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Karen Walker Campaign for Grand Dames

19th April 2013 Karen Walker is running a fabulous campaign, photographed by Ari Seth Cohen,  featuring – as the French say – ladies of a “certain age” who are, as Walker says: “interesting, inspirational and beautiful – sharing their remarkable outlook on life.”

There are four women between the ages of 65 and 92, each wearing designs with standout shapes and great colours. Joyce (above) who is 80 wears Northern Lights -a bold and dramatic shape with lots of vintage character. Joyce’s philosophy on life she sums up as: “To be optimistic, join in, don’t be negative, be positive in everything that you can, and it will come your way and work out.”

Another stunning style for summer is Atomic (above) in orange sorbet with delicate filigree laser cut eyebrow trim above the cat eye shape. Both Northern Lights and Atomic are from the new Karen Walker Forever sunglass collection for 2013. www.karenwalkereyewear.com JG

Pure design with a hint of the classical

17th April 2013 Handmade is a word that is much used today in eyewear; at Eyestylist we see it as part of our journey to explore the most authentic concepts in handcrafting, including taking a look at some of the smallest trendsetting labels. Our detailed research into handmade designs began in 2011, but it is an area we are hugely interested in for the future.

Here is one small but exciting label from Germany that we haven’t covered for some time. REIZ frames were first being created in the 90s and I got to know them over time. Their Lovely Nature collection is their interpretation of handmade glasses for 2013.

Masters in acetate, the frames in this collection – 10 models in 5 colours each – are made from an eco-friendly material with a similar transparency to acetate, produced following a new formula, that enables production without using chemicals such as phthalate – it’s a material that is both biodegradable and recyclable.

The Lovely Nature series pays homage to the traditional rectangular eye shape, chosen for its pure form, and combined with subtle colours that do not detract from the shape – but you will also find more curvaceous shapes and also the round style above, model Fichte. REIZ is known for the silky finish of its acetates (something that identifies their craftsmanship and small production) and the frames in the new eco material have a nice lightness and gentle fine lines – I observed this series in January this year in Munich with Thomas Hobmaier (the Marketing/Sales Director at REIZ) and found them very beautiful.

Created in Germany in 1996, REIZ is led by Jochen Gutbrod and Franz Dieter Reutter. The style of the glasses is always consistent to the label’s desire to produce beautiful design of an exceptional quality which combines handmade elements and high-tech German production technology.

The new images of the frames pictured here show some of the subtleties that I appreciated when I saw the frames and tried them on, whilst also making reference to the past and classical aesthetics. Lovingly created, and lovely indeed. www.reiz.net CN

Beautiful Acetate Colourations

15th April 2013 Some of the artistic effects available on acetate never cease to amaze. This season, there are several beautiful renditions that express the beauty and creative possibilities of working with this versatile eyewear material. Vera Wang, acclaimed for her refined clothing creations, brings those same qualities to elegant sunglasses in distinctive shapes, combining a contemporary mood with a subtle retro spirit (above: Asuki, Emi and Aya). The marble colourations are soft  and luxurious – a chic complement to spring/summer fashions. www.kenmarkoptical.com

Designer Oliviero Zanon at Res/Rei loves acetate – in fact, one of his favourite activities is to discover old acetate sheets that he can magically transform into gorgeous sunglasses. In Latin, Res Rei means “the thing”, and these beautiful frames really are ‘the thing’ in style and eyewear expression. Agrippina (above) with its alluring shape, is lovingly created by hand, and just one of several exciting new creations by the Italian designer. www.resrei.com JG

Exhibition in Lucerne to Mark 20th Anniversary

12th April 2013 The design history of Götti Switzerland was celebrated with an exhibition in the historic Rüttimann House, the same premises where Sven Götti created his first eyeglasses. As you enter this beautiful building, the stage is set with an amazing chandelier fitted with 541 pairs of sunglasses from previous collections. A cross section of the past two decades of the Swiss company sheds light on the manufacturing of the frames, the design process, and the marketing behind the products. The first Götti collection stylistically transports visitors to another era, however, the signature and design philosophy of Sven Götti is already recognizable. Prototypes, unrealized shape experiments, blanks and stamping tools are also on display.

The origins of the eyewear brand goes back to 1993, when Sven Götti and Urs Niederer opened the optics shop, Götti+Niederer, in the elegant Rüttimann House in Lucerne’s Old City. Sven Götti established his own eyewear collection the following year, and now Götti Switzerland has a presence in over thirty countries. A success story to celebrate! The exhibition can be visited in Lucerne until 20th April at Götti+Niederer Mühlenplatz 1 Lucerne. The Götti exhibition will then travel to other Swiss and German cities later in the year. www.gotti.ch JG

A unique service for handcrafted eyewear

10th April 2013 Last month we were back at Oliver Goldsmith HQ in London, a visit that allowed us a chance to become more acquainted with the extraordinary OG archive and its rows of iconic designs. We also learnt about their bespoke service and how you can have a frame inspired by the vintage archive made especially for you. This is a unique experience  in bespoke creations, and a chance to have your own little piece of eyewear history. “You find it with shoes, you find it with bags, but you have to dig deep to find a bespoke service in eyewear where you can have a frame handmade to your chosen design and sizing,” explained Zoe Cosby as we pulled open drawer upon drawer of inspiring Oliver Goldsmith designs from the past. “The bespoke frames are made in the last surviving British eyewear factory individually and by hand, it’s a painstaking process with a result that is comparable to the finest bespoke products available.”

If you don’t live in London or the UK and can’t get to the Oliver Goldsmith store itself, there are now over 10 stores around the world that can measure and order a bespoke handcrafted Oliver Goldsmith acetate style for you. They include LA’s famous Gogosha Optique – www.gogosha.com and the very unique Eyesite  boutique in Philadelphia – http://eyesite-phila.com/. Find the OG Store at: www.olivergoldsmith.com/shop.aspx

Photography by Margarida Viegas exclusively for Eyestylist.com CN