TURIN–I have been wearing eyeglasses since age 11, so after years of ill-fitting bifocals, I finally came to the conclusion that buying a pair of bespoke frames is well worth the expense. I heard about TURINEYES from a few very valued fashion sources. The atelier is run by four self starters – between the ages of 26 and 36 – who have developed a completely new hand made technique that they keep strictly secret from the public. What we do know is that their frames are totally made by hand and are crafted in their Turin atelier with Mazzucchelli cellulose acetate, a bioplastic material traditionally used for spectacles and sunglasses. I thought I would give TURINEYES a whirl and write about my experience firsthand, because for most people around the world, the bespoke experience is something relatively foreign.
For more info on prices and to make an appointment, go to: www.turineyes.it
READ ABOUT MY STEP-BY-STEP BESPOKE EYE WEAR EXPERIENCE IN THE PHOTO GALLERY BELOW:
It was raining and cold when I got to Turin, but inside the place was packed and the jazz was humming.
TURINEYES is on Via Mazzini 33/i
Turin Eyes has a very young staff, which is so refreshing. Founders are from left, Ignazio Brucato, 30, and Francesca Deaglio, 27. They developed their own trademark artisan technique and have clients from all over the world.
Francesca, a trained architect, designed the space. There are over 400 colors/patterns to choose from. The pool table makes it easy to mix and match.
I decided to play it a bit safe. I chose a metallic, marbled acetate for the front of my frames and a white pearl for the inside.
There are hundreds of models to choose from, so I picked these four and Ignazio took them all into consideration. He measured the bridge of my nose and inspected my face for a few minutes….
In about ten minutes Ignazio came back with this one of a kind model for my face.
Here goes… I was a bit worried about the price, but the frames cost about EUR180 to EUR280, which is not bad considering they are made exclusively for yours truly.
I also customized my own label. As a child, I obtained poor marks in handwriting. Unfortunately, not much has changed.
And then I saw these hand decorated sunglasses… I restrained myself… sigh…
This is how they looked when they were delivered to my house. My own label! Yay!
I can’t wait to get my corrective lenses put in, but for now, these will be my sunglasses for Spring. They are a perfect fit for my face. TURINEYES does do prescription lenses in house, but I decided to wait until I saw the frames on my face. In any case, Turin Eyes, offers a satisfaction guarantee. You can send back your frames and adjust them at no additional cost.
