Eyestylist

Streetwear style…in eyewear

14th February 2020

Sunglass trends for streetwear aficionados

Cutting-edge aesthetics. Advanced functionality. Streamlined tech detailing. These areas have been studied with painstaking care and attention by a handful of independent eyewear brands creating products to fit with the aesthetic of streetwear: where luxurious – often avantgarde – styling and innovation are presented in equal, uncompromising measure.

Barcelona brand Lool has just announced its flat sport style sunglasses, Lool’s ‘Spark’ (above) from the Non Stop City collection. The inspiration for the line comes from club culture, contemporary cities and streetwear fashion. The glasses mix experimental concepts and new fashion trends with a touch of colour and bold, angular structures. The range also highlights the use of photochromic lenses which adapt to changes in light, darkening for day and lightening for night, when a luminescent line profiles the lens. Find out more: www.looleyewear.com

MIDO 6-8 February 2027. Welcome to Eyewearland

LOFT Santa Monica Show October 16th and 17th

Mykita & Bernhard Willhelm: LOST – in stainless steel (Glossy Gold)

Mykita’s reputation as an eyewear innovator and its wide offering of sun and ophthalmic frame styles takes in the streetwear aesthetic in many guises with models in the 3D printed Mylon collection having a particularly special allure for connoisseurs of design. On course with a mix of sports and streetwear – and elements of fantasy, the new capsule collab styles with Bernhard Willhelm serve up bold silhouettes with airbrush gradients on temples and eye-catching ‘hanging’ lenses – marking a decade of successful collaboration between the two creative brands. www.mykita.com

MP4 by Covrt Project – from _MissionOne collection

The British label Covrt Project is defined by streetwear cultures and subcultures. Creative Director Marcello Martino has particular expertise in CAD design – and luxury eyewear production (in Italy), allowing the brand to create innovative frames with a distinctive identity. MP4 – from the all-black _MissionOne collection has an unusually high double bridge, topped with an acetate bar. The tech details include a signature cam laser welded hinge and functional ‘stopper’ incorporated into the temple arm. Find out more at www.covrtproject.com

Reviews

Feline with sparkle: Vera Wang model Diana

12th February 2020

Cat-eye sunglasses, and even the sparkly varieties, are much more versatile than you might imagine, looking beautiful and stylish with swimsuits or boho flares – as much as with wedding or special occasion wear. For SS20, the classic styles are strong and statement-driven, with pointed corners and angular contours; colours continue to pop, from dreamy and classic (black, milky white, crystal), through to bold or extreme – if you wish (neon pink, baby blue, canary yellow). Above: @pamelatick wears model Diana by Vera Wang in black with Swarovski decoration. Photographer: @findyourcalifornia

Diana by Vera Wang: a classic retro silhouette available in tones of black and dove

Model Diana by Vera Wang endorses the full classical shape of the cat’s eye, whilst also playing with the uplifting shimmer of Swarovski crystal clusters, a much loved detail borrowed from the 1950s when jewellery-style detailing was ‘a la mode’. The new collection by Vera Wang includes feline cat eyes, square oversized sunglasses and trendy geometric metal-rimmed aviators – styles that will trend for Spring 2020. Find out more at https://www.kenmarkeyewear.com/Frame/Vera-Wang-Eyewear/Diana/DIAN

Design + Inspiration

Brand storytelling: Blackfin, Italy

11th February 2020

The Italian brand explores a new deep narrative in its latest campaign – Timeless Memories -, located at Alberto Burri’s Cretto of Gibellina. The campaign was shot by Giovanni De Sandre.

The Cretto of Burri, also known as the Great Cretto, is a dramatic piece of land art in Southern Italy, realized by Alberto Burri. The work lies at the site of the historic centre of Gibellina, a village destroyed in an earthquake, and today remembered in Burri’s immense and permanent ‘cretto’ or crack.

“Selecting the Great Cretto was a choice of values and value,” Simone Favero told Eyestylist. “A pure connection between what Burri wanted to convey in cementing the Gibellina ruins after the earthquake and our putting down roots, even emotional ones, in our every action. We can only grow as a company, as a business, if we define our reasons for doing business in a clear way. For us, the connection with the past, and what every day teaches us, is a fundamental way of putting down roots.”

Blackfin 2020: a campaign linked to values through an intensely emotional “memorial” + art work – photography by Giovanni De Sandre

“Cementing the ruins of a city after an earthquake represents the ‘apotheosis of pointless gestures’. With Timeless Memories we wanted to convey our conviction that these seemingly pointless gestures are necessary,” explained Favero.

Blackfin 2020 eyewear collection: on location at the Grand Cretto

This location, and those of past campaigns, have become inherent to the storytelling of the brand and its values: neomadeinitaly, the company’s ethical and historic ties to the land it inhabits; titanium, the concrete material aspect of the product; and credo, the ‘awareness’ of the campaign’s message that, in this case at the Grand Cretto, is not only a transfiguration of images, but also of deep meaning and substance.

“We’re a company and a brand,” says Favero. “Our history and actions as regards production, along with our business choices are all focused around corporate social responsibility. The objective is to bring this theme into the seasonal campaign and amaze people, as we like to do at Blackfin, thereby, for maybe the first time, laying down a subtext which can constitute a milestone in the company’s history. Timeless Memories was welcomed by all…and has far surpassed expectations. It has touched people due to the emotion inspired by the book we have created, resonating mostly because of the choice of a truly intimate, ethical motivation.” For more details about Timeless Memories and the new SS20 eyewear releases, visit www.blackfin.eu

Boutiques

Eyewear boutique: Pour Vos Beaux Yeux, Paris

7th February 2020

A small, quaint optical store with unique frames

Sitting among other different and unique shops and stores in an authentic Parisian arcade boasting an impressive collection of vintage designer glasses; from statement Jean Paul Gaultier’s to genuine Ray-Bans – Pour Vos Beaux Yeux may only be equated to a pot of gold for eyewear enthusiasts – one of both luxury and incredibly unique vintage designs, just waiting to be discovered. Above: interior of the Paris store, run by Alexis Bouchara, + owned by Charles Mosa – expect to find vintage frames by Cazal, Ray-Ban, Sol-Amor, Alain Mikli, Vuarnet and Christian Dior.

The interior is small and quaint with four dark wood chairs lining the off-white wall on retro lavender, cream, teal and green patterned – almost, but not quite ‘gaudy’ floor tiles that enhance the old-time feel. A somewhat modern spin on this antiquity comes from the black and white photo collage of icons of the past: Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and even Ringo Starr – to name a few.

Eyewear history: vintage frames at *Pour Vos Beaux Yeux; above, the interior of the store*

The boutique beautifully unites the antique and vintage eras of glamour with the vibrance and electricity of modern design, and the range of eyewear sold is no different. The oldest pair of glasses for sale dates back to 1890 – the frame comprises two simple bronze wire-like circles, held together by a tiny bridge, with no arms and a pair of pinching nose pads; the plethora of vintage designer pieces close the gap from ancient to new – with Lunettes Alf taking principle place as one of the most current artisan eyewear collections available in the store.

Lunettes Alf: a contemporary line of classic inspired eyewear at *Pour Vos Beaux Yeux*

Alf is a niche French-born eyewear label owned and made by two brothers. They currently have a range of 6 types of acetate frames available in 5 colours as well as a choice of 4 shades of photochromic lenses or ophthalmic lenses – the concept allows for each client to make their chosen pair of glasses unique and personal to them, but certain to be consistent in quality of wear and design.

This boutique is a must visit for vintage lovers, connoisseurs of antiquity, and infatuates of fashion as well as anyone in between: an optical ‘match’ for any and every suitor is guaranteed in this haven of unique and curated eyewear. For more information visit the store at 10 Passage du Grand Cerf, 75002 Paris, France. http://www.pourvosbeauxyeux.com/

For further details about Lunettes Alf visit www.lunettes-alf.com Review by Victoria G. L. Brunton in Paris for Eyestylist.com

Reviews

Classic Sunglasses – Original Penguin: The Cricket Sun

6th February 2020

Classic sunglasses will be shining this Spring/Summer: 2020 appears to be heralding in a renewed love for all things elegant and refined and a style code for men and women that offers a smart, chic focus – from head-to-toe. For sunwear, and men’s styling, many decades will be referenced through shapes and colours – and distinctive details will embody a heritage spirit with sophistication and finesse.

Firmly classic: The Cricket Sun – inspired by iconic sunglasses of the 1950s

The Cricket by Original Penguin is one of those refined, easy styles to wear, built on traits of the 50s and a ‘Buddy Holly design’, with subtle updates and modifications that make the frame comfortable for a variety of face shapes. The frame is equipped with advanced quality polarized lenses, and the detailed, glossy colorations typical of the Original Penguin collections with choices ranging in this model from Black or Crystal, to Grey Sunset (top) and Tortoise (above). Find out more at https://www.kenmarkeyewear.com/

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