Our Latest Lafont Glasses Perfectly Encapsulate French Fashion
New Lafont frames have arrived at Glasses LTD just in time for spring, and I, for one, couldn't be more excited. I mean, these things are a work of art!
Clockwise from top: JEAN LAFONT OPTIMISME CAT EYE OPTHALMIC GLASSES, $650.00; JEAN LAFONT JEANNE SQUARE CAT EYE OPTHALMIC GLASSES, $620.00; JEAN LAFONT OFFICE SQUARE CAT EYE OPTHALMIC GLASSES, $500.00
These are easily some of the most unique, stylish frames we have in the store--which isn't surprising, given their origin. France's Lafont family has been designing high-end, luxury glasses since the Roaring Twenties, and their breakthrough Genie design has cemented them at the top of optical fashion since the 1980s.
The brand's current Artistic Director, Thomas Lafont, designs two collections per year, and is deeply inspired by the sights, sounds, colors, and people of Paris. "Paris is alive! The city pulses with the lives of all who inhabit it, from anonymous individuals to public personalities, from those who live here to those who are only passing through," Thomas says in an interview with Made in Paris. "The color of Paris also comes from Parisians themselves: their outfits and diversity." This obsession with color is foundational to Lafont's brand, which boasts 200 exclusive colors, a blend of seasonal and signature shades.
So too is Lafont's national pride. 80% of Lafont glasses have been honored with Guaranteed French Origin Certification after a manufacturing chain audit from Bureau Veritas. This French-centered approach is reminiscent of the one developed hundreds of years ago, during the reign of Louis XIV, and explains why Lafont, and France more broadly, is highly regarded for fashion and design.
They even have sunglasses!
Clockwise from left: JEAN LAFONT JUIN ROUND SUNGLASSES, $620.00; JEAN LAFONT MALDIVES ROUND CAT EYE SUNGLASSES, $480.00; JEAN LAFONT MERVEILLE SQUARE CAT EYE SUNGLASSES, $785.00
Why Are the French So Stylish?
We take it for granted today that France is the home of Fashion (with a capital "F"), but in 1642, that honor belonged to Spain, particularly Madrid. During the Spanish Golden Age, stiff, tight, black clothing was all the rage. Catholic Spaniards preferred understated, austere clothing that was durable enough to last for a long time, limiting the need for yearly fashion hauls. Black clothes signified status; black dye was expensive, and a key ingredient for this dye came from Spanish colonies in modern day Mexico.
Then Louis XIV came along and changed everything.
Slay.
Image via Wikimedia Commons (Dguendel, CC BY 4.0)
"The Sun King," who began his reign in 1643, was a theater kid with a flamboyant, extravagant sense of personal style. He eschewed boring black clothes for brightly colored furs and robes, giant hair, and red high heels--and he forced everyone else to do the same. Under his reign, nobles and members of the court were forced into strict etiquette and dress codes that required unprecedented spending on luxury goods and fashion.
Where were the French 1% buying these goods? Not Spain, or anywhere else, for that matter. King Louis and his finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, established domestic textile, clothing, jewelry, and furniture industries, and passed laws prohibiting the import of any goods that were manufactured within France. This ultimately provided employment for a third of the country's subjects, who were then organized into professional guilds to enforce quality control and limit domestic competition.
Colbert and the King didn't stop there. Spain's sumptuary laws discouraged excess spending on indulgent goods; for French nobility, it became a serious faux pas to wear the same clothes every year. Colbert made the seasonal production of new textiles mandatory, encouraging consumers to buy new items at least twice yearly. Anybody who was anybody had new parasols and fans for the summer and new muffs and capes for the winter.
That's right folks, Steve Jobs didn't invent planned obsolescence, Jean-Baptiste Colbert did. That's who you should be shaking your fist at every time your Apple battery stops charging.
Thanks, Jean.
(Public Domain, PD-US)
King Louis XIV was also a PR genius. He distributed "fashion plates," images and descriptions of aristocrats wearing the latest fashions, essentially inventing fashion journalism. He remodeled Versailles from a dumpy hunting lodge to a showroom for the latest in French fashion, cuisine, landscaping, theater, art, and music. He used the country's increasing fashion industry wealth to finance expensive wars to boost his global reputation. By the end of his reign, France's luxury goods industry had catapulted the country to the zenith of European economic, political, and cultural power. The industry was durable enough to survive the French Revolution, and today fashion and luxury are foundational to France's economy and national identity.
Lafont and the Environment
Lafont obviously takes this legacy very seriously, seeking to preserve it by adapting fashion manufacturing to the new era of climate awareness. Rather than adopting the planned obsolescence of their forbears, Lafont's glasses are specifically designed to be repairable, with spare parts available for every model to ensure longevity. The company uses 100% recyclable packaging, shipping, and communication materials, and are steadily increasing their use of "biobased" materials. They are currently working on “creating a specific recycling channel for metal and acetate frames along with demo lenses” to preserve the beauty of natural environments, including Jura National Park, which houses their manufacturing facilities.
Buy Lafont Glasses at Glasses LTD
If you're planning a trip to Europe in the near future, you can get Lafont glasses handmade for you at their Paris atelier. Otherwise, the best place to purchase Lafont is at Glasses LTD, either at our online store or in person at one of our Chicago locations. Here are some of the most standout Lafont frames in our inventory:
JEAN LAFONT NIAGARA SQUARE CAT EYE OPTHALMIC GLASSES, $620.00
Paris is "a collection of colors: green for the trees along the boulevards, gray for the cobblestones, and blue for the sky," says Thomas Lafont. Based on his description, these glasses perfectly reflect the heart of Paris. The greyish-blue bottom layer and blocky, angular edges of these frames nod to the city's striking architecture, while the cool blend of blues and greens evokes the Seine on a sunny afternoon.
JEAN LAFONT JEANNE SQUARE CAT EYE OPTHALMIC GLASSES, $620.00
If you were a French librarian going out for a night on the town, what glasses would you wear? These! The houndstooth in the center of the frames evokes intellectualism, while the avant-garde arrangement of black and red layers and stripes is fashion-forward. These glasses were made for discussing philosophy in a dusty corner cafe over a glass of the best red wine you've ever drank.
JEAN LAFONT NICE SQUARE CAT EYE OPTHALMIC GLASSES, $500.00
Some people think of leopard-print as gauche, but I would argue that animal prints are just as much a part of the neutral color family as beige and black. The clear acetate of these frames balances the leopard pattern by making it less opaque. These glasses are perfect for someone who wants to subtly express their zany sensibilities in a subtle, non-confrontational way.
Want more? Check out Glasses LTD's full selection of Lafont glasses here!