Optical Ilusions Produced by Spectacle

I recently visited the British Optical Association's library, a very interesting place ducked away behind Charing Cross Station. I spent a whole morning reading about "ancient" style tips from last century's publications such as these

 These are some Twenty First Century exceptions to the rules above!

Photograph is by EYELOVE

Photograph is by EYELOVE

And here is someone that would have followed the rules!

Photograph is by EYELOVE

I also found some more interesting tips from the beginning of the  last century on face shapes

Photograph is by EYELOVE

Photograph is by EYELOVE

Photograph is by EYELOVE

Jaeger's press day

Here is a sneak preview from the Jaeger press day I have attended recently.
It was very nice to see the sunglasses we made as part of the full accessories range, this is when you start seeing the story the collection is telling and you can start to imagine this bourgeoise lady (with a twist!) and what she is going to wear next Spring...

Photograph is by EYELOVE

Photograph is by EYELOVE

Photograph is by EYELOVE

Generally press days are a great opportunity to see the full range for the next season, not just the garments and accessories that graced the catwalk...

Photograph is by EYELOVE

Photograph is by Alessandro Viero

Fashions got the V&A in motion

We went along to see our SS12 sunglasses in action (round 2!) at Peter Jensen's 10 year retrospective show hosted by the V&A in its Raphael gallery.

Showing a beautiful assortment of clothing and outfits from collections across the 10 years of his label, Jensen was able to create a montage of styles, piecing together an intriguingly complex story about his various female muses. The beautiful illustrated backdrop from his SS07 show by Charlotte Mann and props from other past collections, along with the Raphael cartoons, provided Jensen with the perfect setting to present a witty amalgamation of highlights from his past decade in fashion.

The backdrop...

Photo by EYELOVE

Our frowning eyebrow Nina Simone inspired sunglasses on the catwalk...!!

Photo from boymeetsfashion.com

Models wore blonde wigs, headscarves, paper hats, glittery nipple tassels and of course our sunnies - witty props and accessories from past shows...

Photo from boymeetsfashion

Our bunny ear sunglasses on the catwalk...!

Photo from boymeetsfashion.com

Bunny ear sunnies backstage!

photo by EYELOVE

The media were out in full force for the occasion...

Photo by EYELOVE

Fashion in Motion is a series of free fashion shows hosted by the V&A featuring collections by some of the most influential current designers. Peter Jensen's show along with a static retrospective in Copenhagen and new hardback book have all helped celebrate and mark his 10 years on the London fashion scene. We designed and produced the two styles of sunglasses shown in both his SS12 show and last weeks utterly brilliant retrospective :)

Look Them in the Eye and Don't Forget to Say Hello

Steve McCurry summarizes just how we too relate to the subject of our pictures when we look for interesting people to photograph. It's not always easy to make contact with the person in front of you, once you overcome your own shyness you need to find something to say, sometimes to someone that is very surprised by your request, that doesn't trust a stranger or that may be a little self-concious, but if you manage to get them involved then this is when we take the most intriguing pictures!

Print and pattern

David David, the fashion print guru best known for his bold geometric prints has opened a pop-up shop in Covent Garden showcasing his graphic printed wares - from flat prints to silk scarves, dresses, tees, umbrellas and badges.

photo by EYELOVE

David David for Linda Farrow

photo by EYELOVE

Last week David David opened his doors after hours to a whole host of inspiring people for a week of exciting instore events.

These included the wonderful Mark Eley cooking Welsh cakes for a select audience, a conversation between Susie style bubble and Julie Verhoeven (WOW!) and an inspiring talk by Gary Card. I popped along to the latter for a pretty cultured friday night I thought!

He talked about his approach to the prop-making and set design industry he has 'fallen' into and how new materials he becomes intrigued by force him to experiment and enable his work to evolve. Card is often assisted by his builder father to help his design dreams become a reality.

Gary Card in his studio:

photo from Another Men magazine

Card is well known for many of his fashion and editorial projects including his latest project - head dresses for Rei Kawakubo's SS12 Comme Des Garcons show, which he told us about...

Gary Card for Comme des Garcons SS12

In complete contrast to our surroundings in David David's geometric coloured emporium, Rei Kawakubo's latest offering, 'White Drama' was an entirely white collection complemented by Cards oversized latex headpieces - based on contortion, inflated amorphic shapes were tied together with elastic bands: "I liked the connotations of rubber, playing with that was fun: making this 'sexy', 'sleazy' material cuddly and approachable, almost innocent. Subverting the subversive I guess", Card writes on his blog. Gary Card commented on the Comme des Garcons collection: "white is rarely completely white, the light and colours around a white object will change its tone completely, right now all the white things around me have a yellow tone to them because of the low lighting in my studio, I like how it mimics other colours, in this respect white can be anything and everything"...could white be the new black for 2012? As long as geometric beautifully coloured shapes are printed on top, David David might answer.

Fashion Street

The spring summer shows are now well over for another year. We have been busy collecting and collating eyewear research from both the catwalk and cities they take place in. Somerset House provided us with the perfect backdrop and setting for street shots of the very willing fashion crowd and their fashion forward eyewear....

photo by EYELOVE

There was an overwhelming concentration of round sunglasses both on and off of the catwalk. I particularly like the above mixed metal and plastic round I snapped on the opening day of LFW.

photo by EYELOVE

photo by EYELOVE

The above Alexander Wang preppy round also combines metal and plastic, but with more of an industrial feel. I love the studded temple detail and bulky screws holding the gunmetal nose bridge in place. All in all, trends off of the catwalk for eyewear were just as fashion forward at London Fashion Week as those coming from the collections.

Frames Of Your Life And Your Life In The Ads

Joanne forwarded me Giorgio Armani's new ad for eye-wear last week...how refreshing to see high profile brands choosing real people to wear their glasses in the street over a styled model in a styled setting. Quite interesting is also one high profile brand's take on the styled and polished ad...every other girl's favorite workout at the leisure center!! 

Screen shot of the Armani website 

Looking at the world through a pair of wavy glasses

Here is another gem from my trip to Paris last week

Photograph is by EYELOVE

 which reminds me of Christopher Kane's plastic pochette bags filled with encapsulated liquid.

Photograph is by Filippo Fior

A certain Parisian grace!

I was in Paris last week, outside the catwalk shows, looking for inspiration among the trendy crowd posing, chatting and being in a terrible hurry for the show!! I must admit though, I spotted the most intriguing people just roaming the street, where people are in their everyday sunglasses, not trying to be noticed. They are generally quite surprised when I ask them if I can take a picture of them and that their sunglasses are gorgeous.

Photograph is by EYELOVE

A Sky Full Of Kindness

Somehow, somewhere, in a country, in a city, high above the town a church tower reaches up towards the sky.


It was the launch party of Rob Ryan's beautiful new book last night. Taking place in the rather grand yet infamous 33 Portland Place, seeped with a rich history and chequered by contemporary lust and scandal. Ryan showed his paper cuts of the book leafs framed simply and hung in the shabby yet grand back room with one large scale cutting hung in the entrance hall wafting over the through-fare in an eerie fashion:

photo by EYELOVE

Ryan's incredibly romantic nature and intricate works are sensitivity combined in A Sky Full Of Kindness, a tale of love, new life and nurture.

photo by EYELOVE

A Sky Full Of Kindness will be available to buy shortly from www.misterrob.co.uk

LFW love

I was lucky to be invited to Peter Jensen's London fashion week show at Somerset House yesterday afternoon to see the sunglasses we designed in action! Nina Simone was the muse for the collection and our frowning eyebrows paid homage to her rather angry temperament (she famously shot her neighbour for upsetting her concentration). The bunny ear glasses added an element of fun for which the label is known and loved for...

photo by EYELOVE

Peter Jensen neon bunny

photo by EYELOVE

photo by EYELOVE

                                                                   Bunny ear sunnies!

photo by EYELOVE

                                                              Angry eyebrow sunnies

Harvest

On Sunday I visited Alex James' HARVEST Festival in Kingham. The weather was amazing though the wind was chilly! This is a small festival offering not just good music from up-and-coming bands but also some outstanding grub, what a great combination!

Photograph is by EYELOVE

These are some of the cooking classes held at the festival, some from a state of the art mobile kitchen

Photograph is by EYELOVE

...and some from a camping-tent!

Photograph is by EYELOVE

Some prepared liquid nitrogen ice-cream in front of us!

Photograph is by EYELOVE

Of course we didn't just concentrate on food! we also found some interesting sunglasses

Photograph is by EYELOVE

Round cat-eyes

Photograph is by EYELOVE

and pink Ksubi frames

Photograph is by EYELOVE

some even made sunglasses... inspired by the wicker man!

Photograph is by EYELOVE

Photograph is by Sandra Battistel

I-D

photo by EYE

photo by EYELOVE

Last week we popped to ID magazines pop-up shop and exhibition at Red Gallery on Rivington Street, London. A fantastic art and design bookshop and display of over 3 decades of ID magazine covers bulldog clipped to the walls from the very start of the magazine - hand stencilled and costing just 50p!

It is open until 18th September and has weekly interactive events.....

http://i-donline.com/2011/09/i-d-now/ 

 ...worth a peek we think!

A Word in Your Eye

After spending the best part of our day yesterday at International Jewellery London and looking at beautifully made sunglasses after that, we decided to go to the Kemistry Gallery in Shoreditch where they are currently showing a celebration of ten years of Alan Fletcher's seminal publication, The Art of Looking Sideways, which had taken him 18 years to finish.

Photograph is by EYELOVE

For the ones of you who don't know him Alan Fletcher was a British graphic designer and one of the founding members of the design firm Pentagram. I personally find Fletcher's thought process always very inspiring, almost an exercise for the mind and the eyes to look at things from different angles, so the exhibition has been a great opportunity to see the thought process behind each page of this amazing book.

Photograph is by EYELOVE

Fletcher once said "Design is not a thing you do. It's a way of life." I like to think that the same applies to us; as designers we don't stop "looking" once we switch off our laptops.

International Jewellery London

 We set off yesterday for the International Jewellery London exhibition to look for inspiration and new ideas, though we never thought we would find some...eye-wear as well!!
Check out these chain-curtain sunglasses (and the horsehair necklace!)

Photograph is by EYELOVE

 Photograph is by EYELOVE

I love Bjorg's take on eyeglasses, or should I say eyelashes!