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Job of the week

Reading Glasses

November 14, 2011

By Deirdre Carroll: Senior Editor

NEW YORK—With the rise of the information age and the internet, smart phones and eReaders it is easy sometimes to go long periods of time without the visceral pleasure of leafing through the pages of a beautiful book. Easy…but sad, especially given the latest crop of sumptuous books that have recently hit the market devoted wholly or partially to eyewear and those who create it.

As Moritz Krueger, CEO and creative director of Mykita told VM, “Print is a medium we love with our traditional side, and we wanted to create a really beautiful book that is enticing to read and also very beautiful to touch and have as a physical object.”

So, for those who have gone too long without the weight of a book in their hands, Vision Monday has rounded up four stunning books worth putting down the Kindle for:


 
MYKITA 8
ASSORTED CONTRIBUTORS (MYKITA)

It’s been three years since Mykita first published a book about the internal goings-on at their Berlin workshop. “The five-year book was received very well and we realized that it was a very good tool to directly communicate with our consumers,” said Krueger. It was time, then, for a new edition that shed a little more light on what goes on behind the scenes at Mykita and gave voice to a variety of artists, customers and friends and their views on Mykita. “We think it’s a fun way to give people an insight into our world, and our philosophy and thinking,” continued Krueger. “Mykita 8 is a retrospective of the last eight years of the brand, as it describes the company’s development from its first location in a former children’s day-care center to today’s Mykita Haus. The ultimate goal is to offer an individual and interesting reading experience, which will turn its readers into brand ambassadors who will relate the Mykita world to their peers,” he concluded. www.mykita.com


 
FRAMED
BY GREG GORMAN FOR L.A. EYEWORKS (GRAFICHE DAMIANI)

l.a. Eyeworks has long been a brand known for their innovative eyewear design and marketing campaigns. They have once again raised the bar with the publication of Framed, an extensive survey of renowned photographer Greg Gorman’s most stunning black and white portraits shot for the brand’s groundbreaking advertising campaign. Since 1982, Gorman has photographed over 200 unique personalities wearing l.a. Eyeworks frames and accompanied by the enduring tagline “A face is like a work of art. It deserves a great frame.” The book presents 171 of these portraits in stunning photographic reproduction curated by Gorman, as well as introductory essays about the campaign from Ingrid Sischy, Gary Johns, Barbara McReynolds and Gai Gherardi and Gorman himself, among others. www.laeyeworks.com




 
EYEWEAR, A VISUAL HISTORY
BY MOSS LIPOW (TASCHEN)

For over two decades, eyewear designer Moss Lipow trawled eBay, auction houses, garage sales, and flea markets worldwide, amassing glasses and photographs for his collection. This book traces eyewear’s journey over the past 500 years and features the finest examples from Lipow’s own collection, as well as pieces from pre-eminent collections around the world. Visually stunning, the wealth of images (over 1,000!) in this wide-ranging volume are accompanied by a history of eyeglasses informed by a wide variety of sources, including ancient texts, old catalogues, vintage magazines and out-of-print publications. “This book was a dream project of mine for over a decade,” said Lipow. “Eyewear has always been a remarkable medium, but few have fully understood its scope or potential for beauty. I wanted to share and celebrate it.” www.taschen.com



 
AMERICAN FASHION TRAVEL, DESIGNERS ON THE GO
FOREWORD BY DIANE VON FURSTENBERG (ASSOULINE)

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), which produces a bestselling American Fashion series of books with Assouline, has introduced a new edition to the series. The new book highlights CFDA members who are always on the go. The globetrotting designers share their favorite destinations, hotels, restaurants, stores and sources of inspiration. Discover what Donna Karan always remembers to pack in her carry-on, where Tory Burch loves to shop, and what Yigal Azrouel calls his favorite hotel. Get a glimpse into the designers’ private and ultra-chic world of travel with personal anecdotes, images and memorabilia. Included in the book are familiar names from the eyewear industry including Selima Salaun, Blake Kuwahara, Christian Roth and Shane Baum. www.shopassouline.com


dcarroll@jobson.com
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