Bespoke Spectacles

[tteplitzmd]

Very nice. Any way to show in a photo the layered or lamination?

[C.Lee]

tteplitzmd, here you go.

The horn layers can be seen on the temporal hinge and bridge regions. Medium brown horn is translucent and the various layers (seven here) build on each other to create a depth of color. Combinations of different shades, and materials for that matter (e.g. horn with a fabric layer for a tortoiseshell effect), are used in frame builds to create desired effects. For these glasses, I wanted a warm hue as I find brown horn can be somewhat cold.

The temples are each solid pieces.

[tteplitzmd]

Thanks. Is there an adhesive involved in the laminating process? I am only familiar with the laminating with Italian acetate frames. The coloring effects can be quite nice.

[Manself]

While we're on the subject of spectacles has anyone had experience of EB Meyrowitz in London? My only experience so far is of the high-handed manner with which they deal with journalists, but there's no reason to assume they treat their customers in the same way.

[tteplitzmd]

They are off putting in my limited experience. I suspect they subcontract to German makers in any case. I would encourage anyone thinking of Italian acetate to find a knowledgeable agent for Schnuchel. His acetates are spectacular and there are an infinite number of variations with no surcharge on most of his special orders.

I would live in fear of breaking/crushing/sitting on/ horn, hence my interest in acetate.

[davidhuh]

I would live in fear of breaking/crushing/sitting on/ horn, hence my interest in acetate.

Acetate would in my experience more likely break than horn. I am wearing horn glasses since a couple of years now, and would not change them against anything - actually, I could go to bed wearing them. The fit and smoothness are superior than anything.

Horn needs some maintenance - I send them to the maker once a year for a little service.

david

[davidhuh]

Dear all,

somebody just sent a private message, asking about my frames. They are from Alain Benoît in Zurich. He has a bespoke service in his showroom, as well as RTW available at some opticians elsewhere.

His website: http://alainbenoit.com/

Again on the "breaking" of horn: This can be avoided by having the frame serviced regularly. Horn is getting porous over time. Mr. Benoît recommends a service every year. The frame comes back as new. Such service extends the frame's life expectancy considerably.

Cheers, David

[C.Lee]

Horn is a natural material and requires some care on the part of the wearer. This is similar to the demands of other natural materials which we wear, e.g. leather, wool, cashmere, cotton, etc. Horn is porous and has natural oils. Time and moisture will dry it out over time and cause embrittlement. Regular (read: annual) application of a cream replenishes these oils. Think about the leather shoes we wear. We have no issues with using special creams and waxes for care, and no aversion from switching over from synthetic soles and uppers on issues of longevity. Horn is like leather in many reagrds, from the enjoyment end of things to the natural care required.

[ftw88]

Having read the article about EB Meyrowitz on gentlemans gazette I went in to see if the shop was worthy of such high praise.

http://www.gentlemansgazette.com/e-b-meyrowitz/


I had a pair of horn spectacles made to measure. I picked up the frame last week and was overjoyed with the result.

Sheel, the owner, really does run the shop as a passion and I believe the warmth shown to me sets this establishment aside from so many others.

If you are in the market for buying a spectacular pair of spectacles, I would wholeheartedly recommend meyrowitz.

They are a bit tucked away in the royal arcade so probably best to have a look at their website for contact details

http://www.ebmeyrowitz.co.uk

[tteplitzmd]

Were are the Meyrowitz frames made? France, Germany?

[shredder]

Terry, there are acetates and there are acetates. There are essentially two types of cellulose acetates and three groups of manufacturers. The two types are pulp-based acetate and cotton-based acetate. The three groups of manufacturers are Italian, Chinese and Japanese. The Italian bit is dominated by Mazzucchelli, who make the colourful ones that you mentioned, as well as classic solid coloured variants. With respect to Italian manufacturers, M has a virtual monopoly (they basically acquired all their competitors). The Chinese bit is a mixed bag of Chinese and foreign companies, including Japanese companies, with factories in China. Current production coming out of Italy and China is pulp-based acetate, principally because it is much cheaper than the cotton-based acetate. If you have followed the price of cotton, this is easy enough to understand.

Like the Italian manufacturing landscape, there is really only one Japanese manufacturer still cooking up the material in Japan, except that it came about not as a result of acquisitions but of demand moving away to cheaper Italian and Chinese production: Takiron. They use cotton-based cellulose acetate, which has a much deeper, richer appearance than the pulp-based cousin which looks, for lack of better words, very plastic-y. (Yes, I realise that they are both plastic.) Many consider Japanese acetate to be purer as well although I do not pretend to understand what that actually means. What keeps Takiron in business is the small group of eyewear designers and manufacturers and their customers who insist on Japanese acetate. (The Japanese call the material 'celluloid', but I am not sure why.) Caveat: not all 'made in Japan' acetate frames are made of cotton-based acetate; in fact, most are not.

Another thing that may be worth mentioning is the method of manufacture. With the Italian or Chinese acetate, many eyewear manufacturers cut corners in an attempt to minimise (or optimise, in their view) the amount of material used. Specifically, the curves in the frame are achieved by heat-forming, allowing the use of a thin piece of acetate to achieve a more three dimensional shape. Others actually cut the curved frame from a much thicker piece of acetate, which lowers yield and increases wastage considerably. The first method can result in distortion over the years, as you can imagine. I am not aware of anyone faffing about with the first method when using Japanese acetate.

As for Bonnet vs Lafont comparison, I am not sure if that is a meaningful exercise when one's budget has already defined the conclusion.

[tteplitzmd]

Thanks shredder. I have seen blocks of the Italian acetates used in my Schnuchel frames. The color palettes are very pleasing to the eye.

[Cravate Noire]

Being ultra short sighted with several defects bespoke glasses are pretty helpful.
Here you can see LL member Sterling Gilette wearing a pair of mine (on the left) in a fun shot.
As I never saw how anyone else looked in my bespoke frames as I am, as mentioned above really ultra short sighted, I was pretty surprised to see how odd he looked in them when I saw the photo.
I wear Stelring's vintage shades here btw.

[C.Lee]

Below are sample frames created in the process of having a bespoke frame made. My framemaker and I iterated through several revisions before coming to a sample we were both happy with. We were able to capture on the first sample the temple and lense layout from our initial sketch, and the photo captures subsequent changes made to the bridge area, and eyewire.



And the delivered frame? A beautiful piece of work in horn.