Where Did I Put My Readers???

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See Home Readers — Only the French could come up with such an artistic answer the problem of wandering readers.

 

Finally! A way to glance at recipes without having to take your glasses on and off.

Tired of hunting for your readers all over the house?  Leave it to the French to come up with a solution that is both artistic and practical.  See Concept’s “See Home” readers look like a pair of opera glasses mounted on a stand, which adds a whimsical touch to any room of your house.  Yet they’re practical — always at the ready and you can’t lose them because they are attached to the stand via a stainless steel chain.  Because you can change the distance between the lenses and your eyes, depending on how you hold them, the +2.50 strength works for almost everyone.  And you won’t need to get stronger ones every year as your eyes need additional help on your journey through time.

Fall asleep without risk of bending your glasses frame.

See Home readers come in a variety of vibrant colors, muted tones and metallics to match any room décor.  You can use them to read in bed at night and you don’t have to worry about breaking the hinges or bending the frame out of shape if you fall asleep and roll over on them.  Place them around the house in areas where you need a quick look at small print, like in the kitchen for following a recipe or near your desk for looking through your mail.  Put an extra pair in your office and you’ll have both a conversation piece and a pair of readers that never gets lost under your paper or left behind in the conference room.

Give your office mates something to really talk about!

Come look at our colorful See Home collection – just $45 each.

I Will Change the World Because I Can

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Natasha Morgan’s “Julius Orange” fashion glasses make a bold statement with vibrant color and a winged Victory insert.

Natasha Morgan, a self-taught high-fashion designer and entrepreneur, is addicted to glasses. By the ripe old age of 13, she had collected a hundred pairs of vintage eyeglasses of extreme design, spanning several decades.  She wore them to school with blank lenses, provoking the wrath of her teachers, and she has never been seen without glasses since.

But it didn’t end there.  Natasha started designing clothes as a teenager and, by age 19, had founded her first company and furthered her education at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology.  Although she has 20/20 vision, she always wore glasses as a fashion statement.  Not satisfied with other designers’ style, she upped the fashion ante by decorating her eyewear with fur, lace, wood, metal and crystals.  She finally created her own unique line of eyewear, “Natasha Morgan…Framed” in 2010.  Inspired by ancient mythological and historical royal figures from around the world, her aesthetic favors vibrant colors, combined with a sculptural futurism, for an audacious and seductive look. Her eyewear is exquisitely hand crafted using the highest quality materials, including fabric, leather and fur.

The Aramis White model has a sleek, unisex appeal.

The line was an instant success and quickly began to appear on the visages of celebrities at special events and on runway models.  Natasha even makes individualized eyewear for those who want a one-of-a-kind fashion statement.

We’re proud to offer Natasha’s creations for sale.  Come try them on and feel the connection to the extraordinary.  As Natasha says, “I will change the world because I can and if I can so can you.  I belong to you.”

 

Natasha Morgan’s creations convey a message of opulence and luxury.

 

Playful Polka Dots — for Halloween and for Eyewear

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Kusama-style dots adorn our decorative pumpkins

Who says pumpkins have to be scary, or even cute?  We’ve decided that pumpkins can be even more – an artistic statement.  So, we’ve decked out our office with polka dotted pumpkins inspired by Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama.

A life-sized statue of Kusama serves as focal point for one of her sculptures in a Louis Vitton store window display in NYC.

Kusama’s love affair with polka dots is related to a condition she experienced starting in her early childhood, when she had hallucinations involving endless copies of a single image.  These images often took the form of flowers or dots and they were overwhelming.  So, she began to create images from dots – sort of like Picasso did in one of his phases. And this repetition of the single, perfectly round solid circle helped relieve her anxiety.  Her fans find her art unique and playful — so much so, that one of her paintings fetched $5.1 million on auction at Christies – a record for a living female artist.

But Kusama didn’t stop with images on canvas. She moved her art to the next level by taking it into the real world, painting live human models with her playful dots in wild fluorescent colors.

We spotted (okay, pun intended) this young woman sporting Louis Vitton-Kusama sunglasses glasses during New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in September.

What does Kusama have to do with eyewear and pumpkins?  Well, last summer, she partnered with Louis Vuitton designer Marc Jacobs to produce a new line of eyewear – featuring dots, of course.  And, among her many sculptures is a limited edition pumpkin that staggers the line between ugly and beautiful.Our pumpkins are more on the whimsical, playful side.  Come visit them for a treat – no tricks, we promise.

 

 

 

 

Ready for Halloween??

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Looking for a little extra something to jazz up your Halloween costume?  Or maybe inspiration to get you started?  Or, if you’re stuck in a stodgy office where you can’t dress up,  you’d probably like to make some kind of Halloween statement, yet one that’s easily removed when you have to go into a serious meeting.  We have the perfect answer to all of these dilemmas:  one of the knitted eyeglass frames we just received from optician Oksana Sokolova of InSight Eye Optique in Virginia.

Here’s a perfect Halloween statement

Perfect for Halloween complete with spider webbing. And yes, you can see through them.

Or, if you want the Groucho Marks look, try this one

The Groucho look with no effort

If you’re trying for that sweet and innocent look, this will do nicely.

This is just a sampling.  Come on in and see the whole line. They’re all for sale and just in time for the big day!

Will One Pair of Sunglasses Suffice? Maybe, if It’s This Pair

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Original drawing of the P 8478 sunglass design.Image courtesy of Eye Zone Magazine, Kuwait

Don’t you hate it when your gray sunglasses are too dark for those cloudy days, but the sunlight filtering through the clouds is painful without some sun protection?  Or how about when you’re out on the water and your brown lenses, which work great for offroad cycling, just don’t give enough protection for the intensity of the bright sun and reflected light?  And then there’s the problem of fashion.  It’s hard to get one pair of sunglasses that works well with all your outfits. Well, Porsche – yes, the fancy car people – came up with an innovative solution way back in 1978:  The P´8478 sunglass frame with interchangeable lenses.  Porsche’s eyewear line, dubbed “Porsche Design” was created in 1972 by Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. It was (and still is) manufactured by Carrera.

With the resurgence of interest in 1970s aviator style eyeglass frames, Porsche has decided to relaunch the P´8478 model.  The frame is made of titanium – a super-strong, yet lightweight metal that can take the stress of bending through lens swaps. It features an innovative clip mechanism that makes swapping the lenses a breeze.  Each pair comes with a frame and two sets of high quality polycarbonate lenses with 100% UV-block and superb optics.

You can opt for a gold frame with brown and mirrored blue lens pairs, a titanium-colored frame with mirrored gray gradient and unmirrored green lenses, a gray matt frame with green and mirrored dark orange lenses, or a sleek black matt frame with mirrored olive or unmirrored brown lenses.

Never-worn vintage Porsche Design model 5627 available at Providence Optical

 

If you love the idea of Porsche eyewear and want an original vintage for your regular (non-sun) glasses, we have on hand one pair of a similar model, the 5627, which dates back to the 1980s.  The frame is semi-rimless with an innovative design featuring a nylon cord that stretches over both lenses – a truly unique feat of engineering that you could only expect from a superior industrial design company like Porsche. This is a never-worn pair in pristine condition, and we offer it for only $187 (compared to $330 by other retailers for the sunglass counterpart).  Come in and try them on for a trip back to the Age of Aquarius.

Close up of innovative nylon cord mechanism for the 5627 model

And the Winner Is…

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Providence Optical’s Onega with Lucas de Staël showing off his Silmo d’Or trophy

The fashion-conscious French know that accessories are as important as clothing.  They underscore this point each year in October with the annual Silmo d’Or awards – eyewear equivalent of the Oscars – celebrating the latest innovations in optical fashion and function.  For 2012, Lucas de Staël took first prize in the Optical Frame category for his “Once Upon a Time” collection.  De Staël is known for his use of organic materials, such as wood and leather, and his passion for color.  He blends these with a sleek yet edgy style that gets attention with a delicate ease.

De Staël’s winning optical frame

Perhaps that sense of color is genetic.  De Staël’s grandfather, Nicholas de Staël, enjoyed enormous success as a painter during the 1940s and 1950s.  Inspired by masters such as Matisse, Picasso and Rembrandt, Grandpa de Staël became known for his use of primary colors and other vivid hues – a forerunner of what would become the Field of Color movement in art of the 1960s and a theme echoed in his grandson’s eyewear design.

An example of de Staël’s exciting color options

Providence Optical is pleased to offer eyeglass frames from de Staël’s Undostrial collection – the original line that brought him international recognition.  This innovative design does away with hinges and those annoying little screws that keep falling out.  The frame fronts – available in either brushed silver or black — are cut from Swedish surgical steel, which has extraordinary flexibility and shape memory. The temples (or side pieces) are made of a soft eco-friendly plastic that hugs your head without the pressure and discomfort of a rigid plastic.  The temples come in a wide variety of colors from understated tones of black, white and gray to eye-popping shades of red, orange, pink, purple and electric blue.  If you’re really adventurous, you can even opt for subtle polka dots.  Come on in and try them on just for fun.

World Sight Day

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World Sight Day is about protecting one of our most vital senses.

This week marks World Sight Day.  Sponsored by the World Health Organization, this annual celebration aims to draw attention to eye health issues that can cause blindness or reduced vision.  If you think “it can’t happen to me,” consider this:  approximately 285 million people around the globe suffer from some form of vision loss.  Tragically, 80 percent of these cases could have been prevented with early diagnosis and treatment.

You need an eye exam at least once per year.

You may be tempted to think that if you see relatively well right now, you have nothing to worry about and you don’t need an eye exam.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  A comprehensive eye exam can detect problems long before you experience any change in vision.  And early diagnosis means you have a better chance of preventing, or at least slowing, vision loss.

Even if an exam reveals no hint of disease, be wise and protect your eyes.  Good quality sunglasses with UV protection are a must.  If you wear glasses, opt for a UV-blocking lens material like polycarbonate or high index plastic.  Anti-reflective coatings will make you more comfortable and reduce eye strain from computers, overhead lights and car headlights.  If you wear contact lenses, ask your doctor about the newer brands that have UV protection embedded in them.You only get one pair of eyes in a lifetime.  Cherish them.

New Release of an Old Classic — Tang by Victory Optical

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Victory Optical has just released a new color for its “Tang” eyeglass frame, a remake of the company’s 1953 classic– a cateye with flirty upswept lines.  The fabulous new bright red adds even more pizzazz to the previous color options, which include classic black with a crystal backing that adds shimmer, black with a tortoise underside, vintage tortoise and a bold translucent pale rose.

If your mother, father, grandparents, siblings or you wore glasses in the 1950s and 1960s, chances are you’ve seen frames designed and manufactured by Victory Optical.  From classic horn rims in a wide range of styles to cateye frames with unique color combinations, family-run Victory Optical captured the hearts of Americans, including idols of the era, such as Buddy Holly, Connie Francis and Dean Martin.

It all started in 1941 when Italian immigrant Vincent J. Salierno, who had learned about plastics when he worked at DuPont and then worked as an artisan handcrafting optical frames, decided to strike out on his own and founded Victory Optical in Newark New Jersey.  He brought his two sons-in-law into the business, and together they expanded the company into a nationwide enterprise. Victory Optical was one of the first eyeglass manufacturers to partner with clothing designers in creating high fashion eyewear.

The company ceased production some years after Salierno’s death, but his grandson, William Marfuggi decided to resurrect the company when he noticed the retro look making a big return.  In his work for other companies, Marfuggi found himself using family documentation and catalogue images from Victory Optical and realized it was time to bring those classic designs back into production.

The Victory Heritage collection uses original designs and specifications from the 1940-70s.  The Victory Inspired collection takes the classic designs and gives them a modern twist, usually making them a little larger and offering a new array of colors.  Suntimers is the company’s vintage-inspired sunglass line.

 

Christina Marfuggi wearing Victory Optical’s “Vicki” eyeglass frame

And there is a Rhode Island connection to the company:  Marfuggi’s daughter, Christina, who helps with design consultation, lives in Newport, Rhode Island.

Through a stroke of luck, we were able to find a rare supply of never-worn, original vintage Victory Optical eyeglass frames.  We also carry both the Victory Heritage and Victory Inspired collections.  Come in, try them on and be transported back to a grand old era.

Original vintage Tang frame — yes, it’s for sale.

 

Knits Are In … for Eyeglasses Too!

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Fall is just around the corner and with it comes a whole new fashion season.  Knits figured prominently on the Fall 2012 runways of Chanel, Stella McCartney, Ferragamo, Мark Jacos, Michael Kors, Derek Lam, Ralph Lauren, Giambattista Valli, Rocha, Sonia Rykel, Giambattista Valli, Yohji Yamamato, and bio-morphism by Victoria Barlett.  Crocheted vests and shawls are making a comeback alongside the complimentary textures of tweed and lace.

A growing number of celebrities have taken up knitting and crocheting, including Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Sarah Jessica Parker and Hilary Swank.  And knits are appearing as part of household décor in the form of picture frames, pillows, lamp shades, afghans and even furniture coverings. In fact, artist Agata Olek crocheted almost every inch of the furnishings inside her New York apartment.

Inspired by this craze, we’ve crocheted several eyeglass frames, which you can see on display in our front windows.

Providence Optical Inspires Russian Eyecare Professionals

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Our distinctive eyeglass-shaped aluminum sign has caught the attention of Russian eyecare professionals.  The Moscow-based “Optical Magazine” ( ОПТИЧЕСКИЙ Magazine) — a national magazine for eyecare professionals — featured a story about our sign in its April 2012 edition.

“Optical Magazine’s feature article about Providence Optical’s unique street sign.

What makes our sign so unique isn’t just the shape of the eyeglass frame. It’s the inset — a street scene depicted in the “lenses”, as if you see the street behind you reflected in the eyeglasses of an invisible giant standing in front of you.  The “lenses” are actually a fine, filigree-like layer of aluminum set between the two layers of aluminum that make up the eyeglass frame.  Instead of using conventional laser cutting, we opted for water jet cutting, which gives a smoother line and allows for a more intricate design.

We put a lot of thought and effort into the scene to give it the right blend of greenery and the bustle of city life.  It all started with a hand-drawn sketch and, after several iterations, we turned it over to Westar, LLC of Wisconsin, which did the cutting for us with its special water jet tool.

 

Sketch for lens inset in our exterior eyeglass-shaped sign

The bold aluminum frame gives a sharp, edgy appeal, while the delicate and whimsical street scene provides a contrasting subtlety and softness.  People stop and stare, and that’s just the way we like it.