14th October 2011 I have come across Olga Ljutic-Trentin on my travels recently. Olga opened an optical store in Ontario in August this year. She has succeeded in designing a quirky “destination” store, with statement retro inspired fittings. The shop is stocking lots of brands that eyewear aficionados will love including Claire Goldsmith, Theo, Orgreen and Lindberg and the owner is a true fan of well-designed eyewear.
We were excited to see the sculpture in the shop which was created as an eyewear display, inspired by the orchid, a commission carried out by Jeremy Guy (http://www.jeremy-guy.com/).
www.eyewearbyolga.com
Icons of Men’s Style
10th October 2011 A great book by Josh Sims that came out a little earlier this year…of course we love the cover featuring Gregory Peck in superb shades. A chapter is included on the iconic Ray-Ban aviators immortalised in Top Gun. Other staple men’s garments discussed include the mac, the trench coat, and classic shoes such as brogues, all of which have shaped the way men dress today.
In the UK the book is widely available priced at £19.95. CN
Austrian Designers
Klaus Huber at Robert La Roche
28th October 2011 The next stop on our Austrian eyewear tour is to meet Klaus Huber, designer at Robert La Roche, the iconic brand who has been creating statement frames since the 1970’s. Klaus shares his design philosophy with Eyestylist.
“My inspiration for designs is life – it means that I travel a lot. In doing so, I let myself be inspired by urban life, even by the city I am living in. Vienna gives me a special attitude towards Imperial life, the culture and arts of a modern global city. Coupled with the past, it is a perfect ‘Viennese mélange’ – a Viennese coffee mixture. My approach to design is, as with sculptors, working on mass, which is brought by condensation or rejuvenation, into flowing forms. For me, haptics (the science applying tactile touch), sensation and control, plus interaction with computer application, is very important; facets and sloping areas guarantee a special look. Even the surface of the frame is specially shaped, which requires the best manual skills. We produce in Europe/Japan to achieve optimum quality. But it is getting more and more difficult to obtain the highest standards with competitive prices.
“Of course, I love to work with acetate – it feels silky, soft and warm. It is the kind of material where you can feel the special process in our glasses. I try to take care of Robert La Roche’s heritage. I don’t see myself as a caretaker. I rather want to bring the spirit of the past into the present, and develop it further into the future.” www.robert-laroche.com JG
Daphne Guinness
The Museum at FIT in New York City
1st October She wears 10-inch heels and doesn’t fall over (impressive!); Tom Ford calls her ‘probably the most stylish woman living’; and as a collector of Couture, she has the best. Daphne Guinness has worked, and inspired, some of the world’s greatest couturiers, including Karl Lagerfeld and Valentino, and she was privileged to call the late Alexander McQueen a close friend. An exhibition of her fabulous personal couture collection has opened at the Museum of The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.
More than 100 garments from her collection (Chanel, Dior, Givenchy) are on view, along with films, videos and some of her extraordinary accessories, from Philip Treacy’s hats to Christian Louboutin shoes. Daphne Guinness, on view at The Museum at FIT, provides exciting insight into an original fashion icon. A”must see” if in New York City! Until 07 January 2012. www.fitny.edu JG
Anthony Meima
Meima Eyewear
1st October 2011 Anthony Meima’s original design goal was to create jewellery. The eyewear industry and customers are fortunate that he changed his mind! Once Meima started optical studies, he became intrigued with the creation of frames. “I worked as a Product Manager for Beausoleil and Christian Lacroix, and became fascinated with acetate. Then I started to make my own designs by hand, and bought my own machine, which I had at home, then a second machine! I made prototypes for Chloë and frames for fashion shows.”
This is clearly a man who persists. And that persistence has paid off with his beautiful collections that are sold globally. As we chat in his charming little atelier in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, Meima expresses his passion for design and frames, and particularly his love of acetate. “Acetate is fabulous”, he enthuses, as he spreads a multitude of acetate colorations and gradations on the table, “and I really understand what goes into a pair of frames, and what makes quality frames expensive, because I made my own. The construction of my frames in particular, is quite special, because of the thickness that I like on the temples. What is sad is that it’s more and more difficult to find artisans to make frames like this, young people are not going into this trade.”
Meimas’s collections include ophthalmic and sunglass styles for men and women, with everything handmade in France. Certain styles have a thin strip of crystal in the design, giving the frame a luminous sheen and feeling of light. “I find inspiration everywhere, especially with travel, and people in the streets, or in the bus,” says Meima, “plus, the style and influence of the Bauhaus period is another inspiration. I don’t want to make crazy frames; I like classical shapes with a modern look.”
And this Meima has achieved with grace and elegance. www.meima.fr JG