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Creative, colourful, and curious?

1st March 2012 For March, I have my eye on some of the most creative and eccentric sunglass designs, for seeing but also for being seen in! I love the exhuberant and artistic creations that some designers are proposing…we have already covered the incredible Prabal Gurung/Linda Farrow butterfly and Prada’s Baroque styles…but there are so many more exciting shapes and designs on offer…it seems only right to celebrate some of the most stunning ones.

I’m excited to see the intense colour experience offered by the young British based label Finest Seven. I have picked out their fabulous tangerine and honey colours, but there are more bright tones where these came from including a shocking pink. As always, Finest Seven places emphasis on the quality and exclusivity of the designs, so there are only 100 pieces of each colourway and each pair is numbered and catalogued in the Finest Seven archive. In  other words hurry up if you want one! From £495 at Harvey Nichols in the UK and online at www.finestseven.com CN

Daniel Benner – Benner Eyewear, Germany

28th February 2012 “Men’s frames must not be as playful and colourful as women’s. For men, more straight and clean lines are needed. Designing women’s frames allows more creativity. Absolutely, men are more aware of fashion, brands, and quality now. I feel that men are as interested in vintage as women – there is no difference between men and women requesting vintage or classic styles.

Men are still not as daring with colour as women. Using vibrant colour for men is still difficult. I think men’s frames will never be very colourful, but this is also good as it is a challenge for eyewear designers to create something original, and special, without using much colour, but other design elements. For my personal clothing designer favourites, I like how Desigual followed their very colourful and great women’s collection with a men’s collection, that is original but wearable. Using more patterns than colour, it’s still out of the box, without using too much vibrancy”. www.benner-eyewear.com JG

Best looks for Spring: softer shapes for men

27th February 2012 With so many great styles coming out for the Spring, and some exciting shapes that show a new approach to the most familiar men’s designs, we have picked some favourites as part of this month’s special edition. These styles express a new mood, with more curves and gentle preppy styling; there are some nice aviator specs out there, and some deconstructed classics, plus frames in beautiful natural materials such as wood. Pictured above, Kilsgaard Eyewear, www.kilsgaard-eyewear.com

The aviator specs “Augusto” by Res/Rei feature an open bridge. Res/Rei is a relatively new, quality-focused Italian label, specialising in handmade frames made by artisans, some of whom have worked in the field for over 30 years. Available in London at www.mcclintock-eyewear.co.uk who are fans of the quality and design details offered in the collection. www.resrei.com

Leisure Society’s model Harvard (below) is a preppy style designed as a unisex frame  which merges modern with classic aesthetics; this is a variation of the shape originated from a style issued to troops by the army in World War II. The model is made from titanium plated in 12k, 18k, or 24k gold combined with Japanese acetate and includes a special hidden spring hinge. www.leisure-society.com 

MOD. 302 by W-Eye, designed by Matteo Ragni, offers classic design with its rectangular shape that has soft, contoured lines. This frame can be produced as sunglasses or spectacles and comes in a variety of woods, pictured here in the light grainy ‘Sapelli’. A very smart idea.

W-Eye is an Italian company producing hand-finished wooden eyewear. For more information visit www.w-eye.it CN