Glasses direct blog

Wow. Just wow.

A Russian street artist who has created a giant pair of spectacles from a streetlamp has been dubbed ‘the Russian Banksy’. The mysterious figure, known only as P183, reveals little about himself except that his name is Pavel, he is 28 and that he previously studied ‘communicative design’. Not a man of many words, by the sounds of things but we think that he’s latest piece of work shows absolute genius. Using a lamp post for an arm, the camera-shy artist created a pair of giant specs that create a stark contrast to Moscow’s snow- sprinkled streets

Giant Glasses in Moscow

We’re keeping an eye out for more creations from this hot new talent.

Oldman: Hoping to replace the Berlin Bear with an Oscar this year?

Reported in today’s London Metro, British actor Gary Oldman has been nominated for an Oscar. We actually find it quite surprising that the massively talented and respected actor hasn’t won as Oscar yetm let alone receive a nomination.
Oldman said he was ‘shocked’ to learn he was up for an Oscar after he failed to win a Golden Globe or Screen Actors Guild nomination for his role as spymaster George Smiley in ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’.

‘It is extremely humbling, gratifying and delightful to have your work recognised by the Academy,’ he said.
The British actor will battle Demian Bichir, George Clooney, Jean Dujardin and Brad Pitt for the prize.
While Clooney is predicted to win, there was no doubt in the minds of film fans on Twitter who deserved the award the most – Oldman, who bagged his first Academy Award nomination today for his role as George Smiley in the spy thriller; ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’.

Oldman: Spec-idol for many a distinguished gent:

Shop using our style finder, here: http://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/retro-glasses/

To celebrate men, moustaches and the month of Movember, I have decided to pen a little piece celebrating the art of the double facial appendage. I mean, why hide your features behind one clever disguise when you can completely bamboozle the enemy with two! So let’s all get out our moustache combs, brush the dust off the Ray Bans and embrace the month of Movember as if it were our last!

Ned Flanders:

No other programme captures modern life like The Simpsons and no other man carries the old push broom as well as Ned Flanders. Clearly designed around the Magnum PI ‘tache, Ned epitomises the suburban nerd and captured the moustache/specs combo perfectly…….okely dokely?

Ned works specs AND a tache. Genius.

Say “hello Ned-erino” with the JL260F and matching jumper.Hercule Poirot:

Although, probably the most famous creation from the mind of Agatha Christie and brought to life so perfectly by David Suchet in the TV adaptations, his keen mind and sleuthing skills have been well hidden behind his little twirly moustache and glasses. Although not as unkempt as the “Flanders”, what it lacks in volume it more than makes up for in “Artistic Polish”

Ali G:

As part of the “West Staines Massiv” but actually living with his grand mother at 36 Cherry Blossom Close, Ali G has come to represent all that is well wicked in W London and his sporting of the full on face fungus and bright yellow lensed sunglasses is, in our books,  proper booyakasha and deserves much respek.

'Is you Madonna?'

Join in wit da crew with the Nueu 06 with yellow tinited lenses

Groucho Marx:

Born in a room above a butcher’s shop means too things. A) you’ll never run out of sausages and B) there’s a good chance you’ll grow up to be a very famous film star.

Groucho achieved both of these with a razor sharp wit, a trademark cigar and a truly awesome ‘tache. It started off as being grease painted on but proved so popular Groucho decided to grow his own and kept it for the rest of his life showing you can never keep a good moustache down!

X factor finalist and Glasses Direct’s favourite diva, Johnny Robinson was unexpectedly voted out at this week’s show alongside boy-band; The Risk. Loveable eccentric, Johnny channelled a sartorial silhouette over the weekend whilst smashing classic ballad; Unchained Melody, opting for slim line suits and a MOD style barnet.  Leaving his more flamboyant attire in the dressing room, Robinson teamed his low key look with some acetate red specs from east London label, London Retro. The unisex frame fitted the singer’s neat features perfectly.

It maybe the end of the road as far as The X Factor is concerned, but a new journey may well be in the pipeline for Johnny, with next year’s Eurovision Song Contest well within his reach.  However, the 45-year old could have a fight on his hands in the form of reformed 90s sugar-pop band Steps tipped to throw the gauntlet down for the opportunity to represent England in Azerbaijan next year.

Personally we’d rather see Johnny rocking the Euro-mic come May 2012, than the likes of H from Steps. Watch this space for the unlikely song bird to make his mark. How? No idea. We’re waiting with baited breath, too.

'Need a little help reading the small-print?'

Being nice to his mum, a model citizen and “that nice chap next door” are 3 phrases not commonly associated with Adolf Hitler. In fact, they’re about as well used as chopsticks at an all you can eat soup buffet.  The other sight you don’t get to see very often is Hitler wearing specs and as The Daily Mail reported this week, there’s a very good reason for it.

According to recent stories, Hitler needed reading glasses but being the chap he was, deemed them as a sign of weakness in front of his supporters, so he never wore them. Now most of us when we hit a certain age, will be told we need specs to read. So we bite the bullet, log on to the Glasses Direct site and buy a pair. What we don’t do is toodle off and invade Poland.

Presbyopia or the loss of accommodation in the eye ( or, the need for longer arms) is something we all encounter at some point as we pass the great, big 4…0 but we just chalk it up to experience and carry on. Hitler choice to ignore it completely and simply had a type writer made with extra large print and had his top PR bods and spin doctors (now that’s a tough gig) double space all his speech notes so he could read better.

So his rather classy specs, probably the most under used in history, find themselves up for sale for the princely sum of £5000 (you don’t even get a second pair free) along with a few other of his personal effects. If you have the cash, then casually dropping into conversation “you haven’t by any chance seen my glasses have you? You know the ones, gold? rimless? swastika on the side?” might impress some but I’d prefer the 2 for 1 for £59 with us. Cheaper and a bit less controversial when flying abroad.

Old Hollywood romance is something that’s about as extinct as our visits to the gym, so when we read about the auctioning off of Tinseltown legend, James Dean’s love letters to his then girlfriend Barbara Glenn, there was a collective steaming over of lenses and wistful sighs (from the girls, anyway). With only 4 films under his belt before his tragic death in 1954, James Dean is still talked about and hailed as a Hollywood great. To this day, men want to be him and women, be with him. The figure of James Dean is one with undeniable sex appeal and of course, specs appeal.

For a man who managed to immortalise the white tee and leather jacket combo into a timeless trend, it’s a ‘go figure’ that his hotness also smouldered in a pair of reading glasses. Just check him out in this archive snap that we’ve dug up. Looking sartorially handsome, albeit a bit brow-beaten Dean is pictured with Bond girl and beau Ursula Andress (we’d give our right eye to know what she was saying) at the Thalian Ball on August 29 1955 at Ciro’s nightclub in Los Angeles. This era-capturing snap encompasses Dean’s style and how the tragically yet iconic actor gained and has continued to retain a global following. Teaming a classic tux with tortoiseshell reading glasses, the actor opted for a soft wayfarer outline to compliment his chiselled features and fair, but brooding looks. We’re sure that you’ll agree that ‘dapper’ just isn’t the word, so gents, may we suggest that it’s time to invest in some tortoiseshell specs and make like a movie star. Just see those ladies swoon in your office!

…  and  you never know, you might even snare your own Ursuala.

Get the James Dean Look with Mai Tai:

As a slight departure from the normal film related spectacle tie in (think Clark Kent or Harry Potter), I thought I’d flip the view a little bit and take a peek behind the camera with a quick retrospective nod to some of the great be-spectacled directors of our time. Never really seen on screen (except when it comes to plugging their next must-see project) there are quite a few directors known for their face furniture.

So, its curtains up and roll VT for the following ‘Directorial Gods of Geek’.

Simon Pegg

Although known more now for his exceptionally funny film work (yes I’m a massive fan), Pegg’s early work can be seen in the C4 sitcom Spaced, which he wrote alongside writer pal, Edgar Wright. Responsible for writing what is possibly the greatest sitcom of all time, the two also collaborated in writing Brit flick, Shaun of the Dead which also starred Pegg’s best mate Nick Frost (also a specs man).

Oscar for a future Oscar winner

Martin Scorsese

Well, where do I begin with possibly the greatest director of all time. Films such as ‘Mean Streets’, ‘Taxi Driver’, ‘Raging Bull’ and ‘The King of Comedy’, would compliment a life time’s work for most directors, but to then follow those up with ‘Goodfellas’, ‘Cape Fear’, ‘Casino’ and ‘Gangs of New York’ is almost too much for my peas sized brain to comprehend! With 3 films in post production at the moment, his Royal Specciness seems unable to slow down. A big thumbs up from Team GD.

A classic for a classic.

Steven Spielberg

Probably one of the greatest directors of all time with a rare ability to bring together sensitive films (‘Schindler’s List’, ‘Saving Private Ryan’) huge box office results (E.T, Jurassic Park) and futuristic ideas (‘A.I’ and ‘Minority Report’), Mr Spielberg can do no wrong in the move world and with his subtle style of specs as his trademark (along with the beard), his choice of scripts are spot on. Having invented the idea of the summer block buster with ‘Jaws’ he also co-produced ‘Shrek’ and the lesser know, but with a cult following, ‘Pinky and The Brain’.

The Portobello from London Retro

Danny Boyle

If you ignore ‘The Beach’” this Brit director has barely put a foot wrong. Bursting onto the big screen in 1994 with ‘Shallow Grave’ and quickly following it up with ‘Trainspotting’ (has there ever been a better follow up movie?), Mr Boyle has just delivered the double whammy of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and ‘127 Hours’ and with new film ‘Trance’ out in 2013, this visionary genius is set to show us his best yet.

Get the DB look with the ST006

Steven Soderbergh

Well, we can start with the genius that is ‘Sex, Lies and Videotapes’ and move swiftly on to ‘The Usual Suspects’ (and yes it’s Kevin Spacey, I thought everyone knew that?) and end up with ‘Oceans 11’ and ‘Traffic’. With a remake of the classic ‘The man from U.N.C.L.E’ on the way next year with long term collaborator George Clooney (calm down ladies), the specs of Mr S are set to continue being stellar.

Neat and masculine: the Madrid

Guillermo del Toro

Maybe not a well known director to part-time movie buffs, the Mexican great is probably best known for ‘Hellboy’ and ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ but surprisingly, also had a hand in ‘Kung Fu Panda’……so a slight departure for him there then! His spec of preference is the classic round eye, a la John Lennon. Easily achievable with our own the John Lennon collection.

The John Lennon JL260

Ethan Coen

As one half of the aptly named Coen Brothers (with brother Joel and his unruly hair), he has helped write and direct some truly modern greats. Kickstarting his career with ‘Blood Simple’ and ‘Raising Arizona’ in 1984 and 1987 respectively ,he has become one of The greats in edgy direction. Their style of film making (see ‘Fargo’, ‘The Big Lebowski’ and ‘O Brother Where Art Thou?’) is founded on self belief, a unique camera style and clear vision.

Get the look with our Mojito range

Tim Burton

This man should win an award purely for his hair, but having directed films such as ‘Beetlejuice, ‘Edward Scissorhands’, ‘Mars Attacks’ and ‘Corpse Bride’ Burton’s directing talent over-rides the crazy mop. The gothic theme he puts in his films, coupled with his style and frequent use of Johnny Depp mean his films are always visually stunning and his re-invention of the Batman franchise proves his genius……as does his taste in specs.

Acheive a more wearable Burton vibe with the ST002

Spike Lee

Known just as much for his film topics as the films themselves, Spike Lee has never been one to shy away from directing controversy. ‘Do the Right Thing’, ‘Jungle Fever’ and ‘Malcolm X’ have all show cased his brilliance, and with ‘Summer of Sam’ he showed why he one of America’s greats in direction. His choice of frames is equally out spoken. Be inspired if you feel brave enough with the Mexx 5358.

Frame it like Spike.

Woody Allen

Having written 68, directed 47 and starred in 42 to date, Mr Allan Stewart Konigsberg, now pushing 76, has long been associated with his iconic specs and although some may say his vision may have been a good reason for his rather poor films in the last few years, his early works such as ‘Bananas’, ‘Love and Death’ and ‘Husbands and Wives’ are surely classics of the highest order.

Oh-so very Woody.

Like this post? We want to hear who your glasses wearing, favourite movie icons are.

We may just be inspired so watch this space…

Barbie is growing up, and has started taking her career more seriously. Digital files have replaced nail files for the blonde bombshell as she begins her new role as a Computer Engineer. Most importantly however, in her new role she sports a very striking pair of geek chic glasses in the obligatory Barbie Pink.

If you want to be a Computer Engineer in Barbie Land, get the look with Glasses Direct:

Glasses Direct price: £59 inc. single vision lenses + extra pair FREE
http://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/daiquiri-wings/

Glasses Direct price: £59 inc. single vision lenses + extra pair FREE
http://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/cuba-libre/

Recently featured in Wired magazine, you will need a microscope to see these glasses. This is a 2mm frames sporting a 0.1mm logo, seen here pictured on a house-fly. The logo is the equivalent size of a human hair, and was lazered onto the frames using, from a stationary machine, whilst the frames were moved around using a positioning machine.

Looks as though this was a warm-up act by German company Micreon for their next trick: to engrave tiny lettering onto watch faces. Reminds me of the artist Willard Wigan, who creates sculptures too small for the human eye to see. One of his works that I saw was set on a plinth which was the eye of a needle, and the sculpture itself was of a ship whose ropes were made out of spiders web strands. He gives a fascinating talk here.

We’ll be sticking to the day job of choosing the best styles and designs that suit your eyes and wardrobe, which means you probably won’t find these bug-eyed glasses at Glasses Direct for the foreseeable future

As avid followers of glasses in all shapes and sizes, we watched with excitement as the nation donned its 3D spectacles for last week’s live, landmark 3D broadcast by Keane. Now that 3D broadcasts on TV and online are becoming more regular, we all have the opportunity to don our 3D glasses more often.

And so to help you track down where to get your hands on 3D glasses, and to see what’s coming up to watch in 3D, we thought we’d research what’s happening where.

Top 5 places to get your 3D specs

1. This US mail order site gives them way for free is you send a self-addressed envelope
2. 3DImages.co.uk boasts a stock of 350,000 3D specs, from card to plastic models
3. Napier University is running a science project that’s giving away 3D glasses to people based in Scotland
4. Keane has a cut-out template for making your own 3D glasses
5. If you have a £3000 Hyundai S465D TV and Sky+HD you won’t need specs at all. That’s the future of 3D viewing in your living room.

What to watch in 3D

• The 3D Keane gig is available to watch on the Keane band website
• Aliens versus Monsters is currently playing in cinemas in 3D
• Horror fans can get ready for My Bloody Valentine 3D appearing on DVD this June
• There’s more 3D viewing on the way from Sky, who also say the Olympics in 2012 is going to be a major 3D showcase.

If you want to get the 3D look in real glasses, we’ve got a few pairs in our Cocktail collection that have the thick frames and striking looks that you’ll want.

What are your favourite 3D films or TV programmes? Let us know in the comments below…