Rule-breaking continues to add flavour across the catwalks; some say the appeal of the obscure and the fantastical is very much a part of a new mood of individualism. Popping out of this new wave, the ‘Spectacles en Fourrures’ are a study in unusual pairings, produced in a collaboration between Soho Bespoke and couture fur house, Corbin Paris – www.corbinparis.com – and inspired by surrealist artist Meret Oppenheim’s Dejeuner en Fourrure (MoMA NYC) and Picasso’s love of all things fur trimmed.
Handmade in England, the design is available as a bespoke piece to order via Soho Bespoke’s Charlie Ingham, in a choice of exclusive materials including black Orylag. Ingham, who gave Eyestylist a preview of the new design at the Century Club last week, is the founder of London’s exclusive made-to-measure eyewear service – www.SohoBespoke.co.uk – producing handmade rare acetate and buffalo horn designs using traditional spectacle-making techniques.
www.SohoBespoke.co.uk CN
Sunny Seasonal Sunglasses
Creative liberty, technical expertise, beautiful materials and luscious colours feature prodigiously in eyewear collections. Shapes vary from moderate to voluminous – further enhancing sunglasses. Blackfin’s S/S collection features clean, sculpted silhouettes, as seen in the above photo. The man wears Blackfin’s Weston BF760 in titanium with gold-mirrored lenses. Panto shaping highlights the women’s frames – Waterhouse BF743. The all-Italian production ensures the finest quality. Discover more from Blackfin at www.blackfin.eu
Brilliant, bouncy and bold – Smoke x Mirrors unites layered acetates and stainless steel with a fun sunglass collection – Soda Pop. Vibrant colours and chic neutrals – such as the black and white sunglasses above – bring an alluring dimension to summer fashions. Additional details about Soda Pop at www.smokexmirrors.com
Panto shaping – an eyewear highlight for Spring/Summer is elegantly expressed by Sven Götti at Götti Switzerland. Dan (above) delicately combines retro and modern contemporary styling in ultra-light titanium with flat lenses – sleek, stunning and streamlined. See all the Götti collection news at www.gotti.ch
California based eyewear brand SALT. has been shortlisted from the Opticians Award 2016 for TAFT (above) as Best Frame of the Year. Handcrafted in Japan, the double-bridge brings additional distinction to a design with flair, beauty and harmony. www.saltoptics.com
Originality and savoir-faire comprise designs by Christian Mascré and Yolande de Clerq. Retro vibrations, extraordinary production – all crafted in France – bring glamour and excellence to the frames. The frame front in Eva in vanilla acetate (above) is artfully shaped and looks fabulous on the face…also available in other great colours. www.vuedc.fr JG
Fakoshima x Manish Arora
Clashing colour, bindu motifs and rotating lenses…thanks to a sizzling new collaboration between Russian eyewear brand Fakoshima and fashion designer Manish Arora, exotic details are flourishing for 2016. The limited edition launched this month includes five individual styles, inspired by the mood and themes of Arora’s clothing collection, playing with shapes referencing the classic round, aviator and iconic cat eye, in deliberately experimental yet masterful designs.
Drawing on diverse inspiration, including African culture, masks and cowboy ornaments, the result is a giddying mix of colourful frames with gold inlays, eye catching lens hues and truly dramatic forms.
Established in 2012, Fakoshima has achieved notoriety in the world of fashion and eyewear with its conceptual designs created with new technologies and traditional handcrafting. www.fakoshima.com / www.manisharora.com CN
Smoke x Mirrors SM142
A series of statement sunnies by the US label Smoke x Mirrors plays with acetate and clever combinations of colour and shape for instant impact and fashion-led flair. The Sodapop collection includes five quirky shapes: model SM142 layers a circle over a modified softened triangle in silky acetate with an old-world 50s infused pattern similar to mother-of-pearl. Colour combinations offer a welcome solution for the transition into the warmer Spring days: as well as a pretty grey/white pairing (above), find exclusive tortoise with a bright pop of yellow and super soft pale pink with white. For full details visit www.smokexmirrors.com CN
Especially for children
Contemporary shapes, appealing colours, materials with beauty and safety features keynote new designs for youngsters. Frames for children require precise construction in order to comfortably fit little faces, as well as be fashionable – important for today’s super-aware young set. British brand Zoobug has launched exciting, colourful new optical styles. ZB1020 in Navy (above) is rubber flex and the shape is ultra-flattering for young girls. The frame is also available in pretty pastels of Pink and Mint. Zoobug photo by Wanda Kujacz www.zoobug.com
Very grown up and sophisticated is LINDBERG’S titanium frame for children, which is hypoallergenic, lightweight, flexible and strong. Delicate cat-eye shaping in Julija (above) brings contemporary glamour to children’s eyewear. www.lindberg.com
Tortoiseshell is a favourite adult frame colour – and for children as well. Lafont Paris – with their speciality range of children’s frames – includes TAC (above) a smart tortoiseshell acetate design with contrasting sides in apple green. Detailed attention to fit is one of the many advantages of the frames. www.lafont.com
Brilliant blue acetate is a striking colour for Ghent (above) from the lovely collection of kid’s frames by Red Kids Eyewear. The Netherlands brand has created a new hinge system that is easy to replace if youngsters are too rambunctious in the playground! Visit www.redoptical.com for more designs.
For children and young teenagers, OMAN (above) by JF Rey is equipped with the Just Adjust Concept – exclusive to the French company. The colourful round shape in glossy acetate is innovative, stylish, and looks super on young faces. www.jfrey.fr JG