WHY IS CHANEL UNIQUE?

A unique identity, remaining and maintaining absolute modernity, yet showcasing a chic avant-garde artistic flare.

Harper Bazaar in 1915 declared, “The woman who hasn’t at least one Chanel is hopelessly out of fashion.”

Coco Chanel was the monumental fashion mogul that officially crucified the ever so restricting corseted female hourglass. Generations of women will be forever grateful. She decided to reinvent the constraints for the woman of the post WW1 time. Redeemed freedom, youthful silhouette and free as a bird confidence.

In 1910, Miss Chanel Coco opened a shop in Paris and sold hats, but her creative mind could not stop expanding further afield.
Ethnic references and inspirations makes some noise in the fashion world. Coco Chanel answered it’s call.

Being inspired by Slavic designs around the 1920s brought us beaded garments and ever so detailed embroidery. A passionate romantic fling with Tsar Nicholas the seconds cousin, Dmitri
Pavlovich kick started her imaginative designs in such a style.

Where did she triumph? The introduction of the Chanel suit! The new sophisticated look for the every-day woman.

Inspired by men’s tweed and hunting jackets created waves in 1925. America fell in love with the new direction for women’s fashion. Despite it being seen as a mockery when first
revealed, Coco Chanel had confidence in her new look and the demand certainly followed.

How can I not mention the Chanel little black dress. This legendary look still thrives today. Initially it was long sleeved and silk. This style was renowned as fashion-forward, exuberating the sexiness and youthfulness women of the 1920s was ready for.

Chanel exuberates female self confidence and
empowerment.

Belts, pearls and sunglasses to accessorize of course. This woman is the full package. The contemporary individuals fell in love with her jewelled creations. Yet again, inspired by her
aristocratic lovers. She in fact launched her own jewellery mausoleum with her lover Duke Fulco di Verdura.

A House of Chanel Jewellery was born. Chanel said “It’s disgusting to walk around with millions around the neck because one happens to be rich. I only like fake jewellery…because it’s
provocative.” She created the perfect balance between desirability and exclusivity.

The Camellia flower is synonymous with Chanel. It can’t be missed on packaging, bags, clothing, jewellery and shoes. This was a staple for her. Her polo loving admirer, Boy Capel gifted her such a
flower.

Silk versions began to appear in her hair as an accessory. It’s known to be a symbol of longevity, purity and faithfulness. The flower is also scentless. This only encourage the lady herself to
spray the flowers with Chanel No 5 of course. Her one and only fragrance of choice.

Coco Chanel’s story ended in 1971, when she sadly passed at the age of 87 years old. Following this the monumental legend Karl Lagerfeld was appointed artistic director of the show-stopping Chanel brand in 1983 and continued her tremendous legacy.

In 1999, the travel collection was created and launched working with Luxottica presenting a new line of Chanel glasses and sunglasses. The design goes from elegant to bold, showcasing a bit of Coco Chanel’s personality in each frame design.
Showing homage to time spent as a youngling sewing at the orphanage, Chanel has designs where a quilting pattern can be found on the frames.

The famous logo of the intertwined ‘C’s’ is another way
to spot one frame afar. Each frame is made with the highest of quality acetate to give every product that clean finish. Each
small detail and ornament is handmade and made with such detail.

All Chanel eyewear is made from the highest quality polished acetate. The tweed style acetate frames use patterns exclusive to brand. Each decoration attached to a Chanel frame is handmade
and assembled with the utmost care and attention to detail.

Another detailing on Chanel frames shows a leather strap design intertwined like a metal chain inspired by a horse’s bridle. This was inspired by the love of horses of Mademoiselle. This also created the quilted arms too. Coco Chanel always was known for wearing pearls. Real or fake, she wore them all. This was a staple look.

Chanel was one of the first ladies from a wealthy background
to wear fake jewellery proudly.

I find Chanel evidently inspiring and continuously trend setting.

This season, will Chanel be a staple in your look book?

STYLE HUNTING IN FINLAND

Europe fashion destinations. I’m sure the obvious come to mind like Milan, Paris and Stockholm. These cities have established themselves as top fashion veterans. Going from strength to strength, emerging into an era of new talent and sustainability I introduce to you your Nordic neighbour - Finland. 

The rare locations inspire the style with its stretch of back country hidden gems and icy, crisp climate. Theres three words that come to mind when analysing the Finns style. Efficient, conservative and a green approach - descriptions that fall in well with current trends of 2021. The city to watch when it comes to venturing internationally and expanding into the market of up and coming fashion is Helsinki. 

As an eyewear enthusiast, it would have only been right for me to head scavenger hunting for the most sought after brands and varieties on offer across the shelves. 

To start with catching my eye is a brand I am very familiar with amongst our stores - Orgreen!

If you could imagine Finland in a bespokley designed frame, Orgreen is what comes to mind. 

Less is more and understated is the only approach to elegance. Created by three young creative hungry guys from Copenhagen. Life-long friends with a relating passion for extreme sporting adventures as well as street style. 

The niche characteristics of practicality and minimalism allows the detailed Japanese manufacturing to be embellished with its Danish unique design. If you look closely at they’re use of colour on the lightweight eyewear, you can see its been strategically placed. Orgreen in fact hire full-time colour advisors to guarantee it’s uniqueness and collaborating colours. The three gentlemen are still within the business today. Gregers is head of sales, Tobias is head of design and Hnerik is still CEO and creative director. 

Orgreen wasn’t the only brand that caught my eye. Tom Ford seemed to be a classic favourite. Modern sophistication, timeless designs with a flare of simple vintage glamour, Tom Ford for the Finnish seemed like a home classic. 

I veered ever so slightly to the left and what did I see? Layers of Bottega Veneta!

The contemporary eyewear offers iconic shapes, minimalistic yet large square lens. A Bottega’s sleek, square and sharp sunglasses frame is a staple in any Parisian and Scandinavian wardrobe. It gives a business woman by day, nightcrawler by night vibe that every mysterious woman needs. The simple silhouette for a modern lady. 

Finland, your chic and understated style inspiration did not disappoint.

from your fellow fashion lover,

Marni X

2021 - New Year, Same Vision.

“A new calendar year normally means a clean slate, but when the clocks struck 12 this year, the battle of WORLD vs ‘VID continued….”

SERVICE WITH A (MASKED) SMILE - (Pictured: Barton Store Manager Amy L wearing Glasses by Celine available @ Eyesite)

Emergency glasses for key workers?.. Tick! Home deliveries for those trapped in isolation?…. Tick! A military Mrs Hinch style cleaning regime?.. Tick! And our proudest moment of 2020? Attempting to offer style advice whilst dressed as surgeons (PPE for those who are already confused). Well, we can safely say we ALL rocked the PPE visor at Eyesite successfully, as if it were a Dior capsule collection!

THUMBS UP & READY TO ASSIST - (Pictured: Adam at the Cottingham Store wearing Glasses by RayBan available @ Eyesite

All bad jokes aside; throughout all of the madness and chaos surrounding us, one thing we did learn is that we do have our own bunch of heroes working here at Eyesite. Everyone on the team rose to the challenge last year, answering the call from each of our stores, the NHS and from all of those who trusted us to safely deliver their essential eyecare in 2020. We are proud of you all - our Optometrists, Dispensing Opticians, Stylists, Lab Technician and the cleaning staff. Everyone has played their part. Also to YOU our amazing customers who supported us last year; we thank you for trusting us in your hour of need.

SAFE STYLING - (Pictured: Nyomi D at the Beverley Store wearing Glasses by Bottega Veneta available @ Eyesite)

What is perhaps the most poignant during a pandemic… As we are one of the few sectors permitted to open and interact with the public during each lock-down, we actually delivered much more than just eyewear and eye tests.. We all felt an incredible sense of duty to provide perhaps the most basic of services during this period - a listening ear and a friend to speak to. It’s always been the Eyesite way; but in a year of no holidays and limited freedoms, these interactions certainly helped raise everyone’s spirits; including our own.

Client Review taken from Google.

Onto 2021; we go again.

We are by no means out of the woods yet, but we will (hopefully) be here to help you all through 2021 just as we did in 2020. It feels the same, but hopefully this year will be different. But whatever the weather, we’ll make sure you get through the year in style and in the best of health as always.

Together we will win this battle; and we’ll be here to ensure you do it in perfect style.

Happy New Year To You All.

The Eyesite Team

Tips to stop your glasses fogging when wearing a face mask

Depending on where you are in the world, it may be compulsory to wear a face mask due to COVID-19. For those of us who wear glasses, this means the impractical glasses/face mask combination of fogging, slipping and steaming. So how can we improve it? We’ve gathered some top tips to make this experience as comfortable as possible.

Why do glasses fog up when wearing a face mask?

Glasses fogging is a common problem when wearing a face mask. Simply because your breath escapes from the top of your mask, the warm air then touches the cool lenses, causing them to steam up - leaving you with cloudy vision.

The excess moisture around the glasses can also cause them to slip and become uncomfortable. So what are our options?

Keep your glasses clean

First things first, clean your glasses in the morning to remove any surface dirt and grease. (We provide a complimentary cleaning spray to our customers, this will be sure to help.)

Use Anti Fog products

Anti Fog cloths are available from Nikon, here’s how to use them:

1. Take out Nikons Anti Fog cloth from the zipper bag

2. Evenly rub the lenses with the cloth

3. Blow lightly and make sure the lens is not fogged

4. Replace and tightly seal the cloth in the bag provided

How to adapt your face mask to stop glasses steaming

There are no specific masks available to stop this problem. So instead, we have put together our top tips for a fog-free experience.

1. The tuck method

   One good method in the fight against fogging is to ensure your glasses are not worn behind your mask. Instead, glasses should be placed on top of the mask, thus reducing the amount of moisture released and helping reduce fogging.

2. The tissue method

Folding some tissue and taping it inside the top of your mask can help when wearing for long periods of time. The tissue should catch the excess moisture, meaning less will escape, stopping your mask from steaming and slipping. 

3. Stay snug

It is important to wear a tightly-fitted face mask. Not only does this offer more protection from air particles, but it also prevents too much moisture escaping and steaming up your lenses. There should be no big gaps for the air to escape around your mask - if this is the case you may want to opt for a smaller mask. 

4. Stop them slipping

For slipping rather than steaming, this option may help. Instead of tucking the mask string behind your ears, wrap the string around the side of your glasses. This can help your glasses and mask be more secure.

5. Breathe downward

Although this one might seem slightly awkward, it can be a quick fix in a steamy situation. “How do I breathe downward?” I hear you say...so, place your upper lip over your bottom lip and breathe down rather than straight. Simple.

All of these tips can easily be incorporated into your mask-wearing routine. If you can’t find an option to suit you, you may want to think about trying contact lenses. Our friendly team are always on-hand to help and advise when necessary. If you’ve already made your decision, book an appointment today:

Adam: Hip-Hop and it’s affinity for eyewear; a brief chronology.

From an early age, I have become all too familiar with the two subjects aforementioned. Unfortunately for me, the latter came first. In 2001, just before my Mum bought me my first ever pair of glasses, she would make me and my brother wear eye patches as instructed by my optometrist. My cousins used to poke fun at me by calling me Little Rick, a name which I came to learn was because the eye patch I wore bared a likeness to the 90’s hip hop artist Slick Rick. From that moment, both of the topics in the following blog have been a constant in my life.

My vision is probably as bad as my lyricism however I always took comfort in knowing the coolest guys and girls on the planet in my younger years all shared a love for the same things as myself. I will now take you through a timeline of some of old school, new school and iconic artists who have triumphed, both musically and optically.

1981 – Run DMC

One of the first groups to have an album certified Gold. We’re going to focus on Darryl McDaniels, or DMC, (pictured in the middle). The Gazelle type frame pioneered by Cari Zalloni (CAZAL) was prominent in the 80’s. This oversized, tinted optical frame is still very prominent with current fashion houses, notably Dior in recent years, whilst also influencing many of the more vintagesque styles within the Dita collection.

1986 – NWA

Musically and politically one of the most powerful and controversial groups in hip hop history. It is only fitting that their eyewear was as bold as they were, as shown by Eric Wright, AKA Eazy-E (pictured). The Compton based rappers wore a brand locally known as “Locs” & these frames offered dark tinted polarized lenses. I’d say this was beneficial for all of the flashing cameras. But make of it what you will…

1997 – The Notorious B.I.G aka Biggie Smalls

In terms of Hip Hop ‘hall of famers’, Christopher Wallace is arguably as iconic as it gets. Without doubt a lyrical pioneer sat right at the forefront of hip-hop legacy. So much so, that to this day his songs are continuously played on radio and in the clubs, still sounding as relevant, even amongst a whole new hip hop culture. B.I.G was instrumental in fusing fashion and hip hop, as before he came on the scene, an artists hip hop stature was evaluated on pure lyricism. This newfound link to fashion paved the way for new school artists, who may not have been lyrically superior, but knew how to ‘flex’ and sell records. This is now a common trend amongst many modern hip hop artists whose lyrics will often reference or boast about material things, rather than the hustling of old. Like an old school influencer way before his time, designer items worn by B.I.G increased in demand a thousand times over. None more so than the Versace VE4361 sunglasses (pictured). These sunglasses were re-released late last year and sold out within one month. The legacy of the Biggie Smalls lives on in his music, as does his love for fashion.

2013 - Jay-Z

Jay Z Wearing the Oliver Peoples Daddy B Sunglasses

Now, although Jay’s career spans way before 2013, I am going to concentrate on the release of a song from the ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’ album, entited; ‘Tom Ford’. The song was an ode to how fashion is a big passion in the artists life, and perhaps more importantly, it was an awareness of just how engrained luxury fashion is into modern hip hop. The song directly credits the designer. Prior to this Jay-Z had collaborated on Justin Timberlake’s ‘Suit and Tie’, in which the video samples Tom Ford collections and encapsulates the brands vision of well cultured, strong individuals with their own style. The song was nominated for a Grammy in 2014 and the Tom Ford brand itself experienced a spike in online sales and publicity. As we have experienced with the limited edition Tom Ford Private Eyewear Collection we have in store, the elements (polished horn, blended acetates,strong shapes based on TF’s own personal collections) certainly embody the luxe lifestyles of a highly successful modern day hip hop artist.

2019 – Migos

My current favourite hip-hop artists without question. The Migos, (made up of Quavo, Offset and Takeoff), bring a pioneering style to the music industry. Both of their albums debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, a feat which was only accomplished once before, by The Beatles. As if their dominance of hip-hop was not enough, the group also lead the way in fashion and eyewear within the music industry. Quavo and Offset boast jewellery collections worth (by their own admission) upwards of $3 million dollars. But for me what is a staple of their look, are the vintage Cartier frames they all wear. These vintage style frames are certainly synonymous with many rappers, sports starts and celebrities. As official Cartier stockists, we are all to familiar with the luxury presence Cartier holds; even within our store amongst a host of other luxury brands. We love this piece below from the latest release (in store now!)

I hope in this blog if nothing else, I have given you a brief insight into how music, eyewear and hip hop culture are constantly blending together. It must be mentioned that it is not just the hip-hop genre in which luxury eyewear has become synonymous, when you consider the likes of spectacle wearing musical icons Elton John, Buddy Holly, John Lennon to name a few. Maybe in my next blog I’ll cover some of those :)

Thanks for reading,

Chloe; by Chloe!

Reviewing Chloe 2019

Eyesite Opticians Chloe takes a look at Chloe’s SS19 eyewear collection available in store, offering a little introduction to the Parisian brands thinking behind the collection and tips on how to wear the pieces!

This season Chloe’s creative director Natacha Ramsay-Levi has designed the collection to embody the hippie/boho spirit of a Mediterranean summer under the sun. Eyewear takes influence from bohemian, feminine vibes set in the 60s/70s. This season the Parisian fashion maison has re-vamped the classic Carlina shade, typically round-framed and oversized, the new model comes with gold detailing around the frame and pearl cut-out acetate tips to attach a jewelry chain to, adding extra sass to your summer outfit.

Gold Carlina £295, Eyesite Opticians

Chloe has introduced a brand-new frame this season called the ‘Rosie’, coming in a variety of zingy sunset coloured hues. The frames reflect a feminine, vintage inspired look in gradient, sunset-hued, flower-shaped lenses with gold detailing.

Rosie Sunglasses £295, Eyesite Opticians

Another brand-new Chloe piece to add to your summer wardrobe is the Vicky… think vintage California vibes with this one. The aviator is over sized and comes with a variety of lens tints to choose from as well as interchangeable lenses. Perfect for a day of people watching in Beverly Hills or sunning on the beach in Ibiza

Vicky Sunglasses £325, Eyesite Opticians

Stay tuned to our Instagram and Youtube channels as we look to showcase our pilot unboxing series, offering a chance to get a sneak into the newest designer catwalk and every day eyewear models coming in to Eyesite.  

Bye for now! x

Eyesite Opticians Barton - First year in review

In Jan 2018, Eyesite Opticians opened its first doors in North Lincolnshire, moving to Barton Upon Humber replacing a local store that had been in situ for 20 years.

Having been resident Optical Assistant in store prior to Eyesite’s arrival, Helen shared her thoughts on her new place of work one year on.

“It’s been great to work with some iconic luxury brands. To say a new world of eyewear has been introduced to me is an understatement! Bringing these collections to the area, has made the combination of great eye health care and luxury fashion very accessible to the people of North Lincolnshire. ”

Having already introduced many brands to Lincolnshire from Eyesites extensive roster, new store manager and qualified Dispensing Optician Amy has already seen positive effects this has had. But she highlights the importance of an eye test as the essential factor in the bigger picture...

“We want to the local community to ensure they are maintaining the health of their eyes and receiving regular check ups from our qualified optician. An eye test can detect much more than just poor vision and can also uncover other underlying health issues, so it’s important people don’t shy away from attending their regular check up! Eye tests are free for many people, so it’s always worth receiving your annual test at the very least. But beyond that, yes it’s good to see people, whatever gender or age, experiencing their glasses as much more than just an 'aid'. Having so many styles to work with, means our clients can be perfectly matched to the frame, sunglasses or contact lenses, that fits their style, lifestyle and personality. At the end of the day we want for those who require glasses to have the freedom and choice to find something they will actually love wearing.”

From all of the staff at Eyesite we would like to thank the residents of North Lincolnshire for making us feel so welcome in year 1; as we look forward to meeting, testing and styling many more faces in year 2! See you in store :)

The Fashion Icon - Karl Lagerfeld

“Sunglasses are like eye shadow. They make everything look younger and prettier.”

Karl Otto Lagerfeld is said to have been born in 1933 in Germany but an exact date has never been confirmed with Lagerfeld after claiming he was neither born in 1933 nor 1938. Karl moved to Paris the fashion capital of the world at the young age of 14. In recent interviews it was revealed he hated being a child and couldn’t wait to grow up. Entering and winning a design competition for his sketch of a coat Lagerfeld finally had his foot in the fashion door. Pierre Balmain caught wind of Karl’s design and offered him the position of his personal assistant, immediately taking his award winning sketch to production. Lagerfeld moved onto creating designs for Jean Patou who was a top French designer at the time, creating two haute couture collections a year. In 1960 for their spring summer collection Karl designed a ground breaking skirt for the collection which was later titled the shortest skirt in Paris.

Fendi

It was the year of 1965 when Karl Lagerfeld joined the Fendi family. Karl was offered the job of creative director for the luxury fashion house. He began by overseeing designs for fur lines, accessories and ready-to-wear collections. To this day Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld are unapologetic for the use of furs. Karl believed the fur industry created jobs, nor did he see a problem with people eating meat or the use of leather goods which caused world controversy.  

Karl sketched the FF logo for Fendi which was reborn and took the fashion world by storm in 2018. Celebrities alike are now covered head to toe in the Fendi monogram thanks to Karl Lagerfeld. Karl had a fascination with beauty and youth by hand picking his models and keeping with the times by only using the current IT girls to showcase his latest designs.

Bella Hadid “Can Eye”

Gigi Hadid “Run Away”

“Fabulous Fendi”

Chanel

“What I do Coco would have hated. The label has an image and it’s up to me to update it. I do what she never did. I had to go from what Chanel was to what it should be, could be, what it had been to something else”

It wasn’t until 1983 that Karl was appointed creative director for the iconic fashion house Chanel; a position he held for the next 36 years.  Karl described Chanel as a dying brand which he brought back to life by creating revolutionary suits with skirts and statement hats, Karl was known for being way ahead of his time. Lagerfeld felt it was his mission to reinvent previous designs and adapt them to modern life. Karl brought back the classic Chanel Little Black Jacket, pairing the statement piece with casual attire as opposed to full suit trousers. Lagerfeld was the true designer to create the interlocked double CC logo which is still incorporated into designs today.

Karl prided himself on being heavily involved into every process of a design from sketching, to production, to campaign ideas and to finally photographing his personally handpicked models.  Chanel AW16 Lagerfeld chose Willow Smith to be the face of Chanel for her youth, creativity and exuding confidence.  The collection became an instant hit.

Willow Smith for Chanel

Karl Lagerfeld was a true fashion icon across six decades of fashion. He single handedly shaped the fashion world as we know it. Never shy in voicing his policies, we see models marching down the runway with feminist placards in his Chanel SS/15 catwalk show.

Karl Lagerfeld dedicated his life and soul to fashion. Shortly after Karl Legerfeld’ s death on the 19th February 2019 a statement was released by Chanel’s president of global fashion Bruno Pavlovsky it stated “Fashion show after fashion show, collection after collection, Karl Lagerfeld left his mark on the legend of Gabrielle Chanel and the history of the House of Chanel. The greatest tribute we can pay today is to continue to follow the path he traced by – to quote Karl – “continuing to embrace the present and invent the future”. 

Fashion houses, public figures and models alike pay tribute to Karl across their social media platforms how he each individually touched their lives. The entire fashion world was in deep mourning for the loss of fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld. Please click through to read some of the most poignant tributes.

“I don’t believe in lifetime achievement. For me it is all about the next collection.”

Jon: Advertising on the fringe #Guccihallucination

2018 was the year that Gucci cemented itself as a global Creative Fashion powerhouse. Gucci’s market dominance is evident everywhere you look but my personal intrigue in Gucci doesn't come from its financial success or its record sales. For me what is most inspiring is Gucci’s transformation from a brand with a dated philosophy and tired aesthetic to one which is embracing the avant-garde. Hyped brands come and go but its worth celebrating Gucci as a creative leader who seem to be reaping the benefits of thinking outside of the box and challenging the status quo when it comes to marketing its collections.

This daring attitude has been most evident in Gucci’s Spring/Summer advertising campaign. Under the guidance of Alessandro Michele, Gucci’s creative team enlisted the assistance of Spanish Artist Ignasi Monreal. Monreal quickly got to work transforming classic artworks in his typical surrealist style to promote one of Gucci’s most dynamic capsule collections of 2018. The collaboration resulted in the #Guccihallucination campaign.

Drawing from Renaissance portraiture Monreal has re-imagined Greek and Roman Mythology for the modern age. This modernisation of the Renaissance art style has complimented Gucci’s maximalist creative direction perfectly.

Monreal paintings have found there way onto web, print and POS graphic campaigns but whats more surprising is that they have found their way into more ambient advertising campaigns. If you can call 20ft murals ambient! These murals have been a particular favourite of ours here at Eyesite Opticians.

Monreal has clearly thrived under the creative freedoms afforded by Gucci and it is clear that the partnership has been mutually beneficial. It would be unfair to say that the work is simply clever advertising for the various Gucci products present in the 2018 collection. For me its refreshing to see a huge brand not rest on the tried and tested methods of promotion i.e. Attractive cool model in XYZ garment, or even XYZ famous attractive person adorned in Gucci.

Monreal’s work has given permanence to the collection in a way that only paintings can and the collaboration has cemented Gucci as a creative forward thinking fashion powerhouse.

Rhianna: Dita Rikton 402 "A masterclass in futuristic eyewear"

The DITA Rikton-Type 402

The Rikton incorporates photochromic dual lens technology that adapts to every lighting environment for optimum eye coverage with enhanced colour perception. The twin lens design features an anti-reflection coating to block out the reflections of everyday life for a clearer sharper view, a small titanium spacer is then inserted to repel dust and scratches. These lenses are then locked in place with the iconic Dita green cording system. The Rikton’s futuristic chassis is developed using only the best titanium for a strong yet lightweight build, a modern take on a timeless aviator-like design. Created exclusively for eyewear enthusiasts.

Founded in 1995 Dita have continued to push the boundaries in innovated eyewear. They excel in their lens technology, timeless shapes and master craftsmanship. Their attention to detail is unparalleled with each piece hand-crafted from start to finish with over 320 production steps and a completion time scale of up to 8 months. To have and to hold a Dita is to experience genuine eyewear luxury.

Shop Dita across the Eyesite stores.