Spectacles, art and everything - the tooth the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth!

I’m often asked that if money was no object what frames would I love to own in my collection.

Well to be honest, most collectible frames tend to be collectible due to the provenance of the person who owned them and not necessarily the quality of the frame.

Who wouldn't want to own a pair of frames once worn by Gandhi (£34,000) , John Lennon (£1 million+) or Churchill (£11,200) ? The intrinsic value of the frame is low, but once touched by the magic of the owner the desirability and material worth is multiplied many thousands of times.

In the other corner sits the frame whose value lies in what it is and not who owned it. This is the area that interests me, as it is also the area which pushes the boundaries of design and material often making what is, at its simplest a utilitarian item, into a work of art.

Take for instance the work of Emma Montague in last year’s Royal College of Art show. Here we have a young designer taking and blending materials that have been historically used to make spectacle frames – acetate, bone and horn – and using them to great effect in expressing abstract ideas within a practical and beautiful form.

So if you ask me what I like within my collection, a jaw bone frame would currently be pretty high on the list.

TTFN
Deadman

Dead Men's Spex in Pinstriping and Kustom

Hi There

Wow, it’s Tuesday already, the week is running away with me, yesterday morning was sunny so I attacked the front garden and removed a load of dead flowers and tidied up the border. There were a few late marigolds lurking in the undergrowth so I brought them inside to brighten up the dull days.

Cheerful marigolds in November

Christmas is looming and we have decided to advertise Dead Men’s Spex in a different publication, so look out for our new advert in the Christmas edition of Pinstriping and Kustom Graphics Magazine. It is a bimonthly publication covering Low Brow art, tattooing, kustom klothing, music and lifestyle. It is a fun, eclectic magazine which we think goes well with our company's ethos. 

Right, that's all for now,

Claire

I can see clearly now............

I thought I’d take a look at the stranger side of spectacles this week. I’m not talking about the gentleman who used to come in to an opticians I was managing years back and have a gent’s frame for work and a lady’s for the weekend!

It takes allsorts and if this is the case the following guy must be the Bertie Bassett in the packet!

http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/dude-gets-permanent-eyeglasses-tattoo.html

There is some talk that it might be a viral advert, perhaps Matt could give us an opinion on whether the tattooing looks right. I hope on one hand it’s for real as the effect of having to wear real glasses over the top when he needs them with age is going to look great. On the other hand, if it catches on it could be bad for business!

On a more artistic note (I know I’m asking for trouble implying that the tattoo isn’t art – but this one is at the Beano end of the art continuum) artist Stuart Haygarth http://www.stuarthaygarth.com/default.asp?V_DOC_ID=1177 uses old spectacle frames to make wonderful sculptural chandeliers.

Even more spectacular is his use of 4500 used prescription lenses:

With recycling being one of the buzzwords of the 21st century finding second uses for items that would otherwise be thrown away seems eminently logical to me. The wearing of vintage and second-use clothing and spectacles puts us not just at the forefront of fashion but also at the leading edge of sustainable living.

Wear your vintage frames with pride!

I’m off to the workshop as I’ve just had a great idea for a duvet made from used spectacle cleaning cloths, can anyone thread a needle?

TTFN
D.Man