Tag Archives: Eyeglasses

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.

fork-glasses

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: 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: 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!

CAROL_H2 (1)

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!, Unique Frame Lines

Customer Of The Week!!!

Written by on May 19th 2015

Clap your hands for our new Customer Of The Week…Calvin!

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Calvin bought his first pair of specs from Eye Spy wayyyyyyyyyy back in 2001 and has been a loyal customer ever since.

On Calvin’s last visit, he was looking for a new pair of cool new specs and our Design Maven, Sara, was quick to find a great pair of new Piero Massaro frames.

PM_Natura Collection

These handmade Italian frames are so comfortable and stylish with their handmade acetates and fun details. Eye Spy is one of the few shops in the US to carry these unique frames and the designer only makes 100 of each frame in each color, so you won’t be seeing anyone else in Calvin’s new specs. :)

Calvin looks stylish and cool in his new frame and we are sure he is out there getting compliments right and left!

 

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

Customer of The Week!

Written by on May 8th 2015

Happy Day to Customer of the Week…Phyllis!!!

JACOBSON_PHYLLIS

 

Phyllis was getting too much attention in her limited edition kelly green Anne Et Valentin Sagan sunglass-turned-optical frame – not the WORST problem to have – so she came in to find something a little more understated…perhaps even “boring.” Our Queen of Specs, Alissa, took on the task and did her best to help out Phyllis by selecting an elegant Move frame by Theo in a soft blue that really complements Phyllis’ eyes and skin.

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Unfortunately, Alissa’s attempt at choosing a boring frame wasn’t as successful as she thought, because Phyllis called us up the other day to tell us that she has been getting stopped on the street because of her newest frames too! People just won’t leave her alone! The nerve!

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We love the new frames and think she looks amazing. If you want to go tell Phyllis how much you LOVE her glasses, you can find her being a rock star realtor at Baird & Warner, volunteering at PAWS or walking her three rescue dogs….

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Next time Alissa will just have to try a little harder…or Phyllis just needs to get used to being a rock star :)

 

 

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Filed under: Anne et Valentin, FASHION!, Mykita, RES/REI

Customize Your Specs!

Written by on December 8th 2014

If you have spent some time hanging out here at Eye Spy, you may have heard one of us mention a genius named Arnold from CustomEyes once or twice (probably more than that…we really really love him).  He is the man behind our custom painted sun clips and frames.

This frame and custom clip are cool as a cucumber.

This frame and custom clip are cool as a cucumber.

That is right…let that sink in a bit.  CUSTOM…PAINTED…FRAMES and SUN CLIPS!

You want a green Theo frame painted pink? Easy Peasy!

You want a sun clip to match your ombre purple Caroline Abram glasses with a green flash mirror? Get those tissues out ’cause you are going to cry Tears of Joy!

Have you had dreams of little hearts and stars all over your blue Mykitas AND a clip with teddy bears on it…well, I am not sure if he is a miracle worker…but we could ask!

Aren't these just dreamy?

Aren’t these just dreamy?

If you have a metal frame that needs to be jazzed up a bit, or you have odd-shaped specs that needs a clip, HE IS THE MAN!

Anne Et Valentin Flora before...

Anne Et Valentin Flora before…

Put down that white-out and step away from the glasses!!!! Arnold will make that frame black and white for you…trust us.

Flora is Black, White and HOT all over!

Now Flora is Black, White and HOT all over!

Love what you see? Then what are you waiting for? Get in here and get one of these little works of art on your face!

 

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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!, Spectacular Sunglasses, Super

Customer of the Week!

Written by on July 24th 2014

Congrats to Dan, our newest Customer of the Week!!

What a glorious summer it has been so far! Sure, we’ve had some rain but at least we didn’t have to water our gardens that day! Dan came in to get some shades to add to the gloriousness of his summer! Patsy helped Dan find the perfect pair of neutral but stylish sunglasses. He’s rockin’ it in his People frames from RetroSuperFuture.
WESLEY_dPatsy had a blast helping Dan pick out these frames, while Dan cracked joke after joke.

Thanks for being so hilarious Dan and for being our Customer of the Week!   

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

Customer Of The Week!!!

Written by on June 24th 2014

It’s a family affair! This trio was just too cute, so we made all three of them the Customers of the Week!!
Meet Kathy, Curt, and their little bruiser, Wil!
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Curt has been coming to Eye Spy for frames for some time now. He’s gathered quite the collection of Anne et Valentin frames. His “Factory Eight” frames (pictured here) are his most recent addition. Since Curt developed such an appreciation for the designer, it was only natural that Kathy would end up being just as inspired!

When the family came in to pick up Curt’s glasses, our Anne at Valentin trunk show just happened to be in full swing at Eye Spy. Kathy hadn’t purchased glasses in years, but fell in love with the “Lou” frame in chocolate brown with pink accents. She decided that she needed to look as good as her husband, but needed a very comfortable frame. This titanium frame fit the bill…and will stand up to the wear and tear that certain toddlers can impose on glasses;-)

A special honorable mention goes to the little guy, sporting his super fly Julbo sunglasses. Maybe when he’s all grown up, he’ll join the ranks and carry on the Anne et Valentin frame tradition!

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Filed under: CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK!

Customer of the Week!!!

Written by on April 24th 2014

So excited to introduce you all to the newest member of our Customer of the Week club: Kim!

Kim is the definition of “Go BIG, or GO HOME”, when it comes to buying glasses. She came to us as an eyeglass virgin. Armed only with her new Rx, she hadn’t the faintest idea of what shape she was looking for…but she knew she wanted turquoise.  She quickly took a liking to the cat eyes and the round frame shape. There were so many frames that looked great on Kim … and when all was said and done, she couldn’t narrow it down any further; so the solution was to buy her top 3 favorites! Here, Kim is sporting her “a-dork-able” salmon-colored Gentle Monster “Fafala” frame.
KIM

In addition to her Gentle Monster frames, Kim also chose the Caroline Abram “Satyr” frame in turquoise and purple (which by the way she snagged in the nick of time, because this color is now discontinued!)…
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And finally, the Caroline Abram “Elsa” frame, which she turned into sunglasses. Not bad, considering we also give an awesome discount to those who purchase multiple pairs at once. :-) Cheers, Kim! We hope you’re loving your new frame trifecta!

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Filed under: NEWS!, Niloca, Unique Frame Lines

G’Day to Niloca…Our New Line!

Written by on January 27th 2014

 

Niloca Pile

We have been waiting (in the freezing cold) for our new line to get here. It sure did take them long enough to get here … perhaps because the goodies came from Australia….or maybe it was a combo of Chiberia and Snowpocalypse. What matters is that  Niloca is here NOW!
With the tag line of “…unsuitable for ubiquitous consumption,” they surely do not disappoint!

 

Greca. Geric. Grandi frames

 

“Niloca has a heart or rather 4.  Niloca is a family operation, quite often based at the kitchen table.  There are no aspirations to appease hipsters or mass market saturation, just the supply of interesting eyewear to select independent optical purveyors for the delight of eyewear individualists everywhere.”

Come in and try-on these dreamboats! Pssssst… we are the only ones in the states that have them! Bam!

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