Kata
The US label Kata has created a group of frames called Reverse…which is based on the idea of turning the hinge of a frame inside out. By exposing the connection between the titanium and acetate on an inverted hinge, an ordinary design element has been turned into something extraordinary. The Reverse concept appears for two groups of frames; a vintage inspired one, from where we highlight model Reverse 1, this minimal metal style. And a more contemporary series of frames featuring modern rectangles and a semi-rimless design with top bar. Kata Eyewear is a luxury sunglass and spectacle brand from the US, produced by a company called Legacie in the US. In Europe, Kata can be found at the following opticians: in Germany, Private Eye, e.K., Wiesbaden; in Austria, Optik Hopffer, Innsbruck (www.optik-hopffer.at) and in Herisau, Switzerland, try Wuersch Optik. …….CN
In A White Box, Strà, Veneto, Italy
Avant-garde store conjurs up some exciting surprises
There are multifarious reasons to visit Venice – the beauty of the Grand Canal, immortalised by Caneletto, Guardi and other notable painters: the illustrious La Fenice, the opera house intricately woven with Venice’s past, and the splendour of Basilica San Marco, a noble reminder of the city’s Byzantine connection. The amazing history of this region moves inland as well. Creating its own modern day legend is In A White Box, an electric, avant-garde optical boutique in Strà, 30km from Venice. Situated on the gracious Brenta Canal, and fabled for the luxurious Villa Pisani, with its Tiepolo-frescoed ceiling, the town was selected by In A White Box founder, Nico Vettore so as “to enter into a new way of conceiving optics.” This Vettore has accomplished – with a highly original boutique all in white that serves as a backdrop and art form for the 110 square metre shop. The interior is a blank canvas, where frames become precious objects for customers to admire and try on. You may find frames decorously strewn atop a hard-back chair that is swathed in a white sheet. The concept of “surprise” is evident in the surroundings as well as the crème de la crème of eyewear designers – including Oliver Goldsmith, Blue Magic Eye, Dita, Ic! Berlin, Orgreen, Mykita, and Belgian designer Martin Margiela.
If you are in the Venice area, take a side trip to visit this fresh and imaginative optical boutique. The magic of Venice continues inland! JG
Milan
My favourite haunts in the fashion capital
With this edition of Eyestylist, we launch our City Guides section – highlights taking place in various European cities each month that include art, music, and auctions, as well as restaurant and hotel recommendations and other news. This month, we journey to Milan. Often labelled as a bustling industrial metropolis, this doesn’t really do justice to this city and its fascinating history. Throughout the centuries, Milan has experienced great heights, and sunk to ruins, always rising again.
Milan has certainly risen to a major fashion capital, and Italian names are equated with state-of-the art designs in clothing and accessories. Explore the style and shopping delights of Via Montenapoleone, Via della Spiga, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele 11, and Corso Como (noted in Design & Inspiration). For a relaxing break, enjoy a drink or lunch in the charming Corso Como Café, with a menu that offers delicious choices.
Milan Attractions
Three splendid structures are intricately linked with Milan: The Duomo, Teatro alla Scala and Villa Reale. Milan and The Duomo are inseparable – their histories entwined since 1386, the date when construction began. However, it took until the early 19th century to finish this Gothic splendour, when under Napoléon’s dictate, they completed what is now the world’s third largest cathedral. Another exquisite church to visit is Santa Maria delle Grazie, where Leonardo de Vinci’s masterpiece Last Supper is on display.
La Scala
Music and Milan are also synonymous. Teatro alla Scala rose from the site of Santa Maria della Scala, a church built in 1381, and how La Scala was named. The opera house opened in 1778, and for over two hundred years, has attracted the grandest names in operatic voices and conductors, including Arturo Toscanini, to the present Principal Conductor, Daniel Barenboim. This month, the operas performed include Puccini’s Tosca, with Welshman Bryn Terfel singing Scarpia on 6 March. Nab a ticket if you can! Other Tosca dates are 2, 4, 23 and 25 March. Death in Venice, by English composer Benjamin Britten is performed on 27, 29 and 31 March. The Theatre Museum, part of the La Scala building, has a wonderful array of paintings and costumes connected to La Scala’s history, a grand source of information for fashion historians, as well as music lovers. www.teatroallascala.org
Villa Reale,
Art aficionados will revel in the Neo-Classical beauty of Villa Reale, built in 1790, and where Napoleon lived in 1802. Nowadays, this magnificent villa, houses Milan’s Modern Art Gallery. The stunning collection includes superb paintings and sculptures from Canova, Cremona, Ranzoni and others, on display in this beautifully preserved building. The Grassi Art Collection can also be seen here, with paintings by 19th and 20th century artists, including Gauguin, Corot, Van Gogh and Cézanne. The gardens are delightful and well worth a stroll. www.gam-milano.com
Osteria Stendhal, Via Ancona, 1
Clodagh introduced me to this restaurant, and it was an immediate favourite. Now each time that we are in Milan, we have dinner there, joyously throwing caution and calories to the wind, and indulging in tempting Italian specialities. The name is a tribute to Marie-Henri Beyle, better known for his pen name, Stendhal, the writer. Although French born, Stendhal lived in the city and was Milanese at heart. So in a spirited, convivial environment, you can feast on Italian specialities, often with a twist, like pasta with prawns, blue cheese and black truffle. Meat and seafood dishes are lovingly prepared; one of the best is Sicilian swordfish with taggiashe olives. The wine selection offers Italian delights, including the smooth Tuscan wine Col di Sasso.
The garden is the place to lunch or dine during spring and summer. Be sure to book! www.osteriastendhal.it
Hotel Diana Majestic, Viale Piave, 42
The Diana Majestic (pictured at top under title) is my Italian home-away-from-home. I first stayed in the hotel more than twenty years ago, and first impressions are lasting. Sipping a smooth café macchiato in the wisteria-scented garden certainly had much to do with that favourable assessment. However, so did the pleasant rooms, (some overlooking the garden) the very friendly and helpful staff, and the superb service. In 1998, the Diana Majestic was totally renovated, and the good news is that everything that was already great, just got better – rooms with high-speed internet service, a CD player and other gracious amenities. The h club>diana bar is where style setters gather every evening, and the restaurant has, for me, the best, melt-in-the-mouth risotto in Milan. The beds and pillows are sumptuous, so sweet dreams are assured. JG www.sheraton.com/dianamajestic
Canadian Crafts
Spectacle Eyeworks, Vancouver, British Columbia
Milan, 6th March, 2011 When I lived in Canada, memorable artistic moments included the discovery of the country’s Native design. The extraordinary totem poles, particularly outstanding in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, are the inspiration for wood frames by Spectacle Eyeworks. Each frame is crafted from sustainable, certified Canadian maple wood. The frames are amazingly lightweight, as they are placed on a rimless wire mount behind the wooden front piece. Expertly carved fish, miniature Indians and other motifs from authentic totem poles are replicated on the temples, sculpted, and then the wood is polished. The frames truly are a work of art! JG www.spec-eyeworks.com
10 Corso Como
The Skyline Edition
Ørgreen’s Skyline Edition has been introduced into the lifestyle store, 10 Corso Como in Milan this Spring. Owner Carla Sozzani has hand selected the special edition chairs and frames to be exhibited at this well-loved Italian fashion haven. To see further images visit http://10corsocomo-thejournal.com/2011/01/copenaghen-welcome-2/
In October 2010, Ørgreen joined forces with Republic of Fritz Hansen™ to produce a series of special edition Arne Jacobsen Swan™ chairs and eyewear featuring the Copenhagen skyline which appears as a fine laser cut detail along the temples of the frame. The Swan™ leather backed chair carries an elegant detail stitched on the wool front. CN www.orgreen.dk