l.a.Eyeworks

LIFE'S A KITSCH

Louvre schmoove! The Allee Willis Museum of Kitsch is the place to kitsch your wagon to a starry sky of phantasmagoric paraphenalia and piles of pop culture pishposh -- including a whopping selection of eyeglass holders.

 
[where the museum director parks her Perkins by l.a.Eyeworks]

Not content with writing smash-hit songs, tending to her superb wardrobe of sassy socks and gorgeous glasses, and being one of the legendary party hosts of Los Angeles (the New York Times concurs!), Allee has turned her troves of terrifically tacky tidbits (Elvis Pez dispensers! Kleenex cozies! The E-Z Dog Dryer!) into a visionary portal where the vintage lunch boxes are inspirational and the online admission is always free.

  

 
[At the l.a.Eyeworks store on Beverly Boulevard, museum director/curator Allee Willis (left) focuses her Fortuna on Prudence Fenton (right), who thought the Vic frame so nice she wore it twice!]

All Photos: Allee Willis

 

Put Some Spring Into It!

Spring has sprung, and l.a.Eyeworks welcomes the coming season with a sunny disposition all its own: just look at our new window installations!

At l.a.Eyeworks on Melrose Avenue, we take a swing at the recent gloomy economic mood, and knock it out of the park with wiffle ball sculptures!  "FEDERAL WIFFHOLDING" is a reminder that sometimes a good pun is the best silver lining.  After all, you can't take it wiff you!

Check out our magnificent "towers of scour" at l.a.Eyeworks, South Coast Plaza.  Artist-designer Mark Adley's magnificent columns of multi-colored scrubbie sponges, and the "SWEET & SCOUR" message, just go to show there are two ways to look at everything.

Give your eyes a well-deserved rest with our stunning window at l.a.Eyeworks on Beverly Boulevard.  Artist Liz Young has made a cozy poem, "LAY YOUR EYES ON ME," with pillowed lettering made from vinatge fabrics.  But be warned: laying your eyes on l.a.Eyeworks' latest collection could lead to infatuation...maybe true love!

FOTW

This frame’s feisty fit of femme gives cat-eye a whole new meaning. With a sculpted shape that meows, “wear me”, the brand-new M. Cornu frame astounds in a series of luscious colors that are as sexy as its silhouette. Featured above is M. Cornu strutting her stuff in a plum-camel color combination. M. Cornu updates this perennially popular design in a way that is completely modern, bold, and seductive.  You can bask in all of M. Cornu’s beautiful colors in the FOTW photo gallery.

Gourd is Good

Recently, we came across this fantastic image of legendary artist Yayoi Kusama wearing the classic l.a.Eyeworks Lula frame.  Here, Kusama is surrounded by her small "Pumpkin" works, which were made with world-famous Limoges porcelain.  Uncensored visions, indeed.

Crafty Cathy

Check out local craft creator Cathy Callahan wearing her Echo Park in black. Cathy is a crafter who draws inspiration from 60’s and 70’s era vintage crafts.  In the past she has worked with l.a.Eyeworks fan Charles Phoenix (see previous post), among other projects.  Check out Cathy's website to enter a world of colorful, crafty fun!

Retro Royalty

 

Charles Phoenix has a crush on Los Angeles, and l.a.Eyeworks has always had a crush on Charles. Now the L.A.Weekly does, too! Phoenix graced the cover of their annual “People” issue wearing his beloved l.a.Eyeworks Harry frame. His recent roller rink extravaganza shows were a sold out smash and we can’t wait for more! If you like your nostalgia pie like we do (with a big dollop of kitsch on top, that is), sign up to receive Charles’ “Slide of the Week” e-mail or visit his website to check out his notorious appearances on Martha Stewart.

Photo Credit: Kevin Scanlon

FOTW

We're taking it back to where it all began with this week's Frame of the Week!  Back Beat's inspiration comes from the classic Beat frame that was first released in 1981!  The frame you see above is Back Beat in black-bottle-green-split, which is made up of two lush materials fused together!  With great new Italian plastics, and a new design, this vint-edge frame has a look for the future!  You can also check out the Back Beat in all its various colors at the FOTW photo gallery.

Nerdvana Takes NY

l.a.Eyeworks took its infamous Nervdana window graphic, and conquered New York!  As you may remember from the last post, the windows were being installed.  Now that they are all up, we've received some great photos of the various storefronts that you can check out in the Windows photo album!  The photo above comes from Selima Optique, who was one of the five lucky stores to get decked out with the colorful graphic.  New York will never be the same!

FOTW

Titanium, bright violet, laser technology, light-weight.  No, we're not talking about martian technolgy!  Those words describe the Silver Lake in bright violet cork!  This luxurious, state-of-the-art frame has "vint-edge", and beautiful cork patterning that is featured in a variety of lush colors!  Click on the image to see Silver Lake in all of her glory.  This sexy frame is sure to be a show-stopper anywhere in the galaxy!

Nerd Alert in NY

 
When we say "We See Through You", we're not kidding.  Everyone has a little nerd inside them that just screams to be transformed into geek-chic!  Earlier this week, NY got a quintuple dose of Nerdvana with l.a.Eyeworks' classic window display.  Done up to custom-fit each storefront,  the Bent frame is featured in a larger-then-life scale in bold colors that you just can't miss!  Check out the windows at Pildes (top image), Selima, Devonshire, James Leonard (bottom image), and A.R.Trapp.  Now, you can truly be at peace with your new l.a.Eyeworks frames.