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Paris Preview

26th August 2014  The Paris eyewear fashion fair Silmo  – www.silmoparis.com – fast approaches and Eyestylist looks forward to a jam-packed four day event which we will report on live from France. Already, we have an eye on what’s about to headline: the colours, shapes and influences, as well as the noteworthy newcomers from different parts of the globe.

Eyewear designers draw on the versatility of colour in modern materials. Jono Hennessy from Australia launches a multi-coloured collection which includes the Limited Edition 8330, an oversized woman’s design, fashionable, comfortable, with a retro silhouette, in tones elevated by the smooth high-quality acetate; Eyestylist has an eye on the chambray denim, but you can also find fresh gelato pastel and a luxurious modern tortoise. www.jonohennessy.com

French designer Jeremy Tarian shows new optical and sunglasses collections at the fair next month. The designer has a gift for eyewear with beautiful structure and elegant attitude: maxi sunglass shapes in bold acetate explore 50s design traits with smart metallic inserts. Crafted in the Jura, each design is exquisitely finished; striated horizontal patterns, two-toned split fronts, and intriguing versions of traditional and coloured tortoise create new drama for the eyes. www.jeremytarian.com

Exhibiting for the first time at Silmo, Jean Philipp Joly proposes inventive shapes with trend-led associations of colour – produced in bold cuts of Mazzucchelli acetate. Joly is a proponent of handmade eyewear, and makes his own prototypes with an old machine from Oyonnax, France, before his designs are created in a family factory for production in Italy. http://www.jeanphilippejoly.com Silmo takes place on 26th to 29th September 2014 at Paris Villepinte. For exhibitor/visitor information:  www.silmoparis.com CN

Frames and Accessories with Individuality

20th August 2014 Israeli design duo Maya Sapir and Dafna Lustig are wowing fashion aware women with their new “Leopard Collection” of unique sunglasses. Mays is an optician with a keen instinct on what customers desire; Dafna is a model, TV and radio broadcaster for fashion and culture. Corso Como in Milan quickly snapped up their first collaboration, and as of 1st September, the designs will also be available in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. The frames are sold under the label Hamashkifa x Dafnalu. Hamishkifa is a Hebrew word that has two meanings – either “the observer” or “a person that puts glasses on your face.” In the above photo, Dafna, left, wears Ronili and Maya sports Lali – both designs from The  Leopard Collection, handmade in Mazzucchelli acetate. www.hamashkifa.com

Italian artisan crafting is evident with inventive shapes in eyewear and accessories by Pollipò in Rome. The sunglasses embrace a fresh new mood in handmade acetate (style P477) with a verdigris honeycomb finish. A chic  jewel clutch in Tuscan leather with an ostrich pattern has an Arizona turquoise gemstone nestled on a mother-of-pearl disc. Pollipò also designs jewellery, and Italian dash meets America’s wild west in a rhodium-plated sterling silver bracelet with Arizona turquoise gemstones. www.pollipocchiali.it JG

Exceptional Eyewear Style For All Ages

15th August 2014 Lindberg, the elegant Danish label, features sleek, modern designs in luxurious materials. The Lindberg Strip 9700 Collection offers a unique blending of technology and style. Model 9703 (above) has a distinctive, richly textured front and unique temple details. The lenses are encircled by a special acetate inner rim – the overall effect – stunning!

The Lindberg kid/teen collection is especially designed to meet the increasingly fashion conscious preferences of children and teenagers. Durability, flexibility, comfort and lightness are perfect for active children and teenagers. The frames are crafted in nickel-free and hypoallergenic materials – perfect for young, sensitive skins. Featured above: left, style 1502 and right 9553. www.lindberg.com JG

The Queen Mother’s Historic Collection

12th August 2014  A recent revelation about Her Majesty The Queen Mother came to light when it was discovered that she had a collection of eyewear that spread across an entire century. The Queen Mother wore spectacles, but rarely in public. She died in 2002, and the administrator of her household approached the Royal Optician, Roger Pope, with a blue box of the Queen Mother’s spectacles and sunglasses. They had been carefully preserved, even though many were decades old, and others had broken components. Among the frames was a design by the German company Marwitz, which the Queen Mother ordered during the 1990’s – she liked the frame so much, that she had the same design made in both optical and sun spectacles.

Eyestylist asked designer Adrian Marwitz, heir to the Marwitz family eyewear history, if he knew the Queen Mother wore his frames.”This is a wonderful surprise,” said Adrian, “and I am very proud of my grandfather because he had a fan in England  – and it was The Queen Mother! I am a fan of Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth II. I really think she is a trendsetter. It would be wonderful if she would find my designs and wear third generation Marwitz frames. We have some nice shops in London that carry Adrian Marwitz, so perhaps one day the Royal Family will wear Marwitz frames again!”

The Queen Mother’s eyewear collection starts about 1919, and continues through to the late 1990’s. With the kind permission of HM The Queen, the frames were donated to The British Optical Association Museum. Neil Handley, curator at the Museum said: “We were delighted that the Queen consented to the donation of these items. They represent one individual’s full lifetime of spectacle wearing, spanning an entire century.” www.adrianmarwitz.com www.college-optometrists.org/museum JG