10th November 2011 Eyestylist.com’s Art Director Helen Bratby has just returned from a weekend in Madrid, and took some pictures for us of the very special Optica Toscana. It’s one of the stores in Europe that is always being mentioned to us for its style and atmosphere and incredible selection of specs. The old-fashioned flagship shop (above) is a former seed store full of tiny old wooden drawers, bursting with exciting-looking frames. Blasts of colour are dotted around the wood displays.
The main shop is very buzzy and full of people (not just at weekends), and it’s in an atmospheric regenerated shopping area.
Owner Antonio Lopez, explains further: “Our shops are designed for those with an interest in design and aesthetics, who see spectacles as an important part of their identity, for themselves. We have a wide selection of collections; they include Anne et Valentin, Barton Perreira, Cutler and Gross, L.G.R., Francis Klein, Rapp and Leisure Society and many others. We do well also with the buffalo horn by Ralph Vaessen.”
Why is the store a trendsetter? “We are coherent, we stick to our preferences and tastes when choosing frames, and we work closely with our suppliers bringing a wide choice of complete collections, the best from around the world, to our customers.
“We have opened a second store in Ayala because we saw a demand for our frames in another part of Madrid! Designed by the architects Maroto and Ibañez, this shop is completely different and modern, but we believe it shares the essence of who we are.” CN
Optica Toscana, Hortaleza 70, 28004 Madrid
Optica Toscana, Ayala 34 28001 Madrid
Photography by Helen Bratby www.helenbratby.co.uk
