Eyestylist

| Eyestylist 28th January 2020

Crafted with style: Coblens Stadtgarten

The harmonious colours, relaxing ambiance and natural beauty of the ‘Stadtgarten’, (in English, ‘city parks’) are behind a new line in acetate with titanium, by Coblens Eyewear (Germany). The company is known for its exclusive crafted titanium designs, and with Stadtgarten, it adds a new element to the design and presentation of the line, with a pure, translucent and colourful Japanese acetate.

Above: a new elegantly styled campaign identity illustrating the look, colour mix and fit of the frames on different faces. Model Rosengarten – pictured in a two-tone bold blue with translucent cappuccino hue was released this month. A deep square-ish eye shape with cat eye corners on the upper rim, the frame is also distinguished by visible vintage style rivets, two at each corner.

A two-tone front – model Rosengarten from the Stadtgarden collection by Coblens

Coblens is a German eyewear design company named after its city of origin, Koblenz (in old French Coblence). The brand has become a leading innovator in fashionable high-quality titanium frames, led by Ralf Schmidt and Nils Kaesemann.

All titanium materials by Coblens have exclusive PVD titanium coatings to achieve a wide range of special tonalities and to ensure a high-quality scratch-resistant, corrosion-resistant finish. For more information: www.coblens.com

| Eyestylist 27th January 2020

Waiting for the Sun, Paris

Situated in the heart of the 3rd arrondissement – an area of Paris stretching from Le Marais to République known for its fresh, vibrant and consistent embracing of diversity and innovation, lies a special address in the growing world of sustainable fashion in Paris – the 100% circular and ecologically friendly brand store, Waiting for the Sun.

Like the area in which it is so justly located, this boutique is as current and ‘on trend’ as they come. A clear glass shopfront with incredibly ‘instagrammable’ shrubbery and plants combined with a quaint café serving organic tea and juices lure in passers by.

Waiting for the Sun: a minimal interior with natural materials

The interior of the shop is clean-cut, using natural wood and modern whites without being over clinical – a balance between comfort and professionalism and an apt setting for the brands evolving and varied collection of eyewear displayed around the store. To the right of the open-plan boutique is an island covered in a candy-like display of optical treats; the sunglasses and optical frames are laid out across this oasis and on the surrounding natural wood side-boarding along the white concrete walls, as well as being dotted across glass panels in the shopfront of the store amongst the micro-rainforest display. The use of natural materials is intrinsically important in the immersive ‘story telling’ layout of the brand’s pieces from the earliest wooden models to the latest eco-friendly acetate and metal “beta steel” and recycled frame selection.

A relaxed interior: Waiting for the Sun, Paris

The essence of the brand is encapsulated in this small, well laid out space. If you happen to be wandering around Paris and find yourself in need of an eye test or an update to your eyewear, perhaps an organic tea or even a quiet place to escape the bustling Parisian streets – look no further than Waiting for the Sun.

Recycled steel: model Zagreb from the BASE collection

Waiting for the Sun has released their new BASE collection for SS2020. The line is dedicated to young people with focus on sustainable materials including recycled steel at an affordable price. For more details visit www.waitingforthesun.fr. Review by Victoria G. L. Brunton in Paris for Eyestylist.com.

| Eyestylist 24th January 2020

Kirk & Kirk, Centena

As usual, the UK label Kirk & Kirk have something new up their sleeve, and here it is, in time for a London showing at 100% Optical trade fair: the Matt Centena. Centena is a collection of frames uniquely produced from lightweight 100mm acrylic in bold statement colours and exciting finishes.

The new additions have a modern matt surface finish, and a chunky retro-inspired structure for the face – an on-trend twist in the line is the metal detail at the top of the double bridge – a different, new-look feature for Kirk & Kirk. For colours, the Matt Centena collection includes bold ‘Cosmic’ blue and forest green (typical Kirk brights), while chic versions in black and tortoise are well suited to eyewear traditionalists who need strong well defined, structured frame styling.

Kirk & Kirk frames are seeing much celebrity endorsement success in the US, with new sightings of Robert Downey Jr wearing several styles (not just one but four different styles!): model Cecil in Jade, model Victor in Apple and Purple and model Carter in Spectrum. The new Matt Centena line is showing at 100% Optical (London – www.100percentoptical.com) and Mido (the Milan trade fair) and will be in shops shortly! More details can be found at www.kirkandkirk.com

| Eyestylist 24th January 2020

Key colour trend 2020: lilac + sweet lavender

The contemporary appeal of the palest tones of lilac alongside a few more provocative purple hues have infiltrated the 2020 eyewear and sunglasses collections with striking success, as we head towards new looks for spring/summer. According to trend forecasters, this is a colour to “pack a punch” with a growing desirability since 2018 when “ultra violet” took the title of Pantone colour of the year. Above: a new campaign from Italian label Blackfin at an evocative location, The Great Cretto, Southern Italy. The frame is a combo beta titanium with acetate rim model called Tortuga and is part of the Blackfin AURA collection, pictured above in a purple/gradient blue acetate.  For more colorways visit the website at www.blackfin.eu

Sand Dab by l.a.Eyeworks in ‘Blurple’ (the ideal ‘blue/purple’ combination)

The Sand Dab by l.a.Eyeworks is a little bit shimmery, with a graduated soft blue to pale lilac effect, a chic rendering of the trend that has achieved a steadfast hold on fashion and design trends. This pairing of tones softens the quirky angular shaping of the acetate frame. Find out more www.laeyeworks.com

Modan sunglasses by Carla Colour

1980s attitude combined with the most modern tone of luminous lilac packs a punch for girls and boys who love the cat eye edge. Particularly alluring is the matching ‘fresh lavender’ lens tone. Find out more at www.carlacolour.com/shop/modan-astro-comet

Hero by Tree Spectacles

Tree Spectacles has focused in on this colour in both its acetate (above) and titanium collections for 2020. Note the delicacy of the tone in the acetate style Hero, and the lightness achieved through the transparent crystal finish. www.treespectacles.com

| Eyestylist 22nd January 2020

TVR 504 JD Special Edition

A bold and characteristic vintage-inspired design, direct from Sabae, Japan, TVR has put out yet another statement look based on 1950s and 60s “classic” characteristics, as part of their JD collection line.

TVR® 504 Black Tortoise (above) comprises 6mm Antique Tortoise with 2mm Classic Black Zylonite to express the Brow Line effect on the frame. The upper portion of the frame is thicker than the lower, emphasizing the curvature of the ‘brow’ to give the eyepiece its elegant contours. TVR® 504 Brown Clear (below) is constructed in 6mm Clear Crystal Zylonite with 2mm Brown Clear Zylonite material on the front. Its unique feature lies in the centre of the bridge area where it is purposely left in clear finish — also known as a two-tone frame.

Creating the Black Tortoise and Brown Clear front and temples with a flawless finish, TVR® has perfected specific artisanal techniques. The styling is that made famous by icons of the cinema: James Dean, and more recently Brad Pitt in ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’.

TVR 504 Brown Clear

This special edition comes from the hand of a particular master craftsman in Sabae. Sawada-Yaemon is from a family of highly skilled artisans whose heritage dates back to the Edo period. Sawada-Yaemon holds strongly to his multi-generational reputation and his family’s work in perfecting the the TVR Arnel shape using traditional measuring techniques. For more details visit www.tvropt.com