Teenagers will enjoy wearing frames from Vanni Tribe – the look is uncluttered and discreet, and keeps pace with fashion trends. The metal collection features rims that are lightly sheathed in rubber, and the colours are luscious – contrasting twin tones or tone-on-tone, in royal blue, burgundy (shown above) and aubergine. For active teenagers, Nico Design uses strengthened metal, so shock resistance is maximised.
1st July 2013 Christian Dior’s family home in the French seaside town of Granville, was an inspiration for his work throughout his life. Villa “Les Rhumbs” now the Christian Dior Museum, presents an intriguing exhibition this summer that links Impression art with Dior’s creations. The enchanting surroundings of “Les Rhumbs” with its garden overlooking the sea, echoes the “alfresco” – open-air ideal – of Impressionist artists that notably influenced Dior’s fashion creations. Above: Rose Pompon, silk chiffon dress printed with roses. Dior Haute Couture collection, spring-summer, S/S 1952, Sineuse line. Copyright: Laziz Hamani
There is an exceptional array of loans from prominent museums, including Musée d’Orsay, Musée Galliera, Musée Marmottan-Monet and Musée des Arts Décoratifs. In addition, there are splendid items from private Dior collectors. The exhibition establishes a dialogue between more than 70 dresses, plus a selection of masterpieces from Impressionist painters themselves, ranging from Monet to Degas, Renoir to Berthe Morisot. In conjunction with the exhibition, Rizzoli has published Impressions Dior by Florence Müller, fashion historian and curator of the exhibition. Impressions Dior continues through 22nd September 2013. www.musee-dior-granville.com JG
1st July 2013 The Kuboraum Limited Edition gold burnt masks are something of a spectacle. They combine a futuristic identity with references to the ancient traditions of mask making and they are made with painstaking care and attention to minute detail and special handcrafting techniques. Designed in Berlin and made in Italy, Ltd Burnt is based on an extraordinary and still patent pending handcrafting technique. Every mask is burnt by hand in a complicated process that makes each design unique. During the process, 24 carat gold accessories, made by a Venetian artisan, are inserted onto the frame itself. The lenses are treated with 18 carat gold for the ultimate luxury look.
Sergio Eusebi of Kuboraum told Eyestylist: “With our eyewear, we would like to give people the opportunity to feel unique and special, with a timeless taste; to be able to look in the mirror and have a feeling of evolution, authenticity, and amazement. We see eyewear as sculpture, attracting a strong relationship from which it would be difficult to return. Our Ltd Gold Burnt is without doubt the maximum expression of the power of the Kuboraum mask, a power that is ready to be revealed on real faces.”
Kuboraum was created in February 2012 by Livio Graziottin, designer/artist, Sergio Eusebi, anthropologist/marketing director and Antonio Pincin, production engineer. The Gold Edition has been made exclusively for show at Isetan Tokyo and Monocle Rome, stores that both have a special relationship with the Berlin label. Kuboraum will open a new store and showroom in Berlin during Berlin Fashion Week on 4th July 2013. Kopenicker Strasse 96, D-10179, Berlin, Germany. In the UK, Kuboraum can be found at selected stockists including Viren Jani (www.virenjani.com) and Layers (www.layerslondon.com).
1st July 2013 Caroline Abram escorts me into her wonderfully spacious premises, complete with a terrace, a loft and a proper kitchen. It’s a lovely, airy environment in which to design and work, a hub of creativity for Abram’s many talents, and her expanding international business. She has an intriguing eyewear history- her parents are involved optics – her father is an eye surgeon, and her mother Annette was the guiding light behind les créateurs d’Opta, the Paris boutique, which was among the first to promote independent eyewear designers. Her creative daughter launched Filao eighteen years ago – a collection of eyewear accessories made in Africa. Abram speaks fondly of the women who make her designs. “Yes, I have my Filao ladies in Senegal,” says Abram, “these women make the accessories by hand – beaded and glass chains and cases, and other items. I spent my childhood in Senegal, and living there helped me so much with my work, because the women there are always mixing colours – yellow, blue red – anything they put together works. They have a real sense of colour, and they know what they are doing.
“In 2008 I made my first frames, and the real question is – ‘why didn’t I do it sooner’?” I’d had it in my mind for a long time, but I wanted to create my own identity first, away from everything I saw in the stores. And then I decided to start my cat eye project – which people were not wearing at that time.” The concept developed in parallel with Abram’s life in Africa, and the considerable time she spends in southern Florida. “Florida is my ‘country home’ – the American version,” she says with a laugh, “and my mother and I are crazy about thrift shops – it’s a real hobby. There are many of them in Florida, with items from the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. We are buying, buying and buying. I’m in this time dimension – I’ve always been a matching colour lady, and friends kid me about that because I dress differently. I mix Miami and the colours of Senegal, far from the European way of life. My frame collection had to be a colourful cat eye – it was meant to be! I have variations on the cat eye – large and small. I like to use clear colours and bi-colour, happy frames, fresh and alive. I think the collection is a reflection of me – cat eye with a sense of humour.”
Caroline loves all accessories. “With my designs, I want an accessory environment. I want people to understand that frames are a real accessory. That is why the name Filao will soon disappear, and the new brand name is Caroline Abram Eyewear and Fashion Accessories. My next plan is to further the men’s collection.” The vivacious designer describes her concept of the woman who wears Caroline Abram frames. “The complexity of a woman is always in my mind. She wants everything, and then she doesn’t want anything. In French we call it ‘contraire’ (contrary). She is independent and funny in everything that she does – perhaps a bit stubborn too. The designs include all the characteristics of women, with no age barrier. She is happy, and my frames are always wearable, and she doesn’t feel out of place. Freshness and happy – that’s important for me. People want personality without exaggeration.” www.carolineabram.com JG
1st July 2013 When Clodagh and I were on our Parisian Discovery Tour, we popped into a charming optical boutique – Segoola – that was opened last year by Alexia Cohen. She features exciting international independent eyewear designers including Thierry Lasry, Götti Switzerland, Illesteva, Isson, Linda Farrow Luxe, Lunettes Kollektion, Graz, Emmanuelle Khanh, John Dalia and Be Kind from Italy. The chic little boutique, located on rue Turenne in the Haut Marais, features oak panelling, and is decorated with lovely mirrors. Vintage fans will love the selection of retro frames, and will find something unusual among the designs that Cohen has in the boutique. If in Paris, be sure to include a visit to Segoola for optical treasures. www.segoola.fr JG