Boutiques

Libraries and Books are Inspiration for Boutique

21st March 2012 Literary Paris glows with memorable writers – Marcel Proust, Alexandre Dumas, Honore Balzac, Alfred Musset and Jean-Paul Sartre – to mention a few. Women shine too – Colette, Françoise Sagan, Simone de Beauvoir, and in the 18th century, the often criticised, but highly intelligent and entertaining Madame de Staël. Their works still grace bookshelves – and Kindles – to this day.

So it was this aspect of history – writers, books and libraries – that launched Les Artisans Lunetiers, a charming “bijou” eyewear boutique on The Left Bank – the spiritual home for writers. The shop is the concept of opticians Christian Mathurier and his sister Laure, and features a tantalizing mix of retro and modern frames, including Waiting for the Sun, Lafont, and Beausoleil, among others. The atmosphere is that of a cosy library. If prose – as well as glasses – is your passion, a favourite quote, a little word or line of poetry can be engraved onto the frame temples. The engraving is done on site, in the first floor atelier. Customers are invited to choose their own quote, or avail themselves of noted author’s quotes.  A memorable gift idea! www.lesartisanslunetiers.fr JG

An Italian eyewear adventure

1st March 2012 L’Osservatorio is a must-see for anyone who loves good frames….there are branches in Milan, Finale Ligure, Alassio and Mondovi (pictured above)…of which we have been to the Milan store and warmly recommend it to anyone going to Mido next week. We spoke to Alfio, director at the Milan branch.

“The Milan shop (Corso Porta Ticinese 83), like our other three stores, was designed by the architect Andrea Meirana. The overall design is inspired by Donal Judd, one of the most significant American artists associated with Minimalism. The concept of the shop is not simply to present a window display showing objects, but rather a “lieu” that treasures and protects the unique qualities of the products it presents. The frames are treated as works of art, and that is why they are placed on glass shelves or special fabrics…in a setting that recalls a jewellery display.”

The Milan shop, like our other two stores, stock very exclusive eyewear lines, including Frency & Mercury, Theo, Mykita, Linda Farrow and collaborations, Lunor, Reiz and Retrospecs, among others.

According to owner of the stores, Gabriele Evangelisti: “My philosophy is that the choice of a pair of glasses in our shops does not end with the purchase, the important story that lies behind each object continues even beyond the contact between the frame and the person who chooses it. The frame becomes a part of the personality of the person wearing it, a distinctive mark, an emotion…My dream is to always have more customers that share my passion for eyewear.”

Does the Italian public have an interest in more unusual brands? “We get a very positive response. The mentality in Italy is that many people are conditioned by famous brands. This is mainly because many of the world famous fashion brands are Italian. In the last year the trends have changed and people now are less keen to spend money only for a brand, they look more and more for the quality of a product. Customers today are also more interested in distinguishing themselves from others and looking more original.

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Parisian Haven for Vintage Eyewear

1st February 2012 The Marais district of Paris has a long, aristocratic history with beautiful 18th and 19th century architectural gems- some of the most elegant in the city. On cosy rue Vieille du Temple, a newer gem in the heart of the Marais opened in 1996 – Selima Optique. The original Selima boutique opened in New York City in 1992, but Selima admits she loves Paris. So this chic little haven was opened, run by Selima’s sister and business partner, Aida Abdelouahab, who offers a warm ‘bienvenue’ to the constant stream of vintage eyewear enthusiasts who flock through the doors. The shop is vintage eyewear paradise – original frames share space with fabulous photos, furniture, artefacts and accessories, along with vintage inspired glasses created by Selima. The girls love accesories, so they have designed a collection of great hats, also available in the shop.

“I travel a lot, and I’m always looking and looking,” says Aida, “we like old, new and the future – so do our customers.” ‘Old’ is the original designs sought throughout voyages; ‘new’ is the Selima vintage-inspired creations handmade in France; and the ‘future’ is in combining retro with a few distinctive brands that hold to the high standards of Selima Optique – so you’ll find frame highlights from LGR, Cutler & Gross, Bottega Veneta, RVS by V, and Vic from Switzerland. Selima Optique 46, rue du Vieille Temple 75004 Paris www.selimaoptique.com JG

1st January 2012 Opened in April 2011, Klar has been mentioned and recommended to Eyestylist on a number of occasions in the last months. The shop is, for me, representative of a new wave of independent eyewear shops in Europe, run by opticians who are passionate about the collections they sell, choosing handcrafted collections and small labels to propose to their customers.

Owner of Klar (meaning “clear” in German) Akram Husseini explains how he came to set up the shop: “Darmstadt is my hometown with about 150,000 citizens, just near Frankfurt. I have worked for 14 years as an optician, but it was my dream to have a small independent shop with a selection of frames from all over the world.”

These include, at present, Lunettes Kollektion, L.G.R., Robert La Roche, Kilsgaard, Oliver Goldsmith, Graz, 141 Eyewear, Garrett Leight, Reiz, and the silver aviator with grey lenses and gold aviator with green lenses (very specifically) by military frame specialists, Randolph Engineering.

“The store is like a vintage living room with a warm atmosphere. We reconstructed the whole interior, to create a shop that moves away from the traditional stark and cold optical environment. I chose furniture and a living space that is a reflection of my own taste. I like Danish classics such as Wegner, Juhl and Jalk. The seats are from Grete Jalk (1961), and we have industrial German lighting from E.Bolich The floor is covered in old-school linoleum, which adds a vintage edge and is similar to that used in old-fashioned classrooms. We had a tie display unit from the 1950s converted to display some of the glasses. We designed table tennis racket mirrors which hang on the wall”.

What is your philosophy for how you select frames? “A frame should not disguise a person. A good collection will grow bit by bit …it has to develop slowly. I only buy brands which I really like because that is the best way to offer them to my customers. I prefer the small, independent labels which specialize in glasses. (more…)

Tom Davies Exclusive in Swiss Boutique

9th December 2011 A beautiful river, alpine splendour, a history that dates back to the Neolithic age, and a majestic castle all contribute to the Swiss charm of Thun. The region has exciting 21st century developments too, including the first state-of-the-art optical shop to offer, exclusively, the couture eyewear collection of British designer Tom Davies. The concept is a collaboration between Davies, and Matthias Thomas, owner of Optik Thoma and the Zeiss Vision System Store. “My idea started with the imagination of combining the highest standards in optics, which includes Zeiss devices and lenses, with very high level, well designed, luxury, bespoke frames. I also wanted a stylish décor and furniture. With Tom Davies and Zeiss, we have the most perfect product combination for the high-level customer. The imagination became a reality. We have almost every TD ‘ready-to-wear frames’ plus the Limited Edition collection, the Bespoke Service, and the TD Couture and Natural Horn frames.”

The three level boutique includes a Design Room where customers select the material and style for their frame. When the frame is ready, clients meet in the Portfolio Room to see the design, and discuss any changes or details. All of these service are offered in luxurious surroundings of oak floors and leather chairs, while the wood furniture was made in Hungary, and painted seven times to get a super shine.”The gold mirror (visible in the photo below) we found in Germany and it’s dated 1883.

“We also offer classes for customers who are interested in the whole aspect of frame design and who want to be more involved. There are classes for three to five people, and sometimes these workshops are very funny. (more…)