Have you noticed the wide variety of sunglasses people are wearing this summer? Beyoncé has made sunglasses a focal point during her Renaissance tour, which I constantly see in Instagram stories. She changes her designer shades as frequently as her costumes and casually throws them to the audience when the vibe of a song changes.
But Beyoncé is not the only woman on my social channels flaunting different types of sunglasses. Jewelry designer Jennifer Fisher and stylist June Ambrose also showcase incredible styles.
I mention all this to make a point. Sunglasses have always been a great accessory, but now women are really investing in them and building collections to match different looks and moods. In other words, it’s the perfect time for Francis de Lara’s new sunglasses collection called the FDL Editions.
Photographer John-Paul Francis de Lara Pietrus started designing jewelry and ultra-luxurious gem-set gold and silver eyewear a few years ago. The first collection of limited-edition styles was exceptional. In a story for this publication, Smitha Sadanandan described the glasses as taking an exhaustive 250 to 700 hours to craft and having a price tag of around $24,000.
The prices for the new FDL Editions are significantly lower, ranging from $1,000 to $2,000. However, they still have luxurious details.
During Couture Week in Paris in July, John-Paul debuted two FDL Edition styles: Aviator and Pentagon. Both will have a limited edition of 300. The Ribbon Hearts frames shown here are a preview of the next retail collection. All of them feature a small natural diamond near the engraved FDL signature on the styled arms of the frames.
Gemfields rubies or emeralds in a teardrop shape, with a vintage 1970s vibe, accent the UV-proof lenses, which are available in either gradated cognac or rose-tint.
John-Paul’s original collection was inspired by the question he asked himself while looking at paintings in Florence at the Uffizzi: “What kind of sunglasses would people have worn during the Renaissance?”
The new collection maintains the Renaissance art vibe with Florentine hand engraving techniques on the lightweight gold-plated aerospace-grade titanium frames.
“The Aviators have a ‘Telato’ engraved effect, created by tiny, unevenly scored lines in a cross-hatch pattern to give a linen texture”, explains the designer. “The Pentagons evoke the ‘Rigato’ style, reminiscent of a silk grosgrain ribbon.”
If you’re wearing spectacular frames like these, you probably don’t want to casually throw them to the crowd like Beyoncé when you’re in a different mood, but rather have a special case to carry them. John-Paul has got you covered. The cases for the glasses are made of sustainable, vegan, eco-friendly, and durable pineapple fiber mock-crocodile leather, which is a fitting compartment for these very special eyewear.
