Linda Farrow Luxe
I love the bamboo trend, and here’s a great frame from the luxury collection by the UK’s Linda Farrow, which uses bamboo temples. The frame pictured here has a graduated black to clear plastic front teamed with clear lenses, but there is also flexibility to fit the style as a sunglass. The bamboo sides are quite chunky, making a feature of the texture of the material and producing a clever contrast with the smooth front of the design. Other colours I like in this are the tortoiseshell frame with gradient sun lenses which match with the natural bamboo tones. Linda Farrow Luxe uses titanium finishings plated in 24-carat gold, another sophisticated detail which shows the attention paid to every small part of the design. CN
Essential 1240-41
ProDesign
This collection started with just a simple line drawn on a piece of paper. Then another. Then another. The designs grew in this way, instinctively, and creatively. The colour combinations of the acetate temples are exclusive to ProDesign. (Rather than taking the easy option and working with pre-manufactured acetate sheets.)
The monotone fronts are quite unisex to look at but the powerful colour combinations on the temples make the frames more feminine. In this series, there are two shapes, in six colours each. CN http://prodesigndenmark.com
Model 1235
Lindberg Acetanium
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
Mech-flex V3611
Vanni
I like the simplicity of this model, from the Mech-Flex range by Vanni, produced by the Italian design company Nico Design. This model combines thin steel and plastic, and it comes from a range that brings together bright fun colours and clean, practical design. The style above features a special hinge, the Mech-flex, which adds flexibility and extra wearer comfort. Offered in four colourways, my favourite is the on-trend matt violet and purple version, but you can also choose a patterned front teamed with black, a dark violet with turquoise, or brown with fuchsia. The enthusiasm for detail here sets this optical range apart. Very well done. CN
Undostill 18
Undostrial
Part of the fully rimmed Undostill Collection designed by Lucas de Stael, this frame is made of a Swedish stainless steel sheet of just 0.5 mm wide, which is then folded and formed to achieve the perfect balance between comfort and aesthetics. The textured temples are made of silicone and exist in three different patterns, crosses, stripes or lines. They are exchangeable which allows you to modify the appearance of your frame by yourself, a clever touch. The highly flexible memory steel allows you to fold the frame by crossing the temple and locking them together in a closed position. A very practical optical style for fans of minimalist design. Undostrial is a French technology oriented label which takes an interest in the research of materials, colours and shapes, and produces all its frames, unusually, in its Paris workshop. CN