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AL1034

Portofino by Alain Mikli

Unconventional shapes are in and this one shows that if you combine that with crazy colours and patterns, you can achieve something very unique indeed. Mikli’s Portofino is a Limited Edition series that goes for bold statement style and colour in acetate. Described as “sweet and fruity” by the company, each design combines pearly opaline, a combination of mother of pearl and colour that catches the light, and turquoise, anis, pink, or purple! A colour cocktail! www.alainmikli.com CN

2nd Skin

Lucas de Stael

Leather is unusual in eyewear or more often used as a trim with other materials. I tried this design on a few weeks ago, and it felt soft and pliable and looks incredibly unique as it is made from one piece and has no hinges. Handmade in Paris, the style pictured here in a gorgeous rich purple is one of the colours that stood our for me in the new collection from Undostrial and designer Lucas de Stael, who already produces some very special designs featuring wood. 4 shapes and 5 colours are featured in 2nd Skin. The frames have an invisible metal core giving them their strength and easy adjustability and making it easy to clip in the lenses. Innovative! http://undostrial.com/ CN

Seasonal style

Cruz Oculista, Portugal

24th November 2012 Take inspiration from the Portuguese optical store Cruz Oculista, who have created another super glam storefront this year for the Christmas season. The shop pays to tribute to the theatre and the Baroque with a dramatic stage design, and presents the new independent Portuguese label Paulino Spectacles.We love it!

If you are working on a beautiful storefront – optical or accessory stores – for the coming Christmas season, please send us your pictures – the best ones will be included in this section in the weeks ahead or featured on our Facebook page. Refer to our website for contact details. CN

Cruz Oculista, Av. Dr. Armando Goncalves, Edificio Plaza Loja 17, 3000-059 Coimbra, Portugal

RG0006

Rigards – Handmade for Your Face

Looking for a unique pair of sunglasses? Made of horn, this super oversized style is the creation of an independent label called Rigards who specialise in handmade horn designs using traditional production techniques. This is a first taste of this label on Eyestylist.com. I can’t really do their collection justice in a few lines but what I can say for this review is there is a lot of attention to hand finishing and detail here that deserves to be noticed, and the passion for quality, style and comfort is very strong. Made in an atelier in Hong Kong, these are one-off designs for connoisseurs of beautiful eyewear and each piece has a huge amount of character and individuality…the horn is carefully selected and is an organic by-product from water buffalos reared on small African farms so there is an eco-friendly element too. Each of the sunglass styles is individually numbered and produced in a limited series of 200 or 500 pieces.

Rigards Eyewear is coming soon to the UK www.layerslondon.com (be quick this Spring!) and available in France at  L’Eclaireur (Paris) www.leclaireur.com and Royal Navy (Marseille). We have more details on Rigards designs coming soon. See the label’s website for insights and further information on stockists:  http://rigards.com CN

Cygnus

Feb31st

Designed for men or women, Cygnus is an aviator by the young Italian label Feb 31st which produces trendy frames in wood. The frames are made up of 13 wood layers laminated together, and colour options are endless; you can even have lots of different coloured layers combined to create an exciting multicoloured effect. At present, the growth of wood labels is noticeable in the eyewear world and Feb31st is doing much to create a youthful natural collection that revisits the qualities of wood such as softness and lightness, while exploring its potential in colour. www.feb31st.it CN