Eyestylist

| Eyestylist 1st October 2011

Rancho Deluxe

Jono Hennessy

This one has really caught my attention, it’s a highly accomplished Limited Edition design and we are very excited to have seen it this weekend! Inspired by vintage belt buckles from the Wild West, the textured patterning was hand drawn by designer Jono specifically to create the frame….a crafstman then spent two weeks hand carving the mould for Rancho Deluxe. The label has other textured metal designs as well as this extraordinary example…including “Dragon Lady” which features dragon scales on the edges and temples in turquoise green and “Snake Eyes”, a textured snake skin catseye in matt black with yellow sun lenses (it’s totally awesome if you are into the snake trend). A collection that is a treat for the eyes. In the UK, the Rancho will be available soon from The-I site Optician in Hammersmith (UK) www.thei-site.com CN

www.jonohennessy.com

 

| Eyestylist 1st October 2011

Model 203

W-Eye

Presented for the first time this week, the Italian brand W-Eye’s new collection in wood and aluminium  introduces new colour schemes and a new Alpi rainbow decoration, featured here on the interior of the frame. This colouring is inspired by the multicoloured plumage of the Rainbow Bee Eater, and is achieved by dying multi-laminar wood sheets by Alpi, a firm reconstructs/reprocesses wood. The raw material comes from the trunks of Ayous trees, from environmentally managed forests in Central Africa. There is a lot of technical work done here to achieve the designs and to create the detailed colouring….I like the attention to comfort which is always very precise in Matteo Ragni’s designs, the two layers of aluminium combined with 7 sheets of wood make these frames super flexible and the frames are hingeless so they are very light indeed. They are also lovingly finished by hand so they are beautifully smooth to the touch, gorgeous modified catseye and very original construction. CN

 

www.w-eye.it

| Eyestylist 1st October 2011

Gemma

Kirk Originals

Just checked this one out in Paris…the brand new Beam Collection from the British cult brand Kirk Originals is made of acrylic, an unusual choice in eyewear, that innovator Jason Kirk has been using for temples combined with other materials since the late 1990s. The result is beautiful, as the material has a lovely shine when polished, similar to that of glass, and the intensity of the colours is striking. Handmade in France, the frames are unusual in that they do not need re-enforcing wires in the temples, so the lines remain pure. Shapes are oversized as is typical of the Kirk Originals brand, and a new colour process allows bright hues to merge and separate in tones of fluo orange, yellow, pink and acqua. RRP 420 euros. Available immediately at the Kirk Originals flagship store in London. www.kirkoriginals.com

| Eyestylist 1st October 2011

Panache

BOZ

This is a really distinctive looking frame with an eccentric temple.  An intricate decoupage technique is used to create the front. Drops of coloured lacquer are applied by hand to the openings in the metal with an extremely traditional and delicate process, creating a lace effect. The lenses look as if they are floating but in fact a nylon thread holds them in place.

BOZ is produced by the French designer Jean Francois Rey, and his wife Joelle. The range is inspired by textiles and nature, and has a very feminine yet unique look. It always catches my eye for the painstaking attention to detail and hand-finishing. CN

| Eyestylist 1st October 2011

ME2

Markus T

This is a German brand which turns out sleek titanium designs, that are perfectly engineered to deliver high levels of comfort…winner of the Red Dot Design award this year, the ME2 from Markus T is its latest innovation combining both titanium and a synthetic material referred to as TMi, two antiallergenic components that are very lightweight. This design is completely free from screws, and it has lots of user-friendly technical advantages such as easy-to-adjust temples. A good-looking, minimal line which also includes sunglass designs, fitted with a choice of grey or brown polarized lenses. CN

 

www.markus-t.com