Trendwatch: Color Punch!

This season color blocking is one of the biggest trends that fashionistas and trendy cats will want to add to their repertoire. Everywhere you turn, neon and jewel-toned colors are deliciously assaulting our senses with their feel-good shot of joy that will perk up your wardrobe and your day. Whether you choose to go all out with color blocking from head to toe, or are experimenting with perking up your neutrals with a pop of it, this is a hot statement that is just perfect for the spring and summer.

Make pretty with purple; Entourage of 7, "Melrose" (L)

Be in the pink with Mykita's "Luna" (R)

Bright white is just right; Dita "Grandmaster Three"

Let the sunshine into your life with rose-colored glasses and sunny yellow brights

On 'quin's head, Mykita "Hector Flash"; Blinde "Forget About Me" (L)

On 'quin's head, Mykita "Rolf Flash"; Benjamin "Harmony" (R)

Sunglasses in cheery brights are a great way to further accentuate (or playfully test the waters) of this season's hottest look.

Showcase: Alain Mikli Treble Clef

Kings of Past recently added the Alain Mikli Treble Clef piece to their collection and Gafas is excited to be displaying this piece in our shop for all of you frame lovers to drool over!

This is THE rarest Alain Mikli frame to ever have been created and is one of only twenty that were created. They were hand-crafted by Alain himself for a Claude Montana fashion show in France in 1984 and never went into mass-production. It is a frame that is often thought of in conjunction with Andy Warhol, the king of pop culture, who was an owner of one of the pieces.

This frame will be on display at Gafas indefinitely, so come on by and see one of the most legendary and lusted for pieces by collectors of fine eyewear!

Client Profile: Charlie

Charlie is quite possibly the cutest client that has walked into Gafas in a while. He is sweet, eager, and VERY friendly. Although he looks like a bit of a tough guy, he is a total sweetie and these Carrera sunglasses are a perfect fit for his lovable mug. Technically these shades are actually his human mommy Laura's (and she looks great in them too!), but who can resist a pooch in glasses.

Here is our "Awwwwww..." moment of the day, from us to you, our beloved clients and friends!

And remember folks, Gafas is a pet friendly so whether you want to bring you cat, dog or iguana in while you shop, we are totally cool with it. Just please excuse us if we gush over your munchkin too much!

Eye Health 101!

The health of our eyes is very important, but many of us take it for granted or put optician visits on the back-burner so that we can focus on all the other busy aspects of our lives. For some, there is also the belief that seeing an optometrist is only neccessary if you are experiencing vision problems. But is this true or a myth?

IT'S A MYTH!

Each and every one of us should visit an optometrist every two years (annually if you are a contact lens wearer), the same as we visit our medical physician for annual health check-ups. With environmental aggravaters, genetic predisposition, and life-style choices that we all face, keeping track of the health of your eyes is vital.

So what does an optometrist do?

An optometrist doesn't just diagnose vision problems. They test your overall eye health for issues such as glaucoma (progressive damage to the optic nerve that can result in blindness if untreated) and cataracts (clouding that develops in the crystalline lens of the eyes and which causes near-sightedness, reduces the perception of blue colors and eventually leads to blindness if untreated). They can also detect eye cancers which may slip past the screening of normal medical testing. There are two main types of eye cancer; Primary Intraocular Cancer (which starts inside the eyeball) and Secondary Intraocular Cancer (which starts somewhere else and travel to the eyeball). Eye examinations may also show other medical issues such as diabetes which will lead to your optometrist recommending a physician appointment. And of course, optometrists also test and treat vision problems, eye strain, light sensitivity and color blindness.

So make sure that you put a visit to your optometrist on the top of your priority list!

New Stock: Maui Jim

In anticipation of Spring and Summer, we here at Gafas are ordering in great new frames from all our favourite designers. New in store today? The new collection from Maui Jim.

This line from Hawaii features the best quality of sunglass lenses on the market, featuring mirroring (to do the squinting for you), polarization (to eliminate glare), and high contrast so that you can see the world with exquisite saturation of color. The new models are departing from the typically sporty styles of past collections, featuring more fashion forward acetate frames and metal aviators.

Slick Aviators: "Sandalwood" and "Wiki Wiki"

"Aloha Friday", "Maui Cat" (Meow!), and "Pau Hana"

The new wrap sunglass has thinner temples which makes it a more versatile piece: "Island Time"

Stay posted on more lines that will be rolling into the shop in the near future!

Brand Power: Barton Perreira

Barton Perreira eyewear has become synonymous with timeless glamour and classic pieces that pay homage to the past while remaining relevant in the present. The line was launched a mere four years ago by the ex-president and the head designer of Oliver Peoples. Bill Barton and Patty Perreira launched their LA-based company in 2007 and have been creating stunning handcrafted pieces ever since.

Each piece is meticulously hand-crafted in Japan and inspected by Perreira at each stage to ensure that perfection is achieved. All the lenses used for the sunglass collections are of the most superior CR-39 optical-grade plastic and mineral glass which offers 100% protection and comfort. The lenses and plastic zyl colors are custom designed and created to flatter a broad range of skin tones.The collections are manufactured in small quantities which gives the brand a feel of exclusivity.

Sunglasses:

Go with a bad-ass aviator shape, "Brasco" (L); A sleek titanium frame for the ladies, "Vionnet"  (R)

We "Suspect" that these shades will get you noticed (L); A "Demure" classic wrap to keep your peepers protected from that mean old sun (R)

Optical Frames:

Bigger is better with "Sebastian" (L) and "Sintra" (R)

Unique, old-school styles are where it's at: "Percy" (L) and "Hanson" (R)

An ode to the days of glamourous style: "Chelo" (L) and "Kelley" (R)

Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Marcia Cross, Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Angelina Jolie and Selma Blaire have all jumped on the Barton Perreira bandwagon and are seen flaunting their fabulous eyewear all about town and you can be too. We have a large selection of optical and sunglass eyewear in the store and are expecting new stock soon, so come on down to the shop and we will be happy to show you this incredible brand.

Initium: Admirals Club

As anyone who keeps an eye on the blog may have noticed, we've been going on about the Initium "Admirals Club" shades for quite awhile now. Anna was lusting hardcore for the white and black pinstriped ones and everyday they'd call her from their little place on the shelf. Yesterday seemed the perfect day to end the torture. Yay for Anna!

"I love Initium's collection. The shapes are perfect for me - both for my structure and I love that very few of the peices are overtly femme. I tend to go more for masculine shapes so the "Admirals Club" was perfect...masculine but still not so thick a frame that it overwhelmes my face. The fit is very comfortable and they feel very light on my face which is great as I tend to like forgetting I'm wearing anything. And they just look super cool. Everything I own seems to look better with these babies on my face."

If you come by the store in the next few days, don't be surprised to see Anna jiving inside the shop with them on. She just can't help it. They're too cool!