Adventures in Munich (Part 1)

Hi Friends!
We are back from Opti-Munich and we wanted to tell you guys all about our  adventures!  Have you got a cuppa in front of you?Ok, great......!

Our flight from Dublin on Friday morning was at 8am, so we arrived in Munich bright and early, grabbed a coffee and took the shuttle bus directly to the tradeshow....that's dedication for you!
As you would expect from our German friends, the tradeshow was super well organised, so they had a left luggage facility for anyone travelling. We imagined alot of European guests would have flown in and out the same day!

The venue itself was HUGE, even though they say this is one of the smaller of the 'big' European tradeshows. The whole event spanned over 4 massive halls each bigger than the size of a football field (think the RDS as each hall!), with smaller stands in corridors in between. Each hall was dedicated to either frames, optical equipment, lens companies or accessories. This makes it sound like it was easy to find where everything was...and it was...it was just so overwhelming! The whole place was like a maze, I think we felt a little like were in one of those casinos where your not sure what time of day it is! Every time you turn a corner looking for the bathrooms or the exit, there is something else that catches your attention and makes you stay and look just another half hour!

Each hall had a few cafes where you could grab a snack or a coffee, but nearly every brand had either a bar or a little cafe of their own, serving beers, champagne and little bites. Some were so elaborate, we even spotted an airstream and a full sized school bus! - Check me out....I'm nearly the same size as it! ;)

So...Friday, we had made appointments to see two brands in particular. The first stop was with a French brand called 'Anne et Valentin'. We. were. blown. away. by this brand! These frames are beautiful. Handmade and so unusual, but yet totally wearable. There is a mixture of acetate frames with intricate detailing and metal frames with amazing colours and acetate mounts. They are really stunning we cannot wait for you guys to see them. We will be taking delivery in April......but in the meantime - here's a sneak peek...

Yup...amazing, right? This one is largely for the girls, but they have a small collection of men's frames also, so we didn't leave anyone out. :)

By now it was time to focus on our boys...!Our next appointment was with Danish brand 'Kilsgaard'.This brand has both a male and female collection, but we have a gap for something different in our men's collection, so we were focusing solely on them. 

In my opinion, the best word to describe Kilsgaard frames are 'architectural'. They are understated but yet meticulously designed, light, strong and modern with clean lines and matte colours. We think they will go down a treat.

We are expecting these to arrive in early March and they will be a great addition to our shelves!

What do you guys think....have we wet your appetite for our new brands?

So, we have alot more to tell you guys about the following few days in Munich. Stay tuned for part 2! 

Introducting Etnia Barcelona - Vintage Collection

We are so excited to announce Rachel Murray Eyecare is an exclusive stockist of our newest brand. One of our favorite brands, Etnia Barcelona - in celebration of their 15th birthday - have recently launched a new diffusion line - the Vintage Collection - and it couldn't be better!

They have used actual vintage acetates from the 70's and combined them with their own colours to create an original, but vintage inspired, look. 

Each model is named for a different historic neighborhood, in major world cities such as Shoreditch, Mission District and Fitzroy.

There are eight optical frame and six sunglasses styles to choose from, and two of the optical styles have two colours of custom clip on sunglasses with mirrored lenses which ups the cool factor 100%. It's such a practical addition but it actually makes the frame even more attractive. I love how it looks with the metal and plastic and as always their choice of colours defines them. (see pic below)

The collection comprises of all acetate styles, including the sunglasses and the vintage influence is evident. Keyhole bridges and funky prints on the tips, beautiful tortoise shell patterns and clear acetate frames are just some of the choices available. Not to mention the clip ons.....we are obsessed with the clip ons!

 

A couple of the sunglasses models have photochromatic lenses, yet another cool little extra. They are already dark - with graduated lenses - and they will get even darker in bright sunlight, making them the PERFECT winter sunglasses........who wouldn't like to get a pair of these in their stocking this Christmas?!

This is a unisex brand so there is something in it for everyone.Will you be a Williamsburg or a Montauk?A Fitroy or a Kreuzberg?Let us know what you think!

Find out more about the collection from our website.

Sunglasses Style with Modafix

The very chic Triona from Modafix shared a great post on her blog recently, styling a range of our sunglasses for the Autumn/Winter season.

Head on over to Modafix blog for a look, it's well worth a read!

Looking good, Triona!

How To Choose Sunglasses For Your Face Shape

Sunglasses season is in full swing - it seems like everyone is heading away for week abroad or just enjoying the (very!) few evenings of sun here at home.

I know we may not always have the strongest sunshine in Ireland, but I for one hate any kind of glare - which is why on an overcast day, or even during the Winter months, you'll find me with my sunglasses on. *Here comes the science bit!*The lighter in colour your iris is, the more photo-sensitive you are! This is why it is essential to have a really good pair of sunglasses (or four!). Squinting in bright light can give you eyestrain, headaches and *gasp* - wrinkles. No fun – especially when the solution is so fun to wear!

A good pair of sunglasses are an investment and should last you for years, and it’s probably why the biggest question we get asked in the practice about sunglasses is “What shape best suits my face?” There are no rules exactly, but there are some guidelines for your faceshape that you can stick to if you want a starting point. 

The old adage of ‘opposites attract’ are the name of the game with face shapes - the idea is that if you have a round face, you choose a square style; a square face should choose a round style and so on. 

Features: Face is wider than it is long, with a prominent jawline.

Square-Faced Celebs: Angelina Jolie and Gwenyth Paltrow

Try: Round/oval styles soften an angular jaw & soft curved or cat eye shapes work well.

Our Picks (Top-Bottom): Etnia Barcelona 'Wild Africa 6', WOOW 'Super Chic 1'

Features: Prominent forehead, wider cheeks tapering into a pointy chin.

Heart-Shaped Celebs: Reese Witherspoon and Naomi Campbell

Try: Draw attention away from the forehead with low set/keyhole bridge & graduated tints. Stick to curved shapes.

Our Picks: Maui Jim 'Honomanu', Etnia Barcelona 'Paris/Tokyo'

Features: Face is roughly the same length as width, with full cheeks.

Round-Faced Celebs: Mila Kunis & Emma Stone

Try: Angular shapes work best with a round face and will give definition.

Our Picks: Maui Jim 'Kawika', Elle

Features: Face gently tapers towards chin, with prominent cheekbones & forehead.

Oval-Faced Celebs: Jessica Alba & Alexa Chung.

Try: Everything!Oval faces are the most versatile. Just be mindful of size - smaller oval faces should choose petite styles.

Our Picks: Etnia Barcelona 'Wild Africa', Lacoste

With all that said, it's fun to break the rules! If you find a style you love, don't worry if it doesn't fit the criteria of the face shapes. If you love it, work it!

Once you have found the perfect pair, look after them! Keep them in their case, clean them regularly with a good lens spray and microfibre cloth, don't leave them on the dashboard of your car to warp in the heat....and try not to sit on them! If you mind them they will reward you with years or service and you will feel like a million bucks everytime you pop them on!

WOOW Has Arrived!

We recently took delivery of a new brand to our collection. WOOW are a diffusion line of popular French eyewear brand FACE A FACE. We have added ophthalmic frames and sunnies to our shelves, with styles for both men and women.

WOOW have managed to create a brand that is truly unique. Their exaggerated frame shapes and layered colours are unlike anything else we have seen. Each style has a little message inserted on the inside tip of the frame - fun, motivational quotes, (for what WOOW call “anti-crisis eyewear”)such as ‘Super Duper’, ‘Wake Up’ and ‘Rock Me’. Such details are completely unnecessary but utterly complimentary of the brand’s creative design and intended to enhance the frame for the wearer alone, as the design is completely hidden!

We love WOOW’s attention to detail with saturated colours, layered acetates and original shapes. Everything, down to the little quotes’ vintage inspired type-writer font, has been carefully chosen.

The sunglasses are reminiscent of the 60’s and 70’s, with round and cat eye shapes for the ladies and keyhole bridges and metal sides for the men. These frames have already proved popular and, as always, we try not to repeat our ophthalmic frames, so that our customers know that they are getting something as unique as they are!

What do you guys think?!

Choosing Frames For Our Collection

We always enjoy choosing frames for the new season. Some eyewear brands bring out several capsule collections per year, whilst others change or update their styles just once a year. We get lots of visits from different brand representatives each year - and while most brands have websites, it’s a necessity to see the frames in person so we can check the quality and compare them to the others in the practice. We try to make sure that we try on each style and take the time to put ourselves in our customer’s shoes before we settle on the frames we know they will love.

We recently had the first of our twice yearly visit from Etnia Barcelona rep, Mark. As it's one of our favorite brands, when choosing frames from this collection we are like children in a sweet shop! The range is huge and the frames are so colourful and diverse. Also, for the first time, we were choosing from their new sunglasses range, too, which we were more than a little excited about!
The European brands tend to be the trendsetters, so it’s not surprising that Etnia Barcelona is on the pulse of what’s hot in the eyewear world.

The vogue for acetate frames is going nowhere, with this new collection, we are still seeing lots of plastic frames in different shapes. 50’s and 60’s styles are featuring massively, with the cat eye style in the lead.We are also seeing loads of twists on the classic, with bolder tortoise shell patterns with pops of chocolate box colours.

Their new capsule collection is called ‘Art Flowers’, (right down my street) a range of frames adorned with a delicate abstract print, born from the floral fashion trend.

When the sun shines, what’s hot is their limited edition Wild Love In Africa sunglasses, taking inspiration from the bright colours and animal prints of Africa.

The ophthalmic range is fully stocked in the practice now, with the sunglasses trickling in over the whole Summer, so there will always be something new to see, pop in any time for a look at the range.

Watch this space for an exciting new collection this Autumn.....we can't wait to see whats in store for this innovative brand!