Wayne Gillies in Yellows Plus 631

Before

After

Wayne Gillies knows a lot about branding. He's the director and owner of Brand Assist, specialising in design and art direction. But Wayne wanted to do a bit of personal rebranding, so he came to see us for some new specs. 

Needless to say, he made a brilliant choice. The Yellows Plus 631 in Black/Silver is a titanium frame with classic styling and lots of personality. 

Looking good, Wayne!

Shipped from London or fallen from Heaven?

Our latest arrivals from Cutler & Gross are absolutely divine. Think Piccadilly Circus in the '60s. Graceful cat's eyes for the ladies, and classic frames with flair for refined gentlemen.

But we adore the new season sunglasses the most!

Whether round, cat's eye or rectangular, they all have elegant side flicks and oodles of vintage charm. We've been swooning over them ever since they arrived, and we know we'll be swooning over them for a long time to come.

All the new C&Gs in one big glorious pile.

The superb 0886 in Black and Humble Potato. Teed St has it in Tortoiseshell too.

The marvellous 0734 in  Dark Tortoiseshell

0734 in Grey Horn

Classic elegance - the 0935 in Dark Tortoiseshell . Also comes in no-nonsense Black.

Gabriella Liebemann

Gabriella Liebemann wearing Yellows Plus "Fay"

With an eye for detail, graphic designer Gabriella Liebemann, was pleased to discover our favourite Japanese range Yellows Plus, one of our most beautifully made ranges featuring hand-polished Japanese zyl acetate.  Gabriella is wearing model "Fay". The soft contours of this clever design work perfectly for Gabriella's petite features creating a bold, sophisticated look without compromising femininity.

All the way from foggy London town

Our new Oliver Goldsmiths have arrived - just in time for the sun. Hooray! 

Opening the treasure chest

Goldsmith galore! 

You can never have enough OGs. Or Claire Goldsmith optical frames (right)

Y-Not (1966), Lord (1961), Renzo (1967), Sophia (1967), Vice Consul (1959) and Fuz (1966)

For 1960s glamour, you can't go past the Riply, Audrey, Camp, Manhattan and Uuksuu. And it doesn't get much more mod than a classic white Koko, one of Audrey Hepburn's favourites (top left corner).

Sharp angles make the newly released  'Orbison' a unique favourite for lovers of retro style.

Can't decide between round and square frames?
Our pick of the season, the 'Uuksuu' (1964) offers the best of both!

Meet the designer: Martin Lehmann

Martin Lehmann, along with school friend Martin Stempell , founded the aptly named Martin & Martin label in 1997. Both Martins came from diverse working backgrounds to form an eyewear business in their homeland of Germany. Before long their designs were featured on the runways in Paris.

Over the years Martin & Martin established itself as a creative and innovative frame design house, making quality eyewear based around a whole lifestyle concept. Ranges are constructed from the highest grade acetate, featuring interesting pathways that play with the juxtaposition of dark and light colours.

With their attention to quality, classic styling and clean modern lines, the two Martins have built a superior eyewear company only found in carefully selected opticians around the globe.

Martin Lehmann

What (or who) inspires you?

For some time I have been inspired by the incredible versatility of cellulose, it is one of the basic elements life is constructed of. That is why I choose acetate as raw material for our frames, because it’s basically made from cellulose.

What three words sum up your design ethos?

Minimalistic, natural, elegance.

Best piece of fashion advice?

For men it would have to be ‘Hagen’. For ladies ‘Hanna’.

Favourite frame from your range and why?

Currently the Paul X. It seems to look cool on all faces aged 20 to 80, men and women....

What is your pet peeve?

Watching TV soaps sober...

What would be your perfect day off?

Going for an extremely long hike on a sunny day.

Sunglasses of the Week

Terry Bowyer found us at High St, not long after we opened.  His passion for collecting vinyl records may soon be overtaken by his Goldsmith eyewear collection!  Terry wears Oliver Goldsmith's "Vice Consul" as opticals and has chosen Michael Caine's "Renzo" for a touch of class this summer.  Partner Kerry Oswald wasn't going to miss out and recently updated her prescription sunglasses selecting Oliver Goldsmith's "Audrey" (raspberry coulis) for a little Hepburn glamour.  Thanks for being such awesome clients, let's hope for some sunshine soon so you can get rocking those Goldsmiths!

Kerry Oswald in Audrey and Terry Bowyer in Renzo both by Oliver Goldsmith Sunglasses