Eyestylist

James 3

25th January 2012 Theo and award-winning designer James Van Vossel have collaborated to create a unique titanium frame that is constructed with just one metal wire. The round titanium wire runs along the top of the glasses and crosses over the bridge of the nose.The ingenious design is very light with a distinctive detail – only one ear tip has a hole – the other doesn’t. In the 19th century, open ear tips on frames were a fashionable accent, and now they are new again!  A variety of dashing colours are available, including hot red, (above) fluorescent pink, black, chocolate brown and blues purple.  Further details at www.theo.be JG

Marni sunglasses

23rd January 2012 I have come across the Spring/Summer sunglasses collection by Italian brand Marni this weekend, a brand that a few opticians have mentioned to me as having a special fondness for interesting interpretations in their sunwear. For the coming season, the range features big, round glasses in transparent acetate, and some elongated shapes including a modified aviator with a flat top. I am pleased to see interesting, rich colours such as a fresh orange and feminine lilac, some matt classics – the grey is on-trend – and tortoise-inspired pattern; a real favourite is the cool black and pistachio combination which I’ve got my eye on. I love the detail in the catwalk pictures where the colour and shine of the acetate sunglasses work seamlessly in combination with big earrings in concentric, multi-coloured shapes and deco-inspired resin bracelets. Available at Marni, Sloane Street, London, SW1. Go to www.marni.com for online shopping and find their very chic quarterly online magazine at www.marni-anticamera.com/eng. In Paris, Marni sunglasses are available at Les Plus Belles Lunettes du Monde (www.lesplusbelleslunettesdumonde.com). CN

Trend alert – Purple passion

20th January 2012  One of the trends we spotted in Munich last weekend was the beautiful array of purple tones in glamorous eyewear. Colours range from candy pastels, to rich and royal hues with deep intensity, including the matt titanium design (above) from Götti Switzerland. www.gotti.ch

The pastel colours coincide with fashion preferences for spring, while deeper purple tones are a lovely alternative neutral, also working well with other colours, particularly black and grey. Here are a few of our favourites from European designers.

For more details about Frost go to www.pm-frost.de Further information on Robert La Roche at www.robert-laroche.com JG

Setting the Eyewear Pace for 2012

16th January 2012 This weekend’s show Opti-Munich 2012 launched the new eyewear year with an international line up of extremely desirable designer frames that captivated Clodagh and I. We discovered some new companies, and found great styles from our favourite designers. Pretty pastels are a welcome trend, along with shimmering acetates in gorgeous translucent tones. Vintage is fabulous and forever – Austrian designer Lena Hoschek (above – style SO11) loves vintage for eyewear, as well as her fashion collection, which graces the catwalks in Berlin this week. Watch this space for more fab frames launched in Munich that will soon be in boutiques. For more information on Lena Hoschek, visit www.robert-laroche.com JG