Blog

Filed under: EVENTS!

Celebrate our GOLDEN BIRTHDAY!!

Written by on October 1st 2015

2015_Anniv-Golden-Year4

Join us on October 17th from 11-5 pm for lots of golden goodies!

First, try your luck in finding the golden ticket, Willy Wonka style! Prizes and discounts will be inside each wrapper. It might not be a trip to the chocolate factory, but it will totally be worth it!!

Gold Plaited will be braiding your hair in magical ways from 12-2pm! Just take a gander at these outstanding braids….

goldplaited (@goldplaited_) • Instagram photos and videos - Google Chrome_2015-09-26_17-35-02

goldplaited (@goldplaited_) • Instagram photos and videos - Google Chrome_2015-09-26_17-33-45

 

Next up, the snacks! We will  have a delish boozy gold-flecked bundt cake by Wilder Cakes and the Design Maven also will be brewing some golden sangria…and she’s a bit heavy-handed, so watch out:)
Wilder Cakes (@wildercakes)

For the kids and kids-at-heart, add some flash to your day with a golden temporary tattoo:-)

And for the grand finale….a golden gift, straight from the Parisian flea market, will be given to each person that makes a purchase on our golden birthday!!

We hope to see your gorgeous faces on Saturday, October 17th from 11-5 pm!! The braid bar is 12-2pm! 

Maybe we can even convince the Specs Wrangler to do a funny dance, maybe…

Continue Reading >

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

Customer Of The Week!!!!

Written by on September 21st 2015

Hey everyone!  We have a new customer of the week! Say hi to Hawke!

HAWKE_Y

Hawke came in needing help fixing an old pair of glasses that had fallen prey to the tiny hands of a grabby child – kids can’t seem to resist the siren song of a pair of glasses…before you know it SWOOP! they are off!

We were able to help him get his old frames back in order, but he realized that he might want to get a new pair since it had been a while since he had updated his glasses game.

Hawke has a low bridge and frames that come with nosepads tend to keep those specs where they need to be, but liked the bold look of plastic frames!  Patsy, our Specs Wrangler, got right down to it select the always fantastic, Fame frame by Anne et Valentin. He liked it so much that he decided to get it in 2 colors!

AV FAME U157

 

The black and charcoal frame is a great alternative to a boring black frame.  It still has the clean lines that you get from a black frame, but the matte plastic on the front add a textural element that keep this frame modern.

AV FAME U205

Tortoise plastic is classic and softens this grey metal frame bringinging elements of dimension and light.

It is amazing how different the same frame in two different colorways look!

Hawke is now rocking his new frames and feels like a million bucks.  I hope he can keep those little kid fingers away from them!

 

 

Continue Reading >

Filed under: EVENTS!

Back to School Supplies Drive!

Written by on September 10th 2015

Welcome back to school friends! We know that means you are most likely gathering up pencils, books and backpacks for yourself or your kiddos. Unfortunately, there are some children in Chicago who can’t afford their back to school supplies. This year we are partnering with Jahn Elementary to lend a helping hand!

2015_B2S_SupplyTheFuture_SMALL

Help us, help them get back to school with the right supplies! Bring in school supplies during the month of Septemeber and we will give you $25 off your glasses!  Let’s all help each other and invest in Chicago’s children and make it just a bit easier for them.

If you find yourself  wondering what to bring, here’s a list of supplies by grade level!

We will be running the drive all month long, so you have plenty of time to help!

Continue Reading >

Filed under: FASHION!, NEWS!, Spectacular Sunglasses

New Line: Out-Of-This-World Sunnies!

Written by on September 10th 2015

Everyone at Eye Spy has been talking about our newest line of limited edition sunglasses since the moment they came in.  They are a genius collaboration between eyewear designer Fakoshima and fashion designer Ria Keburia.

RIA KEBURIA CLOTHING3

Fakoshima is designed by Konstantin Shilyaev, a graphic designer turned eyewear designer who finds inspiration in Japanese design, fashion, architecture, cinematography and electronic music. His designs blend playful design with a futuristic ideas. “We believe that humans will be androgenic with incorporated elements associated now with robots, androids and new technologies.”

Fakoshima x Ria Keburia OWL

Ria Keburia is a Georgian avant-garde fashion designer who lives in Paris and is well known for her crazy clothing and exciting fashion shows.  She worked with Fakoshima to create a line of eyewear to accessorize her SS15 collection.

Fakoshima x Ria Keburia ROUND

They found inspiration in candy colors, childhood and toys. They use chunky acetates in fun colors, bold graphic shapes and playful takes on iconic frame shapes – cats, circles and brows.

Fakoshima x Ria Keburia CAT

This collaboration is the bee’s knees and they will instantly put a smile on your face!

RIA KEBURIA CLOTHING2

Which pair do you want?

Continue Reading >

Filed under: Anne et Valentin, CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, FASHION!, Gentle Monster

Customer of the Week!

Written by on September 6th 2015

Our uber-chic Customer Of The Week is Ruth!

RuthK (3)

Ruth has been a customer here at Eye Spy for a few years now and she always has wonderful taste.  We love how these slightly oversized Anne et Valentin Modern Style frames look on her.

AV MODERN STYLE

Everything comes together in this frame – the shape is a reimagined take on vintage eyeglass shapes, the little pops of red metal on the temples make this frame modern and the tortoise is a classic color that is crazy versatile.

RuthK (2)

Ruth’s Gentle Monster Magician frame is also an updated take on a traditional sunny and is a frame she will be able to wear for years.

gm magic

Chocolate chip acetate and gold metal…how can you go wrong?

Ruth’s frames have all the right elements and she will be able to wear them long after the current fashion trends come and go.  This is what classic style is all about!

Continue Reading >

Filed under: Anne et Valentin, CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, Francis Klein

Customer Of The Week…Dog Days Edition

Written by on August 25th 2015

Hi all!  These truly are the dog days of summer, so we chose our wonderful customer Victoria and her cute pup, Splash, for our Customer Of The Week!

DORGAN_VICTORIA AND SPLASH!

At Eye Spy Optical we LOVE glasses and we LOVE dogs, so when Victoria came in to pick up her new glasses and brought along her furry little friend, we were thrilled and HAD to have a picture of both of them!

Victoria has been a customer for a few years now and on her last trip here, she picked up 2 pairs – first, a gorgeous pair of claret red and minty green Anne et Valentin Minilook. The more traditional shape makes these are perfect for professional settings but have that gorgeous color that looks so great with Victoria’s coloring.

MINILOOK

She also decided on a pair of Francis Klein Club frames with a floral silk print.  We love how light and easy-going this pair is – perfect for summer garden parties and brunching outside!

FK CLUB

 

Victoria is happy with her new summer frames and Splash gives her paw of approval to both pairs!

 

Continue Reading >

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.

lenses

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!

lenses1

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

see_saw

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

03-seaseesaw

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!

 

 

Continue Reading >

Filed under: EVENTS!

Sunglass Sale!!

Written by on August 20th 2015

2015_sunglass_saleWe are getting ready for our AUGUST SUNGLASS SALE, where, once a year we round up all of our sunglasses, and go a little bananas on the discounts. 

All sunglasses are on sale from the beginning to the very end of the month! Come by and take advantage of discounts from 10-50% off of almost every pair of sunglasses in the store. Yowza! Just to add to the crazy of the sale, we have also put a a few of our eyeglasses lines on sale for 25% to 75% off!

Come by and let us fit you with lovely sunnies to enjoy for the rest of the summer… and fall because we all know we will be outside as long as the weather allows!

IMG_2105

Continue Reading >

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!

ROBIN_O2 (2)

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!

ROBIN_O2 (1)

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!

 

 

Continue Reading >

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!

ERIC_H

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!

Continue Reading >