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New Looks: Style and Character

23rd August 2013 Most teens are fashion aware and like to wear what is cool. Specialist eyewear designers meet this need with teen collections that feature fresh and creative styling and colours. Lafont Paris has a distinguished eyewear history for youngsters, with contemporary shapes and unique touches that appeal to budding style setters. Mia (above) is a sleek acetate design, and a distinctive accent is the playful colouration on the frame interior. www.lafont.com 

A variety of styles and colours permeate the JF Rey teen collection, also from France. Jasper (above) in acetate and metal has a vintage air with its engraved metal side inserts. The tone-on-tone effect ensures a design with a sophisticated, grownup spirit. www.jfrey.fr JG

21st August 2013 Eyestylist recently visited Laura Nicholson in her Bloomsbury studio, the home of LARKE optics, a new independent spectacles label, created in October 2012, that has just launched online this month.

With a background in fashion and enthusiasm for interesting, well-made specs – she is a specs wearer herself  – Laura explained that Larke means “To embark on an adventure”. Her aim is that the inaugural collection should accommodate good colours and good shapes with a classic feel, and no ostentatious external branding. The colours vary from traditional tortoise to a few surprises in horn effect and an edgier dark midnight blue.

One of a growing number of new labels in the UK selecting local production, LARKE optics starts its handmade eyewear journey with 7 rich Italian acetate shapes, some of which work perfectly with sun lenses. Some of the acetate material comes from rare, end-of-line blocks for a more exclusive frame. Expect to see hand riveted hinges, subtle design details such as the suggestion of classic details like the key hole bridge and hand polishing for a fine finish. LARKE spectacles are now available online and at the new flagship Stine Goya store, Copenhagen, which opened this month. More on this new collection coming soon. www.stinegoya.com  http://larkeoptics.com/ CN

Back-to-School Eyewear Kids Love to Wear!

19th August 2013 This cheeky youngster is ready to conquer the new school year in this appealing Zoobug acetate design. Zoobug founder Dr. Julie Le is an eye surgeon, so she is keenly aware of the necessity to create frames that provide safety, protection and super style. All ingredients are artfully achieved in Ollie, a unisex frame that is handcrafted, designed and tested on young children. Kids will love the colours too! Featured: tortoiseshell acetate. Also available in navy, light blue and a fun combo of black and red. www.zoobug.com Photo: Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Alexandalexa.com

Belle is the ultimate adorable fashionista wearing San Francisco in Mazzuchelli acetate by Red Optical. The Netherlands brand is a children’s specialist frame company with a delightful collection of eyewear for youngsters – designs that are child-friendly in fresh and clear colours, with fine quality, plus strength and safety for playground adventures. View more desirable designs at www.redoptical.com JG

‘Handmade for your face’

16th August 2013 Exhibiting in Paris last month, buffalo horn specialists Rigards from designers Jean Marc Virard and Ti Kwa, showcased the entire process of handcrafting a pair of their frames from buffalo horn, from the raw material to the traditional tools used, whilst also showing how the by-products are used as nose pads or recycled for fertilizer. The design process was also highlighted, starting from a sketch, created in the traditional way, with pencil and paper. “Our goal was to highlight that Rigards is truly handmade, one frame at a time, in the traditional way.” explained Kwa.

“Produced from genuine buffalo horn, Rigards frames are made from harmonious, natural horn colours such as amber, black and onyx. Each horn plate is matched with the most appropriate design to bring out the inherent characteristics and beauty of the material,” adds Kwa, “and we work with hand tools which really comes through in the finished product, adding a one-off kind of richness and personality to the horn designs in the same way that the history of an antique can add to its value.”

Rigards frames available in London at Layers (www.layerslondon.com.) For more on Rigards visit http://rigards.com CN

Francis Klein has the Solution!

13th August 2013 Losing a pair of sunglasses is not a pleasant experience, yet it can so easily happen, particularly on holiday. Francis Klein has a fun and fashionable solution that we discovered in their Paris boutique – glass cases in which your frames slid into with ease. With its perky design (the reverse shows The Eiffel Tower) and vibrant colours, the case is an ideal way to protect your frames and keep them safe.

The Francis Klein sunglass collection this season features their signature retro shaping in wonderful colours. There are lots of bright florals, plus chic colour combinations as seen in Mel (above) in tortoiseshell and blue. Glittery and matt bronze stones highlight the front of the design, and the waffle detailing adds to the allure of the acetate shaping. www.francisklein.com JG