Clodagh and I recently spent a leisurely afternoon discovering and admiring frames from the Lesca collection. The company is a vintage specialist, and we loved seeing the gorgeous designs, in wonderful materials, handcrafted with the finest details. Just right for summer are these creamy satin acetate sunglasses, beautifully moulded into a distinctive shape. The fit is superb, and the high quality lenses provide excellent sun protection. www.lescalunetier.com JG
Our choice of fashionista styles would not be complete without a bold Lasry statement design such as Milfy in tortoise. I saw some of Lasry’s styles recently in Dover Street Market and was reminded of the silky finish of the acetate used and the fact that the designer loves bold statement colour, but also makes some very classy more understated colour combinations that have lasting appeal. A label that’s adored by the glitterati and that sticks by the tradition and quality in designer eyewear. www.thierrylasry.com CN
We’ve raided the Archives of designers who are recognised for their vintage originality and retro spirit. Vintage designs always reveal dandies and delights, like Yang in metal and acetate, created by Barbara McReynolds and Gai Gherardi for l.a.eyeworks. Yang was introduced in 1988, however, the really great ones always feel immediately modern….and Yang is one of them. www.laeyeworks.com JG
Sven Götti designs eyewear that is the epitome of Swiss beauty and precision. The new keyhole acetate collection favours strong shapes with elegant thin rims. Character and noblesse are evident in the keyhole bridge, and the hand-polished acetate is available in several exciting colour combinations. Above left, purple mates with a sunny yellow interior, and solid black (front image) is forever chic. Other colour combinations include Havana, plus marine blue and turquoise -the latter two with bright yellow interior accents.www.gotti.ch JG
Götti has just launched an amazing, refined and elegant selection of Buffalo horn frames. The crafting is superb – characteristic of Sven Götti and his innovative eyewear collections. Nature provides the most luxurious materials, and Buffalo horn is an ideal raw material for exclusive frames. Maple and walnut are also integrated into the frame, and the result is a gorgeous design with natural sheen, beautiful texture and strength. Balou (above) with its round shape and natural qualities is a creative symphony in frame design. www.gotti.ch JG
Another brightly toned collection of nicely produced spectacles, this time from one of our favourite Danish labels, Kilsgaard. The styles in this range are clean and simple and made of a combination of aluminium and acetate, a bit unusual but lovely and light and robust when it comes to wear and tear. As Jacob Kilsgaard has explained to me in the past, the aim is for tech solutions that are really elegant. This is one of the colours that will take 2013 by storm! See the collection at www.kilsgaard-eyewear.com and see our previous editorial at www.eyestylist.com/2012/08/model-39-10/. CN
Nile is one of the optical styles in L.G.R.’s new spectacles collection, which we have seen in full last month. This collection ranks very highly…the acetates are classical and yet have a subtle modern feel about them – this grey marbled version is extremely appealing. I also picked out this model because of its angled eye shape which underlines the handcrafting (and love of craftsmanship) that has gone into this product. A fine product that offers something quite different from the ordinary and mass produced. CN
The new Theo collection is a colour and design feast, especially this wonderful Houndstooth pattern , which takes its inspiration from the textile pattern. From Theo’s Eye-Witness selection, the design above is crafted with an exotically extended eyebrow, that is beautifully avant-garde, and the free-spirited colour has real zip. This luscious lime green tone is so cool – and so are the other colours – rich burgundy, raspberry, and a deep blue – distinctively Theo! www.theo.be JG
A super little cat’s eye shape is always a lovely idea for the winter and this style sums up how adorable this design can be. I like the pretty moulded line of the upper front, and the choice of a classic red, which can be a top one (sometimes unexpectedly) for many skin colours. It is a smallish frame, but full of character. Try it and see! www.emmanuellekhanhparis.com CN
The Jono Hennessy brand always serves up an uplifting choice of seasonal, on-trend colours. Model 8253 has a soft classic shape enlivened with positive colour choices that will bring a flash of brilliant brightness to the face. The tonal combinations include a transparent crystal with bold blue, classic tortoise with soft jade green and orange with a pearly neutral. If you are wearing run-of-the-mill and you try these on, you are going to experience something quite special! Find out more about this Australian spectacles label at www.jonohennessy.com CN
This season, the Danish brand Kilsgaard has caught my eye because of its fresh colour schemes in metal. The frames I have seen are in block tones of red, emerald green and turquoise, sometimes paired with tortoise arms and sometimes in full colour. It’s a very uplifting collection, partly because of the injection of positive colour and partly because the designs have very elegantly honed shapes. Really gorgeous to wear!
So totally Theo – Jordaens is a new release that is part of the Antwerp painter’s eyewear collection created by the Belgium company. Acetate and metal meet in this sculptured, curvy design with an exaggerated temple demonstrating true Theo style. Tortoise and amber colouration highlight the frame shape, and the rust-resistant steel core is enveloped in acetate. Theo’s patented flex system keeps the temples flexible, and insures a great fit. Jordaens is a harmonious blend of retro and modernity. www.theo.be JG
This collection from the Danish eyewear company Lindberg has always been a very desirable line, merging two materials, acetate and titanium, with beautiful precision. A favourite of the Danish super model Helena Christensen (she wears Lindberg Acetanium 1139), this is a collection for those who value quality, longevity and technically precise contemporary design. Recently, the Lindberg 1000 Acetanium line is featuring new colour proposals including a choice of pretty, soft semi-transparents. Also featured are new matt finishes, a completely new addition for Lindberg that we would like to see more of; they are literally amazing! www.lindberg.com CN
I have been meaning to feature one of the Hyde’s sunnies for a while…if you want 100% retro glamour, this is for you. A patterned acetate (also made in a smooth cream turtle which is very attractive too), made using traditional techniques that bounced out at me on Hyde’s Facebook page and I had to feature it. The frame comes with a handmade leather case and lens cloth. I do love the trend for marbled acetates, these are doing well and continue to pop up in many of the niche collections. This sunglass style is available online at 243 euros – go to www.nittygrittystore.com www.ehydes.com CN
A new collection of chunky vintage-inspired frames has just been launched by Ray-Ban. The line includes wayfarer shapes and this modified cat’s-eye, Ray-Ban 5281. Classic and more eccentric colours are proposed. I like the brown on opaline brown and the Havana, a colour choice that never seems to go out of fashion and always adds a vintage flavour. Ray-Ban is celebrating 75 years this year, quite something! www.ray-ban.com
Unusual colour combinations are a feature in Spring collections, and one of my personal choices is this tri-colour design from Blue Magic Eye. Deep aubergine is the key colour, enhanced with lovely soft lilac, and turquoise temple tips. The frame shape in smooth acetate fuses a touch of retro with modern concepts. In a short period of time, design duo Guya Montermini and Ciro Tugnoli have established themselves as a dynamic force in creative eyewear style. www.bluemagiceye.com JG
With its traditional styling and craftsmanship using precious contemporary materials, this classic from luxury company Lunor is very good-looking. It has a telescopic slide temple, which allows you to extend the sides – this was typical of mid 19th century metal spectacles and was a temple style known in France as early as the 1780s – and this feature has been developed especially by the makers, in a modern context. The frame also features an open temple tip, also used in the 19th century, and emerging today as a smart trendy design feature. For added luxury, these Lunor spectacles are delivered in a smart individual folding wood case. Lunor is based in Germany and was set up by Gernot Lindner, an eyewear collector who has his own collection of antique spectacles dating from 1650 to 1950. The company is now run by Lindner’s friend, Ulrich Fux, a master optician, and his son, Michael. www.lunor.de CN
Leopard accessories are a significant winter trend, and for designer frames, Lafont has this great style with a touch of jungle magic and vintage flair. The edgy design by Thomas Lafont, has a slightly raised peak along the brow, for a stunning ophthalmic shape in layered acetate. An architectural lift highlights the sculpted temples, and the overall result is beautifully crafted. As a Lafont wearer, I know from experience that the designs fit so comfortably, and literally, frame the face in an elegant manner. For further details, visit www.lafont.com JG
Tripoli is a fine example of L.G.R.’s Italian acetate spectacles…each of these designs is made by hand using old-fashioned techniques…L.G.R. brings together a love of authentic vintage design and an understanding of the values of the history of traditional Italian eyewear production. Free from embellishments or logos, the models speak for themselves! Available in a range of colours including black, brown and dark havana, Tripoli’s modern angular flat front is likely to turn heads in the months ahead (a very trendy look for guys in 2012) but is also likely to remain covetable in years to come. www.lgr-sunglasses.com. CN
Legendary American jazz singer Anita O’Day is the inspiration for this classically proportioned circular shaped acetate frame in an array of vibrant colours. The black and bottle green split combination (above) is perfect for neo-preppies looking for heritage with a new twist. Designer Gai Gherardi says that watching the video with the elegant O’Day performing at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957 prompted the frame concept. For a vintage treat, the performance can be viewed at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agp2on83hrA www.laeyeworks.com JG
Just checked this one out in Paris…the brand new Beam Collection from the British cult brand Kirk Originals is made of acrylic, an unusual choice in eyewear, that innovator Jason Kirk has been using for temples combined with other materials since the late 1990s. The result is beautiful, as the material has a lovely shine when polished, similar to that of glass, and the intensity of the colours is striking. Handmade in France, the frames are unusual in that they do not need re-enforcing wires in the temples, so the lines remain pure. Shapes are oversized as is typical of the Kirk Originals brand, and a new colour process allows bright hues to merge and separate in tones of fluo orange, yellow, pink and acqua. RRP 420 euros. Available immediately at the Kirk Originals flagship store in London. www.kirkoriginals.com
Alyson Magee is a delightful, creative Irish eyewear designer whose career I have followed with great interest for the past fourteen years. She was one of the founders of Face à Face, the award winning eyewear firm. Now she has launched a new collection which has just recently appeared in European boutiques, distributed by JDL in France. Alyson loves to work in acetate, her favourite eyewear material, and each pair of elegant, refined frames is handmade in France. With her Irish heritage, green frequently appears in the collections, such as the style above, gracefully paired with tortoise. The soft oval shape is extremely flattering,and the result is a beautifully crafted frame that is a real pleasure to wear. JG www.alysonmagee.com
Available in Paris at Les Plus Belles Lunettes du Monde. www.lesplusbelleslunettesdumonde.com
I’ve got really into this Paul Smith collection and I know a few opticians I trust who are doing extrmely well with it. Apart from the eloquent names of the styles which are all after poets, the line draws part of its inspiration from the British Dandy and musical icons. Larkin is a unisex model with smart vintage lines, perfect as an optical but also well suited to sun lenses. Modelled on the spectacle styles worn by some of the most prolific British poets, the temples have small silver and black enamel round pins. The colour, “golden tortoise ombre” is reminiscent of the more traditional tortoise tones but with a more trendy look than classic interpretations of this patterning in acetate. CN www.paulsmithspectacles.com
I first discovered Grotesque eyewear at SILMO several years ago, and thought what a creative collection. A short while later, I was choosing glasses at one of my favourite Parisian boutiques – Les Créateurs d’Opta in Montmartre. Optician Annette Hoffmann showed me a Grotesque design that was a “must have” , and I still enjoying wear it. The newest designs include the P-series, with Patty shown above. Transparent acetate is engraved with patterns on the frame front, achieved with superfine CNC-milling tools. The frame captures light beautifully. It’s available in four candy colours – including the glossy pink featured – plus black. Grotesque recently opened their unique shop in Germany, housed in two sea containers (Eyestylist 5 May 2011). Grotesque frames are also available at Créateurs d’Opta www.opta-createurs.com and Auerbach & Steele in London www.auerbach-steele.com. For more information, see www.grotesque-frame.com JG
I’ve never worn Lindberg’s Acetanium, but I’ve always seen it as a collection that offers great comfort, along with very classy contemporary styling. If I needed to wear specs all the time I’d definitely try it out. The aim was to combine titanium and acetate in one design, using both to their greatest potential. The result is a design that is light, comfy, and hard-wearing particularly around the bridge and hinges. Model 1235 has a deep rectangular eye shape; there are overtones of the so-called “geek chic” look, but it’s subtly done…and it comes in a wide selection of timeless colours. CN
Creativity, fun, a sense of whimsy, uniqueness, superb quality and unconventional colours are to be found at Francis Klein. I’ve followed this brand for a long time, and enjoy wearing their sunglasses. Looking at a Francis Klein collection, you feel as if you’re entering Aladdin’s Cave, because you’ll find some new treasure! This is an artisanal family owned brand, who keep craftsmanship on a high pedestal. Farfale, a trendy cats eye in acetate, (FK mixes all their own acetate) is studded with little Swarovski flowers. The frames are hand-made, and this design, (plus many others) is available with a different assortment of beads, flowers, and animal motifs. They are truly Collector’s items! If in Paris, visit the charming Francis Klein shop at 30, rue Bonaparte 75006. www.francisklein.com JG
Italian style and flair are evident in this acetate and metal frame by Vanni, with its elegant shape that is strong and durable. Parents particularly appreciate those traits! Colours are classic for more serious tastes, like the black and white frame featured, or they are available in snappy lime/black or fluorescent yellow/black. Other colours in the new Vanni Tribe collection include red, purple and fuchsia, to adapt to the wide range of teenage fashion demands. Vanni is part of Nico Design, an optical company based in the cultural and historically rich city of Turin. Their trendsetting creations have captured a Silmo D’Or and a design award from Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design. www.nicodesign.it JG
A round model that is, as they say themselves, totally in keeping with Theo tradition. It has a keyhole nose and decorative rivets in the shape of three little balls, filled with epoxy resin. This model comes from a line called VinGtage by this exciting Belgian eyewear design company, which is inspired by the past but created in a modern way, using high quality titanium in stunning flashy colours such as fuchsia, turquoise and bright green. The titanium is very light to wear, although the design looks quite heavy or chunky – it’s a clever trick! Comfort is also at the top of the list here, and so the sidepieces are flexible and easy to adjust for that all-important perfect fit. CN
