Funk Royal Optics: Music meets Eyewear.

I don't know how it happened, but it has - I never said a word about Funk Royal Optics here.
Funk was our first line we purchased for the new store and it is all a self-respecting hipster would want. Designed by a German DJ Dieter Funk since 1992, Funk started off as a line of ultra-cool sunglasses that quickly became a staple in the music world.



The Royal Optics are a new chapter. Introduced in 2005, it is new, fresh and entirely manufactured in Japan. It is, friends and relatives, an ode to quality. Top-shelf plastics, fish-bone temples, old world hinges; these details speak volumes of Dieter's desire to deliver quality AND style to the people. And growing in a family of opticians in Munich, Herr Funk knows all about quality when it comes to eyewear.



Hesus, one of the newest models, shown above in green and tortoise, is a great example. And so is Kleopatra IV, below.

Many frames, sunglasses especially, reflect Dieter's bubbly personality and styles like Pimp de Luxe or Broad de Luxe are pure fun in the sun.




Another cool recent addition to Royal Optics is Octavian, Pompejus and Antonius in White Lines color. Clever mix of white and clear acetate create unforgetable look that will complete any DJ's ensemble.





And yes, winter is coming....

Ksubi sighting!

I was wandering around on myspace and the vicinities and found a picture of this fun girl sporting Ksubi Old in brown.

Cool beans, and it fits perfect too!! LOL!

Ksubi suns are back

The sold out colors are back in stock.

Grille is here in both black and white.



Plastic is here in pink and black. Love the pink!!


Old is here in all colors - black, white, burgundy and tortoise. White and burgundy, below.

New Orgreens arrive

Fresh out of the box, first we have Buffalo, a medium size men's style. Strong masculine color combinations such as gun brown and red or army black and green are softened by rounder curves and highlighted by original dual temple design and distinctive bridge cut-outs.


CRUSADER, below, features great colors and a modern rectangular shape aided by a slight up sweep that will accent those cheek bones, baby.



And finally, we have Hellcat, above.
Filling the gap between a fuller Catalina shape and small, but wide Jetstar, this small style is a great addition to Airline collection and will be perfect for women who want a smaller frame. Hellcat is a perfect blend of modern material, feminine shape and sexy colors.

Ksubi Manga

Manga is available in black or brown.

Götti : model Zarek

Jeff, a graphic designer, chooses new style from Götti+Niederer design team.






What makes model Zarek unique is the use of epoxy as material for temples, shown here in orange. The front is 100% pure titanium and as a result, the frame is practically weightless.


For more info about this model please visit Götti.com.

TSUBI becomes KSUBI

Silent "T" will be swapped for silent "K" and all products under the brand name Tsubi to be phased out by next October...



I am pretty sure this was long in the works, and I suspected something was fishy right away, when Tsubi suddenly pulled their hotter than sun jewelry collection off the market earlier this year. I imagine there was an agreement to stay within the sphere of influence, but as Tsubi growth continued to spiral out of control, and company emerged as major design force of mega proportions, the names began to compete.

It's unfortunate it had to happen this way, but.... I am planning to stock up on existing original Tsubi designs just so I can bootleg the stuff later on...

"Pst, listen boy, you wanna see real Tsubi "Old"? How about Suede "The Drowners"?"

Martin & Martin update

Got a call from Martin Lehmann, one of the Martins in Martin&Martin Eyewear, announcing that after almost 10 years the company is finally ready to start supplying their clients, meaning us, retailers, directly from Germany. With middleman almost gone, (Incite International is holding on to distribution license for Martin&Martin until the end of this year) we hope to see a minor price drop...I say we hope, I am not holding my breath though.
What we are really hoping to see is swift changes in delivery time. That will be a huge plus to all, because right now, it takes us about a month to get a replacement model back in stock and that puts everyone from designers to customers at serious disadvantage.
So yes,I am glad Martin called and cleared the air, as no matter how much we appreciated their designs and quality, without knowing what was going to happen to their US distribution, we could not move forward with orders as much as we liked.
It looks like we are back on track and we'll be talking more with them at SILMO in Paris in less than 2 weeks, and hopefully leaving with lots of new styles!
In the meantime... I have secured the entire current Martin&Martin Collection to be available for viewing at our store starting tomorrow. Just to let you know, stuff like this never happens. So if you have never heard or seen Martin&Martin collection, the time is now. Visit their website and then stop by our shop and try their frames on. You will be impressed just like we are.


MARTIN&MARTIN EYEWEAR

MYKITA comes through.

So about a month or so ago, I have a gentleman customer who really loved one of the MYKITA frames - style Hugo, pictured below. The only objection we both had was the color which we had in stock, black. Trying other styles from MYKITA in brown, it was obvious that warmer and friendlier tone was the way to go. All said and done and lenses ordered on the spot, it was time for me to go into MYKITA's site to order the frame....Username, password, collection...Hugo is not available in brown?! Oh, God!! How is it possible?! Why not?? Grey, silverline, black, but no brown. It had to be an error of some kind, I thought.



And so the next day I catch MYKITA guys on their way to Vegas trade show and explain the whole ordeal. Model Hugo, they tell me, is specifically designed to satisfy demand in Asian markets for strong, masculine, modern double-bridge frame based on a classic aviator shape. Black and silver colors are the only colors they have ever produced in this style... but, and here comes the unexpected part, they understand my predicament and are willing to manufacture one single frame in brown, just to please my customer...

I was speechless, to say the least. In the day when you can't squeeze a pair of replacement sun lenses from giant companies who make millions off fashion victims, it is refreshing to see such high standard of customer service. Bravo MYKITA!!!

And so ladies and gentlemen, it arrived today.

I give you the one and only, MYKITA Hugo in brown!

Orgreen: Cobra in stock

Yes, finally we have Cobra! There are 3 colors to choose from for now: army green/light green, matt charcoal/orange and matt brown/white.





Few other new styles should also be arriving shortly. Hellcat and Skyhawk, two smaller women's styles, are definitely not to be missed. The frames are absolutely adorable and we could not stay away from them, ordering all the colors.

Crusader, pictured below, is another exciting style and depending on the color, will work for both men and women. We can't wait to finally see it on our shelves.

SILMO 2006

Several appointments with our current European accounts are lined up already, but we are looking to spend most of our time at the show searching for new, "design forward" companies.
One of the stops will be over at Viktor&Rolf showroom. Their recently released eyewear line has swept Tokyo by storm.... Of course, it's not available in US.

Alain Mikli, who collaborated with other designers in the past, has added 4 new lines under his MikliStidio umbrella - Sara Eliris, Alyson Magee, Marco Salgado and Bless. It does not look like Sara Eliris is our cup of tea, but Marco Salgado's styles look very fresh and we'll be taking a closer look at them at the show.

Good news

I am very pleased to announce the addition of a new and exciting line of eyewear to our store - ONKEL EYEWEAR from Germany. The company is only 10 years old and is all about design and quality materials. The new collection is absolutely stunning and we can't wait to receive it and show it to our customers.

Please check back with us for the exact arrival date.

Sneak peek pictures below.

Meyer München

Bill is wearing Meyer München in black.

Götti eyewear: new styles are here!

Yes, finally! A new line of titanium frames with epoxy, yes you heard right, epoxy temples is here. The frames are, again, sleek, sophisticated and extremely lightweight and comfortable. The colors range from cool brushed silver with semi- translucent white temples to gun with matt Burgundy and purple with opaque green. Very nice, I must say. We also have the beautiful Götti titanium sunglasses back in stock, although 2 are gone already.


Cheers all!

Meyer Eyewear news

I am very happy to report that Meyer Eyewear frames are doing extremely well at our store, finding the intended customer much faster than I could ever have predicted. Some people just can't get enough of them, ending up ordering two pairs at once. But as I see it, Meyer designs might very well manifest what could be that perfect pair of frames. Their graceful, polished lines grab your attention yet let the face do the talking. Absolutely brilliant!

At this point we are actually running lower on inventory than I'd like and we are working with Andrea over at Meyer headquarters in Berlin on assembling new shipment. Andrea says most items are in stock and promises everything should be ready to ship within 2-3 weeks. Needless to say, we expect it with much anticipation. Not only we'll get the sold out styles back in stock, but the new styles, set to be shown in Paris next month, look very promising as well. Seems like we might have them here before they ever shown in Paris!

There is a new color too - copper - and in addition to Buffalo and Reindeer horn temples, Meyer guys are introducing new temples crafted out of fine wood.

Check back for updates, or simply stop by our store to see all Meyer collection has to offer.

MEYER-EYEWEAR.COM

Vibskov

It's official, we have Vibskov's deigns. Seeing them in person for the first time I must add the quality is impeccable.

First, the sunglasses.




While I was quite upset about the fact that we could not get Andy style in white due to production difficulties, I am more than happy with the way the frames look in both red and black. I believe Andy is one of the most unique shapes on the market today, yet it is unconditionally simple. Itotally love this frame! It has purpose, it breathes life and fun and its 80's lines are simply irresistible.

And now the rest of the stuff - backpacks, laptop bags, scarves and undies.
Here, take a look.


There are three colors of Old Strong Undies - black/red, navy/white and red/white. All have matching Old Tank Tops, but our quantities are miniscule.



Below, Piggysan Laptop Cover in black.

Orgreen: frame of the day

Miriam is very cute and happy to get her new Orgreens'! She fell in love with Catalina style in burgundy/teal and now it's hers.

Enjoy! I forsee zillions of compliments.

Silmo 2006

All booked and ready to go. Is it October 23rd yet?

As you see, I am planning on getting to France several days earlier and will head straight for Champagne for series of decompression tours. Then we shop.

Henrik Vibskov's collection is....

coming next week!

In addition to his sunglasses we are getting laptop covers, backpacks, scarves, underwear and beanies. Crazy cool stuff!

Tsubi

Stephanie wears Tsubi Old in white and pink. Yeah, baby!

Derome Brenner: sunglasses

I know, I know...I probably sound ridiculously repetitive, but what can I say, we sell out of most of the styles we import. These cool, vintage inspired styles, for instance, have been gone for more than a month and are finally back in stock. While Bonnie, above, is definitely a frame for girls (never say never), GOB 9, below, is a knock-out regardless of which bathroom you use. This drop dead gorgeous, pure as tears aviator shape is the ultimate expression of style and the good news is, it fits and looks good on almost everyone. This style is available in 3 colors - black, metallic brown and metallic grey and comes with either solid or faded tint lenses.

DB's plastics are unbelievably natural to a touch and unlike majority of plastic frames on the market are not manufatured in China. Yes, because they are handmade in France, in the heart of the Loire Valley, they feel soft and luxurious against the skin and you quickly forget you are wearing any frames on your face at all. Don't worry, the jealous looks on people's faces you'll be passing in the street will be constantly reminding you about them.





Just look at the details! The layers of laminate, laser cut-outs, these are all hand-made and it is no surprise they are exhibited at Le Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris. The one below, a three piece Huggy ensemble consisting of sunglasses, matching bracelet and necklace, shown in cream and ivory here, is simply stunning. The jewelry is made from the same material and wether you wear it as a set or just on its own, prepare to be stopped. The Huggy collection consists of few styles of frames and is also available in black/ivory and brown/turquoise. All pieces can be purchased separately or as a set.

MYKITA

Several MYKITA sun styles are also back in stock. In addition to Viktor, pic above, and which we have in silverline with faded grey lenses and pearl with solid green, we finally received two new models - Bruce and Jacob. Sadly, we still can't get our hands on any of the styles in gold color due to rabid popularity in Europe. Damn it, I want one and even I can't get it.



By the way, someone just called inquiring about one of the MYKITA ophthalmic frames and this gentleman specifically wanted to know if the frames are durable enough to handle the abuse of reading Rx lenses. Absolutely! MYKITA's eyeglasses are made with surgical grade of stainless steel and are ridiculously flexible and light.

In addition to that, there are no screws and as a result the maintenance is minimal and comfort is absolute.

Dita Decade: back in stock!

One of the most coveted styles from Dita, Decade, one in gold, one in black/gold and one in white/gold, appeared out of the blue today after a two months backorder hiatus.