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Filed under: NEWS!

Art Alert: Sea/See/Saw

Written by on August 22nd 2015

What do you do with your old glasses when they have grown outdated and the lenses no longer workd for you?

Most people shove them away in the back of a drawer and forget about them or throw them away.

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A couple of Canadian artists Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett decided to put some of those old lenses to use…14,000 of them!

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They created a large scale instalation named Sea/See/Saw on the front of Istanbul’s Pera Museum overlooking the Bosphorous river.

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Thousands of lenses hang and glitter in the sun, reflecting the river water and moving with the breeze.

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What a beautiful way to turn trash into art!

We know, you probably won’t turn your glasses into art like this, but you can dig them out of those drawers and give them new life.  We collect old glasses and donate them to a great organization called New Eyes for the Needy.  They help provide glasses to those less fortunate and keep your old frames out of the landfill.

If you do decide to make art out of your old frames, send it over, we want to see it!

 

 

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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, Niloca, Theo

Customer Of The Week…Daily Double!

Written by on August 11th 2015

Help me welcome Robin to the Customer Of The Week Club!

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Robin’s first visit to Eye Spy Optical was a little bit strange…the Queen of Specs and the Optical Oracle were on at the shop and just moments before Robin stepped in the door, the power had all gone out. This did not deter Robin.  She had been sent by one of her fab friends to look at our unique frames and a little power outage wasn’t going to deter her.

She looked around for a bit, trying on frames in every color under the rainbow.  A Theo frame caught her eye…part of a limited edition of flourescent Mille specs…in bright blue and green.

I know this is purple...but you can imagine this in blue and green can't you?

I know this is purple…but you can imagine this in blue and green can’t you?

Robin loves color and accessories, so she also wanted to look for something she could wear with her jewel-tone outfits.  She tried on Niloca’s Fermie frame and knew she had found her frame-charming. The kalaidesope of amethyst, garnet and carnelian colors was gorgeous with her coloring and would match her hats!

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So it was settled…Theo and Niloca frames in gorgeous limited edition colors were going home with her.

We love Robin’s bold choices and think she looks beautiful in both of her new specs!

 

 

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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, Theo, Unique Frame Lines

Time For Customer Of The Week Again!

Written by on July 31st 2015

Hi friends! Welcome to another edition of Eye Spy Presents: Customer Of The Week starring the handsome and friendly gentleman that you all know and love………….Eric!

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You may or may not know this, but Eric is a guy on the go and he needs stylish eyewear that can keep up with him.  Theo Mille +23 is a simple design with some great details!  It is made out of titanium that is both strong and light & comfortable to wear. The shape is very graphic and has some nice angles that make Eric look great. The warmish grey color with a matte finish goes perfectly with his contemporary style….and big smile!!

THEO MILLE+23Eric is thrilled with his new frames and will definitely be back for his next pair of specatcular specs!

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Filed under: FASHION!, NEWS!

Artist Alert!!! Everyone Should Know About Cyrus Kabiru

Written by on July 26th 2015

 “When you walk in town and you see someone with my glasses, the glasses will [get] all your attention”

Here at Eye Spy Optical we LOVE glasses (duh!) and we LOVE recycling (yeah!).  Cyrus Kabiru, a Kenyan artist, brings together the best of both worlds with his out-of-this-world creations.

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As a kid he wanted glasses, but wasn’t able to get them, so he started making his own.  He works with found materials, transforming them into wearable sculpture.  “I really love trash. I try to give trash a second chance. I change it to be something else, which is like it will stay for more than 100 years now.”

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While they probably won’t improve your vision, you have to admit that they could give you a new outlook on life.

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Watch a video and learn a little more about him at This Is Colossal and at his website.

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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, Theo

Customer Of The Week…

Written by on July 21st 2015

Tip your hats to our elegant Customer Of The Week Deanna!!!

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Deanna came in after seeing her friend wearing a fabulous pair of glasses from Eye Spy. She wanted a new frame -something bold and colorful – and you know she came to the right place. Patsy, our Specs Wrangler, helped her try on several fun frames. Deanna almost walked out the door in a pair of Rapp cat-eyes, but a very special Theo caught her eye… and she absolutely HAD to have it!

THEO O

The O by Theo is a frame that is bold and beautiful, but also has a sense of humor. We think that it looks striking on Deanna.  Her silver hair and porcelain skin make this frame POP and the fit is nothing but perfect.

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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, KIDS!, Swissflex

Customer Of The Week!!!

Written by on July 7th 2015

Give three big cheers for Derek, our new Customer Of The Week!!! Hip Hip Hooray!!!!!

DEREK_J Derek is an awesome kid who was super excited to get his first pair of glasses (just like his dad!). It didn’t take him long to decide on a colorful pair of SwissFlex Kids frames in kelly green – which just so happens to be his soccer team’s color this year (fingers crossed that he gets green again next year)!

SWISSFLEX KIDS

SwissFlex is a great brand for kids frames because they are flexible and can stand up ruff-and-tumble play time that kids get into. Derek learned how to put his glasses on with two hands and how to clean his lenses so that they will last a long time, but I am sure that he will put those frames to the test!

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Derek is a sporty kid, so he also got a pair of silver Rec Specs sport frames.  They have an adjustable elastic sport band in the back and a padded nose pad so they won’t move around while he is on the run. He needed something that could do double duty so he can wear them when he is outside playing soccer and when he is shooting hoops inside, so we hooked him up with some transitions lenses that change to sunlenses when he goes outside.

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Derek is thrilled with his new glasses – just look at that smile! Hi-Fives for Derek!

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Filed under: EVENTS!

Eye Spy with My Little Eye…A Pop-Up Shop!!!

Written by on July 3rd 2015

Iris the Airstream was cooped up all winter and is so excited to get out and show off that she has been gettin’ around town this summer (yes, it really IS summer!) as part of our Pop-Up shop.

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You may have seen her chillin’ in front of the store during our Theo Trunk show. She LOVES ice cream and gelato and sampled some local sweet treats at spots like Black Dog Gelato and Bobtail in June. She also made her way over to the Lincoln Square Farmers Market and all the way down to Modern Cooperative in Pilsen.

eye spy popup logan

Iris still has big plans for the summer. In August she’ll be poppin-up at Coyle+Herr on the 13th, Humboldt House on the 15th, Sprout Home on the 28th, and Randolph Street Market on the 30th. In September she will be at Modern Cooperative on the 11th and on the 18th you will find her visiting her friends at the Chicago Mosaic School for the the Ravenswood Art Walk.

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Stop by, say hi, get a tour and try on some spectacular frames!!!! We always have treats and drinks for visitors:-)

If you have a local, independent business, and would like Iris to visit your shop, just give us a ring or drop us a line! And don’t forget to Follow us on Facebook for an up to date list of summer pop-ups.

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Filed under: Anne et Valentin, Caroline Abram, CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, Unique Frame Lines

Customers of the Week – Cute Couple Edition!

Written by on June 29th 2015

Our Customers of the Week are a fun and fabulous couple…three cheers for Erin and Tom!!!

ERIN+TOM FUN Erin and Tom used to live in Chicago, but moved to Wisconsin for graduate school…since Erin is working towards her PhD.  She is one smart cookie. They still make the trek all the way down to Eye Spy Optical for our fantastic glasses.  The both love fashion and think that glasses are the perfect accessory! They each left with 2 frames – a fun pair and a more serious pair for work.

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Erin chose a bright red pair of Anne Et Valentin Amber frames for her fun pair.  She had the hardest time deciding which color to get – she would have gotten them all if she could have – but the red was clearly the standout pair!

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For her work pair, she also pair of Anne Et Valentin Cozak frames in a warm grey color wtih just a hint of pink at the temples. Did someone say, “sexy secretary”?!?

Tom’s prescription is strong, so he had difficulty see the glasses he was trying. As a result, our Specs Wrangler and Erin got to work and chose a couple of awesome frames for him. Once his lenses were in, he was thrilled with the end result!

CA JOEL 152

He went home with a tortoise and blue Caroline Abram Joel frame that fits perfectly and complements his style perfectly.

AV MODERN TIME 1404

And for work, he will be sporting a handsome pair of Anne Et Valentin Modern Time frames with an occupational lens. The occupational lenses allow Tom to see up to approximately ten feet, so he can read and see his computer monitor really well…..but when he needs to drive or see anything far away, he puts on his other pair:-)

ERIN+TOM

We couldn’t love these two more and are sad that we won’t get to see them for another year.

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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, Theo

Customer Of The WeeeeeeeeeeK!

Written by on June 10th 2015

Our Customer of the Week is the fabulous Carol !

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Carol bought her first Eye Spy frame in 2007 and has been coming back ever since!  Most of the glasses she has purchased from us over the years have been Anne Et Valentin frames, but she decided to go in a different direction with a pair of blue Theo Cinquante+6 frames that really bring out her baby-blues!

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We love how these specs have a little bit of a cat-eye shape with some modern angles.  They are so flattering on Carol and really frame her face beautifully!

She also needed a sunglass, and decided to try out one of CustomEyes‘ amazing custom-made sun-clips.  She was amazed at how perfectly they fit her frames!

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Carol’s Theos and CustomEyes sun-clips are a match made in heaven and we think she looks bad to the bone!

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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, Theo

Totally Tops Customer Of The Week!

Written by on June 2nd 2015

Time to Tippity Tap Dance for our Customer of the Week….Chuck !!!!

CHUCK_S

We can’t sing Chuck’s praises enough ’round here at Eye Spy! He is one of the nicest guys and he always knows what he wants…Theos!

Chuck is a lawyer and while he could go the conservative route, he has always been called to the unique silhouettes and fun colors of Theo frames. Chuck came to our Theo Trunk Show and with our Design Maven’s help, picked out a frame that is new to their collection this year – James 5.

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The James series frames have a really cool cut-away around the nose and is a deep blue which really accents his eyes! The shape integrates the nosepad into the frame and removes the “extra weight” around the nose creating a frame that misses a “corner.”

Chuck is living proof that you CAN wear funky eyewear to work!

 

 

 

 

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