Have you ever stepped into a room and feel as though you have been taken back, removed from reality and comfortably slotted into someone else’s shoes? These are the overwhelming sensations each person feels as they step onto the cool marble flooring of building No5, Bond Street. Chanel - what is it that we love? What is it that pulls us towards its doors? To tell you the truth, it’s her, Gabrielle. We each feel as though we own a small piece of her when we apply our Rouge Coco or finish off an outfit with a classic Boy Clutch. We each feel as though we are a part of the legacy.
Gabrielle Chanel started her journey to success from a young age, taking inspiration from the world around her and keeping hold of it for years to come. Each garment she created held nostalgia, it cast her back to a memory or emotion, creating narrative within each piece. As the nun’s would walked the halls of the orphanage where Gabrielle grew into a young woman, their outfits would comprise of heavy chain belts resting on their hips, which we later see as one of Chanel’s most iconic pieces to this day. This is the same chain design we see on the straps of the classic clutch bag and inside each beautifully crafted tweed jacket, which runs a chain along the bottom of the lining. This recherché attention to detail has continued throughout the company, even after the rain of Gabrielle. The entire Chanel team make it their priority to make sure her foot print is still a part of every sketch and stitch.
May 24th, 2018, I was given the opportunity to not only walk the marble floorings of building No5, but also to be introduced and trained by some of the most accomplished members of the Chanel team. It was here, in this elegant, yet simple room; we were presented the new range of Chanel eyewear. Each piece cleanly cut, made with her in mind. Diamond Crystal Eyes, a piece from the new collection, continues to carry the history of Chanel through its designs. This eyewear collection is not only elegant and contemporary, which house strong traits of each Chanel piece, but also are memoirs to Gabrielle’s first and most iconic fragrance, No5. The shape of the lenses are inspired by this inimitable perfume bottle famed for its angled edges and simplistic design.
As time goes on Chanel will continue to captivate the world, transforming the fashion industry and bringing new and exciting designs to the table, but never forgetting where is all started.
Splashed across the pages of Vogue, and featuring along the runways from London to Paris; pearls are THE trending hot topic in the world of fashion right now
The desire for pearls dates all the way back to a point in time where only the highest noble men would be seen wearing such a rare item. Nowadays of course, although still very prestigious, pearls are lot more accessible and used in creative ways to create very bespoke pieces. This season we have seen an upsurge in interest from a host of leading fashion houses, easily making the noble pearl the biggest fashion trend of ss18. Read on to see a selection of my favorite pieces…
Chanel SS'18
"A woman needs ropes and ropes of pearls"- Coco Chanel
The pearl has been an integral part of Chanels design work since around the 1930s. Coco Chanel was rarely seen without layers of pearls draped around her neck, which at the time displayed ground breaking fashion sense during times of more minimalistic preference. Karl Lagerfeld likes to pay homage to this staple idea by incorporating pearls into each collection.
Fendi SS'18
The most important pearl piece this season (IMO) is by Fendi. Oversized round – a must have. Made up of all Fendi’s trademark elements; exaggerated shape and defined lines. This particular piece is not for the faint hearted but aimed at those like me, who desire something weird and wonderful.
Fendi "CAN EYE". Redesigned this season by incorporating pearls into the original design. Created with femininity in mind with a modern twist. Fendi are renowned for using luxury materials in particular fur; and like fur, pearls are sign of wealth and luxury, which Fendi love.
GUCCI SS'18
Does Gucci ever do anything in half measures? Like a magpie, Allassandro Michelle king of high-end embellishments took this trend next level by adding anything remotely shiny or luxiours to their designs. The Gucci runway was showered head to toe in pearls and precious stones.
Pearls are a sign of vintage luxury therefore it’s interesting to see how each fashion house have designed their own contempary take on the trend. I will look forward to seeing you all laced in pearl this season.
Available due to popular demand!!! Designed to fit your needs and wants, & manufactured with Ray Bans unwavering high quality; the industry's most successful eyewear brand now grants prescription wearers complete access to the full RayBan experience. With styles suited for the entire family and in a variety of colours and sizes; your eyewear can now be as unique to you as possible.
Step 1 - Select Your Frame
Whether it be glasses or sunglasses, any face shape, any age; choose from the huge range of timeless shapes and styles that RayBan have to offer. No other brand can boast the power to attract such a broad target group! You will never be stuck for choice with Rayban. The newest editions to the RayBan SS18 collection are now available in all Eyesite stores, as well as all the classic pieces by RayBan featuring the Wayfarer, Aviator and Clubmaster.
STEP 2 - Select Your Lenses
“Tailor your lenses to your prescription without losing the iconic Ray Ban signature on your lens.”
RayBan use digital surface technology on their lenses, meaning your prescription is on the back surface of the lens which is closer to your eye and this will guarantee better vision. Feel free to select coatings for your RayBan prescription lenses, such as Anti Reflection coatings and a Blue light filter which will help reduce glare when using digital devices is also available. These are high quality and a lot nicer to look through.
New single vision and varifocal Ray-Ban lenses are now available in clear lenses and sunglasses
New season Gucci has officially landed at Eyesite and it’s exactly everything we wanted. Pastel palettes, quirky shapes, and iconic Gucci stripes - anything goes! Throughout the collection you can feel the inspiration with aesthetics from eras gone by; 60s psychedelic neons, 70s cool tints and oversized 80s shapes, yet each piece still offers a very contemporary feel. All styles in the collection are created non-gender specific once again abolishing all laws in fashion by creating an aura of “wear whatever you want” and “be whoever you want to be”.
The 'icon'.
Can’t get enough of the Gucci stripes? This classic piece mixes both acetate and metal materials into one unique design with the stripes wrapped around the front and following through along the sides. It’s for sure a staple design with an iconic Gucci edge.
The 'twist'.
In this collection we are seeing a comeback of the traditional half frame ("Supra") styles. This design is featured in both round and square shapes - emitting high fashion geek chic. And of course it wouldn’t be Gucci without glitter and stripes!!
The 'campaign'.
Gucci have made the biggest come back in fashion by evolving into today’s current trends and themes. The brand recently broke the internet for their watch campaigns in which they embraced internet culture by releasing a selection of Memes to their Instagram page. Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele explained that they needed to connect with people from all walks of life. This particular campaign was aimed at the cyber generation. The series of memes which were released were held with mixed reviews but if ask you me, I think they’re genius!
Join the Gucci Gang for SS'18 across Eyesite stores. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Obsessed (!!!!) and once again my choice is Dior. After visiting Dior HQ yesterday, I can’t wait for summer and I can’t get enough of this seasons top three. Get me on that beach. It’s time to book a holiday. But which sunglasses shall I pick? And were shall I go?
CLUB1 - IBIZA
Maria Grazia Chiuri has done it again. Dior’s creative director has found the perfect mix of sports luxe with feminine beauty. I’d pair mine with a one shoulder, high waist bikini. Ibiza is calling.
CLUB 2
PARIS
This mini removable visor paired with jeans or a vintage style dress and trainers; feminine with added attitude. I’m thinking a stroll down the Champs-Elysees, maybe stop off at Avenue Montaigne if I dare, café, glass of rouge vibes. Perfect for a weekends trip to Paris.
CLUB 3 - L.A.
Enter my "happy shades". The oversize pilot with side shields paying homage to Christian Dior himself. CD loved astrology and believed stars to be a sign of good luck, which is why they adorn the front of this piece. I’ll pair mine with a slogan tee, sliders and cut off denim or a plain black swimsuit by the pool.
The biggest fashion shows of the year are here, Fashion week is all across the globe allowing Designers to showcase their latest designs and influence trends to the public.
It is where editors, bloggers, buyers, the press, and designers emerge to make Fashion Week such a success.
First stop: New York
The Big Apple gathers many famous people, from The Beckhams to Blake Lively to Cardi B to Nicole Kidman all featuring on the front row.
Michael Kors held his Fashion Show for AW18 in his home town where he stated that he wanted the show to be a love letter to New York. He shows that style is individual and that anything goes, with a mixture of animal print, a mash up of tartan, fluffy slippers, and florals.
Fit to Print – A mixture of patterns to create a look perfect for day time for AW18.
Check Mate - Bright vibrant colours alongside a mix of tartans and use of simple accessories
A Wardrobe Icon - The camel leather trench coat, must have piece of AW18.
Animal Instinct – Layering sportswear with a camel trench coat and using oversized sunglasses to really finish this look off.
Tom Fordshowcased his latest designs for the AW18 season. With sportswear looks blended with tailored suits, returning to the 70s with sparkle and metallic jackets.
Victoria Beckham uses layering fabrics and earthy tones to show sleek yet simply sophisticated styles for AW18.
Animal prints, sequins, glitter, shoulder pads, leather, layers are all to come for AW18. Yet again, sunglasses are the number one fashion accessory of the season, so we’ve got your back.
2018 much like any other year in fashion marks a time for new creations, adaptations and surprising influences within the fashion houses.
With eyewear now firmly recognized as much as a fashion item, as it is a functional item I thought it might be an idea to look at some of 2018’s emerging trends, reconsider some lingering ones, alongside taking our regular sideways look on what the taste makers or should I say taste adaptors want to see us in this season.
The first eyewear trend that’s has been gaining traction over the past few months I'm going to describe simply as the slim sunglass or undersized sunglass. There’s a lean towards the mid century Harlequin and cat eye shapes from an array of houses this season. “Ohhhh Hell No” I hear you scream! Haven't we all just invested in the idea that bigger is better? Wellll.....Yes! We have been using the word oversized for some time now so this was bound to happen! Fear not though as we live in a time were trends can coexist, perhaps larger sunglasses will now be a staple and these smaller styles will fill their place as niche options, only time will tell. This trend is a challenge on a practical level as eye coverage is significantly reduced. With UV protection of the upmost importance we will have to suggest these frame types on a case by case basis.
Looking for evidence look no further than influencers such as Kourtney Kardashian and Rhianna wearing smaller sharper sunglasses. Louis Vuitton, Armani, Prada and Mui Mui are all pushing this trend this season.
The second trend on our radar is an adaptation of last season’s favourite the oversized aviator. Luckily this is a trend that’s a little more familiar and easier to style clients in. This seasons’ adaptation comes in the form of bolder heavier looking acetates which reminds us of the 80s and 90's with larger logos and vibrant tints. Anyone looking for that statement retro yet somehow futuristic piece; look no further, for those with an unnatural fear of the bold possibly look elsewhere.
Christian Dior seem to be leading the way here.
The final trend coming through this season is again a controversial one and presents its own unique challenges. This trend can be described as kind of sports luxe but has its roots in ‘Normcore’ and ‘Gorpcore’ trends. Put simply those brands you used to hike in are now cool and ugly as hell is the new beautiful. The sense of irony within this trend is hard to ignore. Think of an Oakley sports shield and your half way there. That said I have no doubt this trend will look amazing when styled well on the right person. With Shield lenses don't forget that glazing prescriptions can sometimes be limited so this one might be for the rare breed seeing 20/20!
Looking for evidence look no further than Pharrell in Oakley and Rihanna in Puma/Fenty. For the best examples of this style look out for Stella McCartney’s SS collection.
Whatever trend your chanelling here at Eyesite we are up for the challenge.
Last week I visited one of my favourite cities in the world: Amsterdam! Following up from John's blog post I decided to write the second installment in the micro-adventure travel series! I wanted to share with you the contents of my bag for the trip and a selection of popular eyewear styles seen in the Netherlands, for extra inspiration!
My bag of choice is my Louis Vuitton Never Full. It's my very own Mary Poppins bag! You literally can never fill it. It comes with an inside clutch to keep valuables safe like my passport. Not only is this bag really good for travel but it’s also a staple for effortless street style. Packed in my bag is - of course my iPhone! When I’m visiting a different city I've found Google Maps has become my best friend.
Whether it be navigating me to an over hyped restaurant I've seen across the blogs or finding which tram I need to catch to get me back to the hotel: your phone will be your saviour! However, as amazing as our phones are we all know how incapable iPhones are of holding their battery charge! This is the reason I've found it’s always handy to carry a map of the city you're visiting and a portable phone charger. This means I can take as many Instagram worthy pictures as I want all day long (see pic below) without the disturbance of a dead battery.
Amsterdam is renowned for its cold climate in the winter months but that also means the sun is extremely low in the sky so I’ve constantly got my sunglasses on. I chose to pack with me my Rayban Hexagan sunglasses, I paired these with my long grey coat, white scarf and pink beret!
Finally, in my bag are my Tom Ford round optical glasses. These round specs are made from part acetate, part titanium so they're super lightweight and comfy! I purposely packed this particular frame out my collection as there is a common theme of round spectacles in Amsterdam. Large or small, acetate or metal you can’t help but be inspired by their choice of round eyewear.
I thought it'd be a really great idea to show you a selection of frames found at Eyesite that are really similar styles seen in the Netherlands.
Tom Ford - Christopher 02
Tom Ford – Christopher 02
A modern take on a traditional style
Chanel - Round Optical
Chanel – Round Optical
Simplicity but high fashion – I wouldn’t expect anything less from Chanel
Garrett Leight - Club House
Garrett Leight – Club House
Super vintage and edgy
Cutler & Gross - Pantoscopia
Cutler & Gross - Pantoscopia
Designed with a wrapped metal nose bridge these glasses are my star specs in my blog post this month!
Time flies by when you're having fun and you’ve only gone away for the weekend but I believe January is the perfect time to plan a mini break. It sets my year off to a positive start and I come back feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world! If there’s one thing that I did learn about myself on this trip: you can't break my addiction to eyewear, no matter where I am in the world I will always be inspired by what the people around me are wearing.
I am just sick of this cold weather and having to do things like de-ice my car! I need to come out of hibernation and Spring needs to hurry up!
Spring brings us Easter, it brings blue skies and blossom, better outfits, floral clothes, lighter nights. The list is endless, needless to say Spring would make me so happy right now.
Whilst I absolutely love fashion and playing with trends, I usually stick to my trusty black and white monochrome outfits, my comfort zone. Now however, I am finding myself wanting to try new things! Even if it is simply adding statement accessories to just create a more exciting look to my monochrome wardrobe. So, I thought I’d throw together some of my favourite Spring ready outfits for work, for the day and for the night!
Featuring these beautiful Chanel glasses available at all our Branches.
Chanel
Styling for Day to Night
Work:
Finally!! Spring now means we can show a little leg and this outfit is ideal for work wear, pair with tights on the cooler days (if you get a bit warm just nip to the toilets and take them off!) However, I am thee palest thing in East Yorkshire!
The yellow Chanel glasses just add that pop of colour to a monochrome outfit. The colour is subtle and so easy to wear; when people hear ‘yellow’ they assume it’s going to limit what you can wear with it, not with this one. The contrast of the silver arms with the CC logo makes the colour of the frame look radiant and bright.
Day:
I love, love, love flared jeans! Anything flared and I am sold. I wear my high waisted flared jeans with blouses. Oh, doesn’t the word blouse just make me sound old! I was looking at my wardrobe thinking, my god I need some colour, so I added pink. I have paired my old faithful flared jeans with a pink tie wrap blouse and my new floral faced Olivia Burton watch, added a taupe chain bag in to show versatility!
Chanel has created these beautiful frames, the rose gold arms give your outfit that added chic, luxe feel. Which is Chanel down to a tee. This pair just adds that hint of pastel pink to my look. It’s soft yet warm.
Night:
This dress is just ideal for all occasions. Date night, a girls night out and definitely perfect for going for something to eat. It is so roomy, and has a knot tie waist band which gives it its shape and a bit of something extra. The colours running through this dress could go with any of the frames I have mentioned; on this occasion I’ve gone with the brown ones.
As I have already shown you how versatile the pink and the yellow glasses are, let’s talk about brown.. Brown goes with everything! They are a gorgeous shape that manages the line of modern yet classic. The yellow gold sides, the CC logo, the luxury is endless.
To accessorise, I have introduced my life savers! Tie suede wooden heeled sandals and a beige suede clutch. Gold jewellery to bring out the gold sides on my beautiful Chanels.
2018 the year of the Micro-adventure what to pack and how to prepare for something amazing!
Here at Eyesite we are an eclectic bunch each with our own hobbies, interests, tastes and pastimes. Our collective interest is eyewear but outside this we are individuals who live life and go hard.
Over the past few years I’ve been doing my upmost to explore the globe one adventure at a time. More recently I’ve unknowingly been part of a bit of a millennial phenomenon known as the Micro-adventure or Micro-adventuring. I’ve been camping, hiking and simply going places, I’ve never been before just because I can.
As our world becomes increasing urbanised we all too often find ourselves "living" life trapped behind screens, short on time and on repeat. Micro-adventures are designed to break the monotony of the daily grind and provide a realistic escape into the wilderness. Most importantly there's no need to escape long term or even go full Tom Hanks shouting “Wilson!” at a coconut to achieve it.
A micro-adventure is an adventure that is brief, easy to plan, usually cheap, mostly fun, always exciting, hopefully challenging, not forgetting refreshing and rewarding. It's born out of an urge to reconnect with nature and get close to something real. Instagram about it later if you have to! I can't promise you more likes than that cat picture you posted last week but embarking on a micro-adventure could leave you feeling a little more fulfilled.
I’m happiest with a backpack on and with that in mind I thought I would give an insight into some essential carry prep for when I'm on my own micro-adventures.
My backpack. The North Face Citer.
My backpacks designed as a commuter but due to its hardened construction and almost waterproofness it's perfect for the outdoors. It fits a 15inch laptop protected by a hard rear. Any backpack will do, just fill it and get out there.
Waterproof. Rains pull over jacket.
Rains are a Danish outerwear brand specialising in minimal waterproof garments. This jackets waterproof, super lightweight and has a huge pocket which is ideal. Bring an umbrella if you don't like Denmark or jackets for that matter.
Smartphone. Google Pixel 2.
I recently converted to Android from Apple. I'm enjoying a battery that lasts more than a day and the camera is amazing in low light. I talked about cutting the wires but you can't beat smartphones for capturing a moment or being able to find that coffee place your friends been talking about.
Smartphone App. Maps me.
A lifesaver. Super detailed, Totally offline, and customisable. A Micro-adventure must.
Hydration. Oakley drinks bottle.
Pack some water it's cheaper than champagne.
Eyewear. Dita Haliod.
A lightweight metal offering from Dita, surprisingly tough and inspired by Japanese calligraphy no less. The premium build adds comfort for days, or longer, of use.
Eyewear. Oakley Holbrook Metal.
What’s that thing in the sky!? If something miraculous happens these Oakley frames are easy to wear and fit almost anyone. Lightweight and would withstand a drop or two. This active frame is perfect for the outdoors and best of all they have prizm daily polarised lenses. Offering the best polarised lens around. Ideal if you want to cut glare and see a truer, sharper image of your surroundings.
And lastly.
Contact lenses. Alcon Total one.
Superior life, moistness and fit help to make these contact lenses a must have. If you want comfort through cities or the outdoors look no further.
I could add more but I did say essentials!
Before this becomes another essay, I’ll wrap it up by hoping to have inspired some Micro-adventures. Some sideways approaches to the weekend or even just the idea of life beyond Netflix.
