Brand-new colours, brand-new styles from theo – vibrant purple fluo and orange fluo in two exhilarating designs – James 16 and James 19. James 16 has a subtle cat eye design, while James 19 displays hints of vintage with a round shape. Two innovative frames with trendy detailing…totally theo. www.theo.be JG
…Don’t Leave Home Without Them!
Summertime…and the living is easy – and so are beautiful accessories. Holiday time is a wonderful opportunity to wear fun, spirited designs – relaxed, yet with a touch of fantasy. The Parisians have a special flair for accessories, and in the photo above, we feature three Parisian designers with exciting summer inspirations. Johanna Braitbart has the perfect solutions to enhance fashions with a must-have collection of hair ornaments and turbans. The model on the left wears a charming hair clip with feathers, beads and Swarovski crystals, which coordinates harmoniously with Oregon sunglasses, an elegant modern classic by Lafont Paris. On the right, sunny yellow brightens your style and your day in splendid Bocca Lova sunglasses by Face à Face Paris, and a sleek turban by Johanna Braitbart. All Johanna’s hats are handcrafted in her Paris atelier located in the Marais. Visit her delightful boutique where you can experience her beautiful hats and accessories to your hearts content. www.johannabaitbart.com www.lafont.com www.faceaface-paris.com
Summer sandals by Zoe Lee makes everything you wear feel – and look – great. Her stunning, slick wedge shoe is ideal with floaty dresses and trousers. If in Paris, visit Zoe’s imporessive boutique in Le Marais where the entire shoe collection can be viewed. For more information click on www.zoelee.co.uk
Vintage rises in the summer air with this elegant, wrapped turban by Johanna Braitbart, complimented with smart retro sunglasses in lustrous black acetate by Face à Face Paris.
Italian designer Benedetta Bruzziches creates lovely, memorable bags, and this stylish clutch is practical for holding necessities, and also a unique conversation piece. www.benedettabruzziches.com JG
London Designer Alexia Parmigiani creates luxurious, original scarves that are sold internationally. She discusses with Eyestylist her concepts and intuitions.
How did you decide to create luxury scarves? “I began my journey with scarves in 2005 after a close friend – Indian Summer based in London – suggested I concentrate only on scarves as my designs were selling so well in her shop. At that point, no one had just a scarf collection. It was a very fresh idea and I loved the ‘one size only.’ My brand is about texture and unique pieces. Basically the scarf is a piece of jewellery. I see scarves as part of the personality.”
Are there other products that you would like to design? “I have designed other acccessories and clothing in the past, and each summer collection supports the scarf range with a mini resort wear line. I have just opened a page on my website called “Wanderlust” that will display my one-off designs. I call them ‘One & Only.’ This is a very exciting part of the business for me.”
Do you have particular inspirations for your creations? “Yes, I try to pick a theme, like Venice for my AW15 collection, which I visited with my husband, and fell in love with the absolutely magical and fascinating city that is Venice – it is breathtaking. I was completely inspired by the colours of the buildings, washes of dark and light blended together, a naturally distressed effect…I researched by taking millions of pictures and just taking in the Venetian life. My shapes are extremely important to my designing, and I usually pick a design that I love from my past collections and redevelop. I see where I can push the design further, and during that stage a completely new design can appear too. Mixing all of this with daily life is how I like to design. For years I have thought about a collection for men, and after my husband was stealing my samples that were not complete I thought: ‘this is a sign’ – I’m ready! So I have introduced a menswear collection for AW 15 – a capsule collection of soft cashmere and wool blends, snake tie dye, and dip dyed in different weaves, with shapes that include square and long scarves. Watch out for the menswear capsule collection launching 1st July – exclusively on line.
“I have very exciting news and Eyestylist is the first to hear it. I have decided to concentrate on sales through my website only. Not designing collections, but ‘One & Onlys’ – you can find the beginnings on my Wanderlust page. Fashion has changed, and always will, but now stores are driven by high profile brands more and more. I do believe we all would like a wider choice of well-sourced, new and wonderful designs of any level. I am excited about the freedom that I will have in my designs, and really look forward to this new chapter in my life. Through my website I can release these pieces exclusively for the consumer. This gives me the freedom to create a ‘one of a kind’ place for all shoppers, something new and fresh is what I think people are looking for. This will be an ever changing shop window throughout the year. The Dancers at Dusk AW15 collection will go live by mid-July, and will be sold only though my website store. I hope you will follow me on my new and exciting journey! www.alexiafashion.co.uk JG
26th June 2015 French optician Sabine Bégault-Vagner from Orléans turned to eyewear design in 2014, and hasn’t looked back. Her acetate frames and sunnies come in high volume hues, with distinctive graphic shapes – perfect for summer holidays. Colour pairings frequently include tortoise on neon purple, classic shiny crystal or shiny statement red. Flashy split combination colours on the fronts (see models be swag, be pretty and be geek) are a particularly fun option. Above: model be whaouh ! by sabine be. : a round frame shape, a square lens.
With a strong preference for Mazzucchelli acetate, Sabine has her own frame “signatures” including a round and square end pieces on each model, in matching or contrasting hues; all frames are made in France. To compliment the collection, be accessories include beautifully made summer-toned chains, cases and purses, featuring the same “signature” details to mix and match with eyewear.
Available at leading optical stores including Studio Optix, USA, Artsee Miami, Ottica Astrologo, Rome, and at sabine be, 21 Rue de la Republique, 45000 Orleans, France www.sabinebe.fr CN
Padma Image, Japan
23rd June 2015 Newcomer Padma Image is growing its notoriety in Japan, as well as having a few fans further afield, including Eyestylist. Stockists have just been set up in Hong Kong and Singapore. More are planned.
Designer Meiji Hasui recently held a collaborative event at Mole & Hosoi, “Shibakawa building”, Osaka, for buyers and the general public. He told Eyestylist: “I studied at an industrial university, but I have learnt about eyewear design on my own. I now have stores taking our collection in Tokyo including “matoi optical”, Shimokitazawa – matoi.main.jp and “Occhiali Sanzi” in Ikebukuro www.sanzi.jp – they are the small cosy family-run places, with specialist niche designs; I am delighted!”
Model Shichisan – a unique and elegant design by Hasui, is an ode to the asymmetrical hairdo – translating “7:3”, it’s designed to fit the “not-quite symmetrical human face”. “Hairstyles that are asymmetrical are quite common,” explained Hasui. “I believe the top of these glasses can work on the face in the same way.” For more original designs from Padma Image visit www.padmaimage.com CN