Style spotlight

Personal statements

Distinctive opticals By Joan Grady

Blackfin One: minimalist titanium purity in Anfield

This is a time for optical frame wearers to celebrate. Choices abound with trendsetting shapes, materials and colours. Optical frames offer unparalleled diversity with chic aviators, retro and vintage styles, slender metal designs, 3D innovations and luxury accents – plus beautiful expressions in acetate, metal and titanium. A multi-faceted palette includes pretty pastels, essences of the natural world and vivid explorations.

CONTEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION Technical advances have unleashed immense potential for experimental frame designs, and 3D printing in particular has brought amazing possibilities to eyewear. The layerby-layer technique has revolutionised how frames are made, while providing a cool, light and comfortable product.

Sven Götti at Götti Switzerland spent several years researching the prospects for 3D designs, and the results are striking: streamlined designs constructed in Götti’s own Zurich factory. The company has won numerous awards for its finely crafted, thoroughly contemporary styles in a variety of materials.

Austrian brand Silhouette has launched its Lite Spirit collection in slim SPX for men and women with classic shapes – round for

Lite Spirit model 2924 by Silhouette

women and square and rectangular for men – in eye-catching colours. Bright and subtle shades for women include flattering tones of Indigo Blue alongside soft Champagne Jungle. Cedar Wood Brown and Wild Moss Green for men are strong and cultured.

Unisex style with Stepper SI-60194

Aviator shapes are superbly flattering and the latest interpretation from Stepper is slim and slick, with a smart double bridge. Constructed in titanium, the frame is a bountiful mix of strength and flexibility – whilst being hypoallergenic and extremely lightweight.

CHARISMATIC STYLE Eyewear designers frequently have personal links with other metiers that contribute to their individual proclamations when creating frames. Jeremy Tarian’s passion is ceramics – a childhood hobby that has resurfaced in his adult life and in his frame designs. As a born and bred Parisian, inspiration is also derived from the famous quarters that make up Paris, interwoven with both social and cultural history. Jeremy’s latest collection includes shapely silhouettes with frame model Martel an outstanding example. This curvaceous model in a refreshing green edged with cream is handcrafted in the Jura region of France.

Italian craftsmanship is at the core of Blackfin, and the new optical Blackfin One frames in titanium feature bold profiles and sleek aesthetics. The designs are classic and charismatic with minimalist purity and unwavering technology. Model Anfield exudes femininity with oval rims in colourations of pink with brown, magenta with violet, and brown with gold.

Since 1879, Erkers has been masterfully connected to beautiful eyewear. Based in St Louis, Missouri, the frames possess a rich history – including making the goggles that Charles Lindbergh wore on his landmark flight to Paris. Each season, Erkers highlights an icon that relates to its 141-year heritage. Currently being celebrated is the legendary jazz musician Miles Davis, who was born and raised in the St Louis area. Erkers eyewear is continually evolving, as

Palm in Colorado Slate: 3D streamlined technique by Götti Switzerland Engagingly beautiful eyewear since 1879: Busch in Smoke Crystal by Erkers

Timeless silhouette: Spencer in Whiskey by Salt Optics

the company develops innovative concepts to craft its engagingly beautiful eyewear.

RETRO RHAPSODY Retro, vintage, heritage; frames based on styles worn a century ago, are intricately refashioned with the best of all worlds – the timelessness of retro, encapsulated into designs with high-tech performance and supreme comfort. The continuing appeal of round frames is further enhanced with designs that understand the real-life wearer, and suit many face shapes.

High lustre Japanese acetate is emblematic of Salt Optics’ round optical design with its contemporary good looks and timeless silhouette. Model Spencer has the clean lines that are ideal for professional life, yet rallies smartly for casual wear too. The Salt Optics creed is one of authenticity, highest quality Japanese acetate, and colourations connected to nature.

The renowned Danish Skagen Painters with their fabulous composition of colours and light

Enduring vintage shape: retro classic style A7104A by Rodenstock

inspired Fleye Copenhagen’s Nordic Light collection. Model Elinor from the Signature range captures a fashion-forward attitude of artistic expression with the frame’s extravagant round shape. Colours with character and depth reflect nature’s sceneries.

German precision and engineering excellence prevail in the Retro Classic designs by Rodenstock. The time-honoured silhouette in style A7104A is a confirmation of the enduring demand for vintage shapes, reinvented for contemporary eyewear fans.

LUXURY ELEMENTS Graceful, striking, elegant and sophisticated, eyewear for more formal occasions is acknowledged in designs that flow with ease and beauty. Danish designer, Birgitte

Beguiling aviator and beautifully crafted: Uranus by Falvin Eyewear Shimmering radiance: Rose et le Rêve by Anna-Karin Karlsson

Falvin, created exquisite jewellery before she launched her splendid eyewear designs with Falvin Eyewear in 2015. Her understanding of jewellery infiltrates her beautifully-defined frames crafted in premium materials, with timeless and beguiling style.

“For 2020, Falvin’s introductions provide an inspired new take on sophisticated must-have eyewear for contemporary design lovers,” says Birgitte. She notes that the aviator shape has star quality and is the statement silhouette often featured in movies. “I am fascinated by the unisex aspect of this particular shape, which is both challenging as well as thrilling to develop,” she reveals.

Anna-Karin Karlsson has always believed that eyewear should be an individual statement, which she expresses with designs that radiate dash and confidence. The Swedish awardwinning designer also knows that many woman love luxury, and perhaps a touch of extravagance. Rose et le Rêve is a gorgeous, undeniably feminine design offset with a shimmering panther studded with Swarovski crystals reclining decorously on the rim.

Charmant celebrates the 10th anniversary of its significant and stunning Line Art Collection this year. The striking designs are inspired by the soaring harmony and enduring spirit of music, and the airy compositions flourish with style, comfort, and functionality. Vivace is anaesthetically outstanding with a delicate laser-cut floral motif in Charmant’s Excellence Titan and beta titanium.

Inspiring and prodigious optical selections from international designers and companies are a bonus for independent opticians, with the opportunity to offer stylish and beautifully crafted collections for a unique personal statement.

Airy composition: Vivace from Line Art by Charmant