkin by Sama Eyewear, and more. Situated over three floors, the lower level is an eye treatment spa (more on that delightful pleasure in a future edition!), and the building is a classic French structure with gloriously high ceilings, and traditional immense French windows.

 

Les Plus Belles Lunettes, view from window

The ambience is open, fresh and elegant, with frames displayed in spacious conditions that make looking and trying on a real pleasure. Sandrine Da-Costa is the creative, enthusiastic optician and proprietor behind Les Plus Belles Lunettes du Monde.  She believes in not only selling unique eyewear, she also adds: “we sell happiness.” Certainly this boutique, with its graceful atmosphere, offers the complete eyewear experience. If you love eyewear, this is the perfect destination! Les Plus Belles Lunettes du Monde 23,rue François Premier 75008 Paris.  www.lesplusbelleslunettesdumonde.com JG

Trend alert: nude tones

Neutrals are here to stay

1st June 2011 Everyone’s talking about neutrals (in fashion at least)…and that’s for A/W, not just S/S. I have picked out a few of these putty tones as a guideline, but I can’t stress enough that there are a lot of these colours about (some nicer than others) and many of the good examples in eyewear are those that use lovely quality acetates, which are usually produced in Italy, or possibly Japan.  My first (pictured above) is from the Dries Van Noten collection (model 22) in “translucent dirty pink”. There are a few great neutral choices in this sophisticated collection, produced by the glasses company Linda Farrow. We like the translucent finish as well as the subtle flesh tones of this one, plus it’s a great shape.

French label Anne et Valentin is also doing some really elegant pink tones, with this sunglass combo below being a real favourite in their S/S range, as it mixes a transparent nude tone with a bright purple.

 

Sierra 1004, Anne et Valentin

From the German label Mykita, we like the nude/silver combination of Tiago, one of the few metals I have encountered in this colour tone; the frame is a 1960s oversized design with a prominent brow line that transforms into side pieces. It’s a smart, savvy look and it goes the extra mile with the attention to detail…the lens colour beautifully sets off the colour of the frame itself. www.mykita.com If you have seen some great frames using these colour tones let us know, I’d like to find some more of the extra special ones on offer. CN

Tiago by Mykita