Joan

Autumn Eyewear Escapades…

25th September 2014

Begin here at Eyestylist, with an international optical tour throughout the month of innovative and imaginative frames to be presented at the Paris shows. Glasses and sunglass designs radiate superb styling, amazing colours and fabulous shapes. Click on all our sections – Reviews, Boutiques, Designer of the Month, and City Guides – for eyewear, fashion and cultural discoveries.

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Scene Stealers

25th September 2014

Frames That Command Attention

25th September 2014 What is going to be in optical boutiques in the coming months? Some of the most original, beautiful and innovative eyewear that we have the pleasure to see in Paris starting today. International eyewear designers bring their personal inner “vision” and creativity to frames, and the results are stunning. Netherlands based Susanne Klemm at Suzy Glam has created “Goes Bananas” – Limited Edition sunglasses with slick edginess and flat lenses. Handcrafted in Italy, Suzy Glam frames express chic individuality, with amazing attention to detail. www.suzyglam.com

Theo in Belgium loves red – it’s a favourite colour featured in the collections. Mille+13 is a great example in thick acetate with sharp, defined edges, and lots of beautiful hand polishing. The frame front has two different finishes – the upper part is shiny, and the bottom has a wooden look. Bigger and bolder is the message at Theo! www.theo.be

The ghostly beauty of the sea and its myriad of morphological characteristics influenced the new RIGARDS signature finish: Plastron. Designer Ti Kwa and his team improved traditional horn equipment and developed their own prototype hand tools, which enabled the creation of a crude, alien texture on the horn. The result is a unique design that symbolizes protecting the eyes from elements of the outside world. www.rigards.com

Tilman Sun by Shane Baum - Leisure Society — Tilman Sun by Shane Baum – Leisure Society

Leisure Society’s new campaign – The Deep Serene – continues designer Shane Baum’s dedication to escapism as the ultimate form of leisure. To celebrate there are elegant new designs including Tilman Sun, named after the English Mountaineer Bill Tilman, who is known as the greatest explorer of the 20th century. The ultra-light design is made of pure gold-plated titanium on the front and temples. www.leisure-society.com www.silmoparis.com JG

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Eyewear Gems!

23rd September 2014

Show Time Arrives in Paris

23rd September 2014 Paris is buzzing with anticipation as the city hosts numerous fashion events this week. Eyestylist has “eyes” on frame shapes that are bold and voluminous, colours both classic and vivid, and materials with a mix of classic and the unexpected. Luxury and opulence highlight Anna-Karin Karlsson’s collection. The Swedish designer’s philosophy is “more is definitely always more” at The House of Karlsson. When Trouble Came To Town (above) is ultra sophisticated in cut-out acetate. Indulge yourself! www.annakarinkarlsson.com

Clara by Sven Götti - Götti Switzerland — Clara by Sven Götti – Götti Switzerland

Gracefully feminine and elegant, Clara by Sven Götti is masterfully crafted in acetate and Titanium, and the top bar features a smooth matt epoxy finish. The Swiss-designed frame is a symphony in combining traditional design aspects with modern technology. www.gotti.ch

LGR goes Hollywood! The chic frame Alexandria, designed by Luca Gnecchi Ruscone, is the main accessory worn by Kirsten Dunst in the forthcoming Hollywood film “The Two Faces of January.” A vintage spirit highlights the honey acetate frame, with slightly upturned temples and delicate green lenses. “The Two Faces of January” opens in America on 26th September, and in Italy at the end of October. www.lgr-sunglasses.com

Intuition, imagination and cheerful colours characterise eyewear designs by Alyson Magee. The latest collection demonstrates the DNA signature details that are uniquely Alyson Magee. Volume is keynote in Nicoll with a larger, more daring shape, and a beautifully sculpted temple tip finished in smooth acetate. Luscious coral/red acetate brightens the day! www.alysonmagee.com www.silmoparis.com JG

Arts + travel

Eyewear and an Avant-Garde Art Collector

20th September 2014

Safilo Celebrates Anniversary and Peggy Guggenheim

20th September 2014 The launch of a new limited edition of the legendary glasses worn by Peggy Guggenheim celebrates the 80th anniversary of Safilo. Edward Melcarth, an American artist and friend, originally designed the sunglasses for Guggenheim. She traversed Venice’s Grand Canal in her private gondola, wearing the eccentric sunglasses surrounded by her beloved dogs. Peggy Guggenheim was the last private gondola owner in Venice, and onlookers were astonished as they watched the charismatic mistress of modernism float along the canal that she loved.

Truly Original! Peggy Guggenheim Glasses

Guggenheim was a renowned collector of 20th century art and gave enormous support to artists that included Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock. Her early childhood was marred by the death of her father on the Titanic, in which he perished. She grew up to live an unconventional, bohemian life filled with artists and travel. In the late 1940’s she bought the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni on The Grand Canal, and made Venice her home for the rest of her life. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is located in her former residence. Safilo had already drawn inspiration from Guggenheim’s sunglasses in 1994, when it first produced and distributed its Peggy Guggenheim model. Like the pervious version, the sunglasses are on sale exclusively at the museum.

Peggy Guggenheim in the'barchessa' o fPalazzo Venier dei Leoni with her collection of African sculptures; Venice late 1960's — Peggy Guggenheim in the’barchessa’ of Palazzo Venier dei Leoni with her collection of African sculptures; Venice late 1960’s

Behind the project is the bond that links the Safilo Group to Venice, where the first eyeglasses were born, and capital of the Veneto, the Region where Safilo was established in 1934. Safilo is further celebrating its 80th anniversary by joining the Intrapresae Collezione Guggenheim, a group of leading Italian and international companies that support the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, promoting the education potential of art, with the conviction that art can inspire business to embrace change and to face global challenges. A gala event to celebrate Safilo’s 80th anniversary was held in the Peggy Guggenheim Collection museum’s delightful gardens. www.safilo.com www.guggenheim.org/venice

Top photo: Peggy Guggenheim with her Lhasa Apsos terriers on the terrace of Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Venice 1960’s Photo credits: Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, photo Archivio CameraphotoEpoche, gift Cassa de Risparmio di Venezia, 2005

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Anna Piaggi – Fashion Influential

12th September 2014

Italian Style-Setter – Exuberant and Eclectic

12th September 2014 Anna Piaggi was an Italian journalist, fashion consultant, and iconic style setter with great artistic flair. She loved clothes, and during her lifetime collected over two thousand dresses, and hundreds of pairs of shoes. Her eclectic dress was a mix of vintage design that she collected during her travels, and her own irreverent concepts. She died in 2012. In hommage to this fashion icon, Alessandro De Lorenzo, owner of the ûber chic boutique Boudoir in Venice, collaborated with designer Oscar Mamooi to create fabulous frames in equally fabulous colours. Top photo: Green Grid with mirror pattern lens

Anna Piaggi Spirit by Oscar Mamooi for #Celebration

“I met Oscar last year,” says De Lorenzo, “and he brought me a folder of amazing sketches. Anna Piaggi has always inspired him, so he designed these glasses thinking of her.” The dramatic Italian acetate shape is creatively printed, and sealed with a thin layer of crystal clear acetate. A metal ring holds the lens, and the open side has a nylon string. The Piaggi frames are a true celebration and stylish remembrance of a genuine fashion original. Anna would have approved, and worn them with her inimitable presence. www.boudoir.venice.it JG