April 2012

Anna-Karin Karlsson

1st April 2012

Swedish Style Setter and Romanticist

1st April 2012 She radiates the Swedish image – tall, blond, beautiful and talented. Anna-Karin Karlsson is a relative newcomer on the eyewear scene, and in a short period of time, her amazing frames have received international acclaim. We meet at Tranoï, where Anna-Karin is presenting her collection, and she graciously shares her approach to eyewear. “My designs are inspired by beauty and love. My sister will always be an influence on my work, but for my next collection, my great-great grandmother’s art will be part of the designs. The women in my family were real pioneers, and it’s important for me to carry on with that philosophy. I like things graphic and strong – I need to make a story, and it has to have meaning. People want things with a heart – with thought and depth – and I want my designs to live a beautiful, romantic life.

MIDO 6-8 February 2027. Welcome to Eyewearland

LOFT Santa Monica Show October 16th and 17th

SILMO Paris - The Optical Fair. 25th - 28th September 2026

KITTEN NOIR black red leopard 2 — Feline Fantasy - Kitten Noir by Anna-Karin Karlsson

“I know this sounds bizarre, but I’ve actually slept with my acetates, so I can get the feel of them. I don’t like to feel limited, so I dream about what I will do. I work at the pace of five people, and I don’t look at other people’s designs. I have many new ideas, but they are not yet formulated.” When Anna-Karin’s frames arrived at Les Plus Belles Lunettes in Paris, they sold out in a week. Milan, Beverly Hills, and London are also among the stock lists. Music stars love her frames, and Anna-Karin says: “I love the spirit of those girls – girls with dancing hearts. I strive to find beauty, and let it be, let it be. I don’t do trends for people who are scared or don’t know better. I want the designs to live for a long time, not to be disposable, and to make dreams come true!” www.annakarinkarlsson.com JG

Home

Valerie Steele

1st April 2012

Supreme, Sublime Retro Elegance

1st April 2012 Valerie Steele is the acclaimed Director and Chief Curator at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. For over twenty-five years, she has orchestrated stunning and memorable exhibitions at the Institute, as well as authored fourteen books. She is also a fan of Vintage. “I’ve worn glasses since I was eight years old, and my frames are handmade in France for Selima Optique. All my reading glasses are cat’s eye, which I think looks good on my face. I have two pairs of “Jessie” glasses, one in tortoiseshell, and the other in leopard tortoiseshell, and one pair of tortoiseshell sunglasses – all from Selima Optique. Obviously I like tortoiseshell patterns, but mine are NOT real tortoise, they are plastic. When I was 15-25 years old, I wore contact lenses, but now I love my glasses. I’m just glad I can SEE! For my personal clothing style – I am a fashion nun – in black. My favourite designers are Rick Owens, Gareth Pugh, Isabel Toledo, Ralph Rucci, Lanvin, Prada, and CDG. On weekends, I wear mostly J. Crew or Army/Navy.” www.fitnyc.edu JG

Arts + travel

Paris: Portrait of a City

1st April 2012

History of Paris in Iconic Photographs

1st April 2012 Paris is always an alluring and captivating subject for photographers. Now the city’s grandeur and photographic magic has been assembled by one of France’s most distinguished photography connoisseurs – Jean Claude Gautrand. The book includes 500 photographs of Paris, an anthropology of 160 years, and a fascinating voyage of the city. People, places, historical monuments, and everyday objects are captured with discerning eyes, with images from illustrious photographers – including Lartigue, Doisneau, Cartier Bresson, and many more.

There are also images by unknown photographers – people who captured a moment, a scene, a memory – all uniquely Paris. Published by Taschen, the book is available in English, French and German. Paris:Portrait of a City is a beautiful and vibrant tribute to the City of light and love. www.taschen.com JG

Images: Top photo – Copyright Izis Bidermanas merry-go-round in the Jardin du Tuleries, 1950

Photo above: Copyright JH Lartigue The actress La Pradvina in the Bois de Boulogne 1911

Boutiques

Silver Lining Opticians, Soho, New York

1st April 2012

1st April 2012 This is the first place I’d be heading on my next trip to NY. These guys are so well known for their vintage frames and hand picked selection of contemporary styles, and their store showcases their passion for superb eyewear. The shop is run by Erik Sacher, a licensed optician and Jordan Silver, an expert in vintage eyewear. We talked to Jordan about the store and the vintage particularly, which includes iconic sunglasses from the past (this is where Jennifer Aniston bought her vintage Persol Ratti’s last month) and a wide selection of carefully chosen pieces from the 1960s to the 1980s.

Asked to explain the ethos of the store, Jordan explained: “Silver Lining Opticians sells only independent, handmade, contemporary brands and vintage frames. We don’t carry anything with decorative rivets or spring hinges. This limits the frames we can carry, but we put quality and craftsmanship before all else. We are located in Soho and cater to a wide range of people including artists, business people, and celebrities.”

How long have you been specialists in vintage? Do you source your own vintage frames? “We’ve been sourcing vintage since before we opened in 2007. We do source our own frames. Customers see vintage frames as representing something that is rare, and not available for mass consumption and it usually represents better quality.”

You come across as very creative opticians. How do you ensure customers find what they want, vintage or otherwise? “It’s about education. Teaching people what luxury eyewear really is and isn’t. To us it isn’t a logo on the temple.”

Which are your favourite vintage sunglasses for this year? Persol, Vuarnet, Mikli, Balenciaga, and Ray-Ban.

Which trends in new collections are selling well in New York and why is that? “Collections that sell well for us have qualities similar to mid-century plastic frames. They are hand made, hand riveted, and hand polished.

Tell us about your own line and how that came about? “Our own line is a work in progress. We currently produce eight styles exclusive to Silver Lining Opticians. It’s a super fun experience to design based on our tastes in vintage. We have styles we’ve been saving for years to tweak and make our own. We’ll be ramping up production in the coming year to offer wholesale.”

Ray-BanWayfarerIIBS — Ray-Ban Wayfarer II by Bausch & Lomb in black, vintage model available online from Silver Lining

What are your recommendations for buying vintage sunglasses? “Feel the frames. Go into a sunglass store and try on glasses, then try on some vintage, or high quality, non-licensed product. That’s usually all one needs.”

HeliumBlkGF — Silver Lining Opticians, own label. Model Helium in black gloss

Silver Lining Opticians, 92 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012

For the online boutique, visit http://silverliningopticians.com