March 2016

Contemporary Art in New York

An intriguing exhibition – featuring a group of Contemporary Artists –  opens Friday 1st April in New York City in trendy TriBeCa. Painting, sculpture, and installations will feature in the event, with contributions by individualistic, international artists. The cultural diversity of the participants brings fresh, original perspective to each presentation. The event is held in collaboration with shhhim (www.shhhim.com) which encourages and supports artists in promoting their work. Mixed-media artist and sculptor Constance Chabieres has been involved with art programmes for UNICEF in Asia and Africa. Her work is inspired by nature, colour, light, street style and people on the streets. Movement and rhythm highlight her creations, including the bronze sculpture above. www.chabrieres.net

BORDERLESS by Sara Badr Schmidt
BORDERLESS by Sara Badr Schmidt

Swedish/Lebanese Sara Badr Schmidt is presenting a work that she began ten years ago and continues “as a work in progress”, says the Paris-based artist. The concept is to show the limits of borders, but also the enrichment that different cultures compound. Borderless – the title of the installation project – are photos printed on canvas and mounted on light boxes, with some enhanced by a sound track. www.sarabadrschmidt.com

Painting by Lebanese/Jordanian artist Rafik Majzoub
Painting by Lebanese/Jordanian artist Rafik Majzoub

Among other artists exhibiting are Jerry Atkins, Sami Basbous, Rafik Majzoub and Brett Wallace. The exhibition continues through 18th April at 481 Washington Street, New York City 10013. Tel: +1 917 621 63 89. JG

Spectacles en Fourrures

Rule-breaking continues to add flavour across the catwalks; some say the appeal of the obscure and the fantastical is very much a part of a new mood of individualism. Popping out of this new wave, the ‘Spectacles en Fourrures’ are a study in unusual pairings, produced in a collaboration between Soho Bespoke and couture fur house, Corbin Paris – www.corbinparis.com – and inspired by surrealist artist Meret Oppenheim’s Dejeuner en Fourrure (MoMA NYC) and Picasso’s love of all things fur trimmed.

Handmade in England, the design is available as a bespoke piece to order via Soho Bespoke’s Charlie Ingham, in a choice of exclusive materials including black Orylag. Ingham, who gave Eyestylist a preview of the new design at the Century Club last week, is the founder of London’s exclusive made-to-measure eyewear service – www.SohoBespoke.co.uk – producing handmade rare acetate and buffalo horn designs using traditional spectacle-making techniques.

LAMARCA EYEWEAR
DIFFUSER Tokyo
MOREL
OGI Eyewear
GIGI STUDIOS
JISCO

For more information and to view the Soho Bespoke film about their British artisan production, visit www.SohoBespoke.co.uk CN

Sunny Seasonal Sunglasses

Creative liberty, technical expertise, beautiful materials and luscious colours feature prodigiously in eyewear collections. Shapes vary from moderate to voluminous – further enhancing  sunglasses. Blackfin’s S/S collection features clean, sculpted silhouettes, as seen in the above photo. The man wears Blackfin’s Weston BF760 in titanium with gold-mirrored lenses. Panto shaping highlights the women’s frames – Waterhouse BF743. The all-Italian production ensures the finest quality. Discover more from Blackfin at www.blackfin.eu

Soda Pop by Smoke x Mirrors
Soda Pop by Smoke x Mirrors

Brilliant, bouncy and bold – Smoke x Mirrors unites layered acetates and stainless steel with a fun sunglass collection – Soda Pop. Vibrant colours and chic neutrals – such as the black and white sunglasses above – bring an alluring dimension to summer fashions. Additional details about Soda Pop at www.smokexmirrors.com

DAN by Götti Switzerland
DAN by Götti Switzerland

Panto shaping – an eyewear highlight for Spring/Summer is elegantly expressed by Sven Götti at Götti Switzerland. Dan (above) delicately combines retro and modern contemporary styling in ultra-light titanium with flat lenses – sleek, stunning and streamlined. See all the Götti collection news at www.gotti.ch

100% Optical London 24 to 26 February 2024 at Excel London - register for free
LEINZ
Look
Res Rei
MOREL
Orgreen
JISCO
ROLF Spectacles
TAFT by SALT. Optics
TAFT by SALT. Optics

California based eyewear brand SALT. has been shortlisted from the Opticians Award 2016 for TAFT (above) as Best Frame of the Year. Handcrafted in Japan, the double-bridge brings additional distinction  to a design with flair, beauty and harmony. www.saltoptics.com

Eva by Vue dc
Eva by Vue dc

Originality and savoir-faire comprise designs by Christian Mascré and Yolande de Clerq. Retro vibrations, extraordinary production – all crafted in France – bring glamour and excellence to the frames. The frame front in Eva in vanilla acetate (above) is artfully shaped and looks fabulous on the face…also available in other great colours. www.vuedc.fr JG

Fakoshima x Manish Arora

Clashing colour, bindu motifs and rotating lenses…thanks to a sizzling new collaboration between Russian eyewear brand Fakoshima and fashion designer Manish Arora, exotic details are flourishing for 2016. The limited edition launched this month includes five individual styles, inspired by the mood and themes of Arora’s clothing collection, playing with shapes referencing the classic round, aviator and iconic cat eye, in deliberately experimental yet masterful designs.

Drawing on diverse inspiration, including African culture, masks and cowboy ornaments, the result is a giddying mix of colourful frames with gold inlays, eye catching lens hues and truly dramatic forms.

Loft. New York. March 14-17
VAVA Eyewear
ROLF Spectacles
Orgreen
SALT.
Article One
Model...
Cat eye with “bindu” symbol
Aviator with rotating lens
Aviator with rotating lens
A round shape with snake eye slit to enhance the mask effect
Round shape with snake eye slit: enhancing the mask effect

Established in 2012, Fakoshima has achieved notoriety in the world of fashion and eyewear with its conceptual designs created with new technologies and traditional handcrafting. www.fakoshima.com / www.manisharora.com CN

Smoke x Mirrors SM142

A series of statement sunnies by the US label Smoke x Mirrors plays with acetate and clever combinations of colour and shape for instant impact and fashion-led flair. The Sodapop collection includes five quirky shapes: model SM142 layers a circle over a modified softened triangle in silky acetate with an old-world 50s infused pattern similar to mother-of-pearl. Colour combinations offer a welcome solution for the transition into the warmer Spring days: as well as a pretty grey/white pairing (above), find exclusive tortoise with a bright pop of yellow and super soft pale pink with white. For full details visit www.smokexmirrors.com CN