Trying to understand that elusive Parisian allure has always been a difficult task, and trying to emulate it has been even harder. With effortless class, and an elegance remnant of decades past, Longchamp takes us on a journey through an era rich in culture, fashion, and beauty, making recreating French-girl style that little bit easier.

Take the trend of rimless sunglasses. Big in the nineties and early noughties, the frameless sunglass has found new fervour today, its retro, rimless shape appealing to the millennial audience who seem obsessed with those decades past. It’s an eyewear trend Longchamp have tapped with a brand new sunglass style which riffs on the retro shape but remains wholly modern – and features an old friend, the horse. Longchamp’s iconic iconography is honoured – albeit subtlety – in the sunglass, riding on in on the top left corner of the lens. A metallic touch, it’s both subtle and chic, adding a hint of flash (but not too much, of course).

But with any great rimless frame, comes an equally great gradient lens, another classic eyewear trope of the era. Like a glorious sunrise, Longchamp channel noughties nostalgia with three ombré colour ways including Grey with Gradient Blue lenses, Forest with Gradient Green lenses and Sunset with Gradient Orange / Lilac lenses (a GRAZIA favourite). There’s also adjustable nose pads and acetate temple tips for enhanced comfort, plus they’re extremely light for supreme wearability

With a beautiful butterfly-effect, they are both cool yet timelessly classic, a superbly French take on nostalgic eyewear. Another addition to Lonchamp’s stylish stable of sunglasses, see the world through this new lens – and you’ll never look back.

 

Here, we chat to Marchon’s Senior VP of Design Marchon, Massimiliano Maccanti, about frameless sunglasses, femininity and an unlikely source of inspiration.

GRAZIA: How did you arrive at this new sunglass style?
MM: While designing this frame we wanted to create a feminine glamorous shape where lightness and double colour lenses are the most important feature of the style.

G: What were your influences / inspiration?
MM: For this specific style we took inspiration from a Salvador Dali painting “Landscape with Butterflies” In fact, looking at the shape it vaguely reminds us of the shape of a butterfly, but in a more modern interpretation with his soft geometric cuts on the bottom of the lens and enhanced by the frameless construction which gives even more the perception of lightness combined with the warm nuances of colors selected on the lenses.

G: What was your approach when designing?
MM: In designing the collection, we love to translate our inspiration for the frames, which are meant to “dress up” elegant and confident women. Every single design is supposed to emphasise her femininity and eventually look more attractive while expressing her own personality

G: How did you reference the Longchamp brand and its history in the design?
MM: Working in close contact with Longchamp’s Creative Director we always keep in mind the DNA of the brand as well as its heritage while designing the collection.

G: Tell us about its unique detailing and the significance of the metallic horse?
MM: It is a perfect example of translating a heritage detail on this frameless style which makes it distinctive and a bit unexpected.

G: Rimless eyewear seems to be making a huge comeback. Was this a consideration when contriving the style, or why did you choose to go rimless?
MM: Yes, we see a trend where rimless shapes are coming back and of course while designing this style we kept this aspect in mind.

G: They are an extremely light style. How important is factors like weight and functionality when designing?
MM: Functionality it is indeed an important aspect that always has to be considered when we design our sunglasses. In fact, we are extremely focused on making sure that our frames are not only comfortable but also durable and we select the best materials and technologies for our manufacturing process.

G: How do you suggest we style these sunglasses?
MM: These sunglasses can be styled for many occasions. We would suggest that probably smart casual outfits would be the suggestion but they can work extremely well also in a more elegant occasions with a simple cocktail dress for a venue on the beach…

Shop the look

LO199S , Longchamp, $280. shop now

video Credits:
Videography: Dané Stojanovic
Stylist: Kim Payne
Model: Adel Cavendish / Fabbrica Milan