Silmo 2006: part deux.

Marco Salgado's frames were pretty interesting and we liked his idea of using computer components as an inspiration, but the frames were so heavy, we just could not commit. I was actually quite surprised to hear the frames were made in China, to be frank. When I asked where they were made, Marco said "Asia". "Japan?", I inquired with hope. Nope, the other "Asia". That's just unacceptable and not something I expected to hear about the product under the Mikli umbrella. And I know companies try to convince us there is no difference...Trust me, there is, and besides, you don't want that heavy stuff on your face. No matter what they say, "Made in China" and true luxury... it just does not mix.

Allison Magee's much hyped "bubble" was another disappointment and a more than average experience with little substance. Her styles weren't at all exciting and the "patented" hinges seemed unnecessary and, on top of it, did not even function well.

On the bright side, and right around the corner from Mikli Studio, we met up with our good buddies from Reiz Augenspiel and Onkel.



I am not gonna talk about the new Onkel styles just yet. Lets wait a little; they will be here shortly.

The new releases from Reiz are a different story. This new ophthalmic collection is based on Reiz Limited Edition sunglasses collection which was introduced earlier this year. And lemme tell you, these are not your ordinary specs. The frames are made from spectacular 12mm!! thick acetate and look and feel like sculptures, not eyeglasses. These are hand-drawn models, as designer believes computer programs do not take into a account facial variations of human face. They are true works of art, IMO, and everything from subtle colors to classic shapes speaks volumes about designer's vision and his commitment to bring highest possible quality to consumers. What a marvelous line! We've ordered quite a few pieces and expect to see the new collection here in February.

Another cool line we are adding this time around is Alek Paul eyewear (sorry, no pics), designed by Alessandro Martire. Mainly acetate, Alek Paul is entirely hand-made in Italy from famed Mazzucchelli zyl. Here, we see extreme attention to detail, with every frame going through more than 100 processing stages, most of which are carried out manually. We have been looking to add an Italian line of plastics for some time now and I think we found what we wanted - clean lines, generous shapes and sophisticated colors.


Check out ALEK PAUL website for now.






And last but not least. It was great to finally meet Xavier Derome and Aurelia Brenner last week! The guys are great and have lots of new stuff which we'll be getting early next year.




We were actually so preoccupied with their cool designs I completely forgot to snap more pics of new styles. Not to worry, it will be here soon.