Category header

LDS 09

1st February 2012

Lucas De Staël, Paris

Founder of Paris based spectacles company Undostrial, Lucas de Staël has launched his own eponymous label, after two years of detailed research and development. The designs in the first collection, Once Upon a Time, play with organic materials such as wood and leather, placed together with cold stainless steel. As the designer explains, “As if worked by a silversmith, the frames perfectly balance flexibility and lightness, classicism and purism. Each frame is comfortable and as pretty as a jewel!” I saw these for the first time in Munich last month and found them very exciting in terms of the way in which the two types of material, organic and metal, are combined….11 shapes, 7 leather colours and 5 wood options are available. www.lucasdestael.com CN

LOFT Santa Monica Show October 16th and 17th

MIDO 6-8 February 2027. Welcome to Eyewearland

Boutiques

Selima Optique

1st February 2012

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.

selima-optique-andy-frames-1 — Andy Warhol Frames by Selima Optique

“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

Category header

Oscar Magnuson

1st February 2012

237 and the concept of identity

1st February 2012 Clean, pared-down sophistication is the central theme of Swedish designer Oscar Magnuson new line, 237, an adventure in acetate where we see only the essentials, pure lines and evocative, transparent colours. In conversation in Munich last month, Magnuson explained how the collection came about during a visit to 237 Eldridge Street Manhattan, New York, the address of Eldridge Optician Galleries, where he has collaborated with gallerist Rodrigo Mallea Lira of Fruit & Flower Deli.

OM_optic_low — Colour for men, 237 collection

“The 237 collection focuses primarily on optical pieces, produced in high-quality Italian acetate, featuring a new feeling. My idea was to really investigate how simple I can make a frame and still preserve our expression. In the past I have worked with some more elaborate, complex shapes where I have designs making use of different thicknesses. In these 237 styles I wanted to use thinner frames of around 1.8mm, while also preserving the tiny variations or nuances in the expression of the design. Just half a millimetre can make such a difference to how a frame looks on a face. I wanted the frames to be distilled to the minimum making them easy to wear, while resulting in a strong expression but without taking over the face.

Would you say you are using signature colours? ” Generally I like to work with transparencies. I am using purple a lot in different ways. Dark purple for men is something I have explored; a transparent purple doesn’t become as heavy as a solid black, it works very well; it is interesting. I am also using the yellow which for me signals creativity and integrity. I thick I saw an interesting old guy in Paris wearing this specific yellow, it really has an extra edge and it looks creative in a sublime way.”

Can you give us an idea of the direction of men’s frame styling this year? “What has changed in my collection is that we are moving towards smaller, more rounded shapes for men. Two years ago we were doing much wider or squarer shapes. Today I am working on a bit more subtlty and designs that are not quite as wide on a man’s face.

Explain how you are inspired? “I don’t really find inspiration in physical objects. I am inspired by personalities and historical or fictional characters. For example, one of the frames here is based on the Swedish architect, Nils Strinning who designed the String Shelf, a Swedish design classic. He used to wear acetate specs so I have picked up on this and looked at his work in this context. We also have a model named after William Burroughs, which has come really through my connection with the artist and poet Karl Holmqvsit and influences of the beatnik culture.

My background is as an industrial designer. I am into the technical issues of making frames correctly and solving the unique problems in spectacle design, as well as being creative and expressing myself. I am also closely connected to the art world, and in my early career I was involved in sculpture and painting. What I have found is a way to marry my interest in art and concepts and ideas, and the creation of the product.

We started to work with Rodrigo Mallea Lira of Fruit & Flower Deli in New York some years ago and he has become my muse. He has inspired me to look at identity and alter egos in the context I am working in. Our work with him led to the creation of the fictitious optician “Eldridge Optician”, and the character Orlando Marina Young. Today Eldridge Optician has become the umbrella concept for the collaboration between Oscar Magnuson and Fruit & Flower Deli. In the optical world, we use it as the “Optician”, and play with that concept, while in the art world it is an art project representing what Rodrigo is working on.

What connects us with Rodrigo is I have come to like storytelling through the frames, and giving the frames names that are not just names that I picked randomly – they are names that for that time reflect what I am doing or thinking. We believe this gives an extra expression of what our values are. We have turned our product into a story, and something that has a meaning behind it.

Pinpoint your design philosophy? “I believe that whatever product you design, it is the references you put into the object that create the object. As human beings we read every object that we use, depending on our memory and what we see and what we touch.”

Oscar Magnuson spectacles are available at Selima Optique in New York. CN

www.oscarmagnuson.com

Category header

Arcadia

1st January 2012

Entourage of 7

I enjoy finding new labels, and while I haven’t yet worn one of these or had the chance to see the whole line, I am very pleased it has appeared on my desktop. Arcadia is topping my wishlist for 2012…this is a bold thing in red, the slightly articulated, angular design is modified from a 60s cat shape with a lovely deep lens, and it bears no decoration or emblem which seems to serve it very well indeed. If you want your sunnies to combine a very trendy shape for 2012, and preserve a touch of vintage chic and handcrafted originality, this is a style we recommend. Made from Japanese zyl, the frame has top quality, durable 5 barrel hinges and double gradient AR backside coated lenses for a high-level UV protection. The brand Entourage of 7 is located in Los Angeles, and is run by two Danish eyewear designers, Rikke Brogaard and Jakob Talbo, who love 50s and 60s Danish design, and L.A.s laid back style, which is caught in the frames through the choice of warm, playful colours. Frames to look out for. www.eof7.com CN

Category header

Face à Face Paris

1st January 2012

Architectural Influences by Pascal Jaulent

1st January 2012 A timid winter sun is attempting to flow into the large windows that surround the spacious offices of Face à Face in Paris, where I meet Pascal Jaulent, President and Art Director. He greets me with a warm smile, much brighter than the reluctant winter sun. Jaulent is one of the founders who created Face à Face Eyewear in 1995 (Nadine Roth is Vice President and Marketing Director; designer Alyson Magee left to create her own company.) “What is so interesting about the past fifteen years, is the way that business has evolved. France, America and Canada are our most important markets, then Germany, and Great Britain, which is surprisingly close to the French outlook. Then there is Austria, with its tradition of frame manufacturing, and it has curiosity and enthusiasm – very different than the German market. They speak the same language, but it is a different culture. What is fascinating are the developing markets – Brazil, China, Russia.

“I have a financial background, and it has morphed into design, although I have always loved architecture. That is something that I shared with Alyson Magee. The basic principle of Face à Face has always been architecture, and now we also combine fashion with shapes and colours – it is very artful. When designing frames, it is important to pay attention to design, but also fashion trends. Frames are a personal object or accessory that has to be connected to fashion trends.

Face a face_Senso1_col2015 — Senso by Face à Face

“Fashion moves quite rapidly and we have to adapt. We see a big difference in the acceptance of frames – people want more exclusive, artful designs. My work now is concentrated on the eyebrows as sculptures. I want to create bold and different. It’s a way to express and communicate the collection, and to stay avant garde. Women, especially, want to be à la mode, and up to date. My ideas come from everywhere. Sometimes I see a piece of furniture, like the Dali Sofa, which was the inspiration for the “Lips” sunglasses.”

Jaulent’s latest collection includes sunglasses in acetate and elegant fabrics, including silk and cotton. The Royal Stewart Collection, featuring the signature tartan of the House of Stewart, is a throwback to the 1970’s. “Tartan has rich decorative elements: it’s not new, but it’s timeless. We’ve had lots of global interest in this collection. I would also like to work in rubber and concrete (materials that relate to Jaulent’s inherent love of architecture) and use unexpected materials. I like to play with light, and use metallic inserts. Nature inspires me – leaves and petals.

Face a Face_Calas2_col222 — Calas by Face à Face

“There are many more collections now than a few years ago. Frames are a personal expression, and the attention that people are paying to frames is a growing, positive trend. I want customers to say ‘this is beautiful, and my eyes smile’. I like to make people look beautiful in their glasses.” www.faceaface-paris.com JG