At the start of this new episode, we will review 5 optical frames and 5 sunglasses each month. The aim is to pick out some of the trends, and products with a special design, feature or technical attribute that we believe meet our goal in this “quest” for the best eyewear and sunglasses from around the world. Our aim is not to overload our readers – but to create a personal selection of individual pieces which we believe are representative of our times, unique in their features and absolutely worth a peep if you are into eyewear, sell glasses or sunglasses, or if you simply want to find a style for yourself that stands out from the crowd. We are fastidious about recommending quality designs. We are also pleased to hear other views and experiences so please feel free to contact us with any thoughts. Our other stories are about all kinds of subjects linked to eyewear: shops we have discovered on our travels, trends that are coming up; new gorgeous accessories; fabulous kid’s products; click on our Editorial Calendar for more…
A quest for the best eyewear
Sports choice
Vuarnet revival
An interesting new partnership, Vuarnet is now part-owned by Alain Mikli. The brand has been revamped and promises sports edge and serious design, with new technical activity-specific lenses including Citylynx, a lens offering visual comfort for town and city, and Skilynx, for winter sports and particularly skiing. Vuarnet by Mikli is available from 2011, and whilst a number of the styles are perfect for the slopes, the range also offers some very wearable designs for winter sun in the city.
And of course, Vuarnet Vintage styles are going to be in fashion for their wonderful classic shapes and French “flavour”. It’s a brand that has a strong heritage and has earned, without doubt, a prestigious place in sunglass design history.
Decorative art
Vera Wang Spring/Summer sunwear 2011
The Vera Wang sunwear collection launched for the S/S season exhibits great elegance. There is an emphasis on decoration, as expected from the bridal designer who has created dresses for many female celebrities including Jennifer Lopez and Sharon Stone.
Each frame in this collection boasts stone clusters, golden accents and Swarovski crystals. Inspiration has been drawn from Wang’s jewellery range to bring an exquisite luxury to the sunglasses. Colours are subtle and feminine, with shades of merlot, iris and cabernet predominating. www.verawang.com CN
Céline eyewear collection
by Phoebe Philo
The Celine collection is attracting some serious attention from the fashion press, owing to British designer Phoebe Philo’s involvement…but also the line has some strong, gutsy vintage shapes such as the one pictured, with clever oversized proportions which give it the glamorous yet edgy feel. And of course the look works impeccably well with the masculine chic theme of some of the images in the shoot. Apparently it’s sold out in Browns in London so good luck if you’re on a hunt for these. Anyone who’s got one and wants to send us a picture, we’d love to see how it looks….unfortunately I’ve not had these in my hands but would love to see what the details are like, the retail price in the UK is “from £180″.