At Urban Optiques, we’re always looking for the new and unusual to add to our eyewear collections.
We’re partial to small, exclusive independent boutique eyewear brands — especially those that show a high-level of commitment to producing not only exceptionally-designed eyeglasses and sunglasses, but also understand the value of quality over quantity.
So when we ran across RVS by V Eyewear, we were instantly enamored with not only the bold colors and distinctive retro-inspired shapes of the frames, but also the philosophy of RVS by V Eyewear and its owner Vidal Erkohen.
RVS Eyewear’s claim-to-fame is that they hand-make and assemble each frame from the ground up. Based in Istanbul Turkey, Vidal Erkohen and RVS Eyewear produce their eyeglasses and sunglasses from the highest-quality Mazzuchelli acetate. The acetate is left unpolished, producing a truly bold, unique matte finish that we simply haven’t seen on other frames of this quality in the marketplace.
When we contacted Vidal Erkohen to ask him about the possibility of stocking RVS Eyewear, he explained the company philosophy very succinctly:
“We believe it’s very important to produce eyewear for people who value quality over quantity. Each piece we manufacture is truly HANDMADE. This does not mean they were “hand-placed in a case.” Everything is truly made from hand: From our hand painted-red screws, brand prints inside the temples made one-by-one, and hand-sewn satin cases; all of our pieces are made with the goal to bring back the originality and quality that was put into eyewear of the past.”
RVS produces its eyewear like small batches of fine wine — their collection is relatively small compared to most eyewear lines, comprising 10 opthalmic frames and 11 sunglass models for a total of 21 frames. Each model is typically available in five to six different colors.
Each RVS eyeglass and sunglass is limited to 1,500 pieces, making it extra-exclusive and ensuring that you’ll be only one of 1,000 people in the world to own any given RVS by V Eyewear piece.
Regardless of what you think (or if you even care) about Lindsay Lohan’s personal-problems, run-ins with the law, probation violations and occasional crimes of fashion, Lilo has always had great taste in eyewear and sunglasses.
She’s been a die-hard fan of the Sama and Badgley Mischka lines for years — frequently shopping for eyewear at Sama’s West Hollywood and Beverly Hills boutiques. Loree Rodkin and Sama’s Sheila Vance even created a giant, oversized sunglass — “The Lindsay” — specifically for Lohan.
So we were kind of tickled when Lohan was spotted over the weekend shopping for eyeglasses and sunglasses at the West Hollywood Destination: Sama boutique. According to Just Jared, Lindsay had just reported to the courthouse for her probation check-in and then headed over to Destination: Sama to shop for sunnies.
Now, I’ve never had to report to a probation officer (and intend to keep it that way), but I can’t think of any better activity to do after meeting with local law enforcement than to go shopping for some new sunglasses. In fact, I can’t think of any better activity to do anytime than shop for eyewear. But then again, it’s my business.
In the fashion industry, Tom Ford has built a name for himself as a designer who pushes boundaries, whether in his runway fashions at Gucci or in the racy promotional campaigns for Tom Ford Eyewear that got his advertising banned in Italy.
So it’s a bit surprising to see the former lead-designer at Gucci and now award-winning director of the critically-acclaimed movie “A Single Man” introduce so many retro-inspired eyeglasses into the current Tom Ford Eyewear collection.
Or maybe not.
Vintage-inspired fashion continues to be a major theme in spring and fall collections from Chanel, Lanvin, YSL and Dior, and Ford himself just finished directing a period-piece, so retro and vintage style eyewear is probably top of mind for Tom Ford.
Which brings us to our designer eyeglass of the week: The Tom Ford TF 5116.
This is another one of those Tom Ford eyeglasses that is screaming for the right face shape and attitude.
At Urban Optiques, we like to get creative with our eyewear.
It’s easy just to stock the same run-of-the-mill frames and brands that the chains carry, in the same predictable shapes, colors, materials and lenses.
If that’s what you truly want, you can always visit www.costco.com or www.pearlevision.com (yes, believe it or not, we’re comfortable enough that you’ll eventually choose us that we’ll actually send you to our competitors’ websites to compare.)
But we’ve quickly realized that our clients and patients expect something different.
They want the new, the stylish, the fashionable, the unusual — and sometimes — the cutting edge.
That’s why they’ll drive from as far away as Ohio (yes, they really do) or Grosse Pointe to find their perfect eyewear in downtown Northville.
Which brings me to our new ProDesign | Denmark Tints Collection.