On trend: You’ve been framed
In this new series, the Insider will touch base with area businesses and find out the coolest stuff in store for their customers
BY DEBORAH SKOLNIK
Eye Gallery Scarsdale has brand-new digs and up-to-the-minute eyewear styles, but the business has actually been around for decades. “My father opened up the original store in 1979,” said owner Michael Rosen. By the late 90s it had expanded, but only slightly, and remained a fixture at 8 Spencer Place for decades. A recent move, however, has brought about spectacular changes. Eye Gallery now occupies a prominent space on Boniface Circle, with high-fashion window displays designed to lure people inside.
It works. On any given day, stylish customers stream in and out, trying on pairs of glasses as attentive opticians help them select exactly the right ones. But what, exactly, are the right ones these days?
“People always ask what’s in, and what new styles are coming out,” Rosen said. “There are always certain trends that happen. It used to be so much more defined, but now it’s a big potpourri. Many current new styles are narrow plastic and small, but there are also old-school, gigantic frames.” Whatever you’re going for, Eye Gallery has the most high-end, coveted iteration of it. “We carry pretty much every single super-exclusive brand,” Rosen said. “These companies limit storefronts to only one or two places in Westchester. We are really lucky, because we are often the only people that carry them.”
The man to see Michael Rosen, owner of Eye Gallery.
Steeped in style, Rosen is an authority on what’s super-chic right now. He was happy to show some samples.
First up are aviators, which somehow never seem to go out of fashion, Rosen shared. He pulled out two frames by sought-after designer Barton Perreira, and pointed out a style twist in the second of them: an inlay of gold. If you love the brand but these particular pairs aren’t quite right, don’t worry; Eye Gallery has plenty more from the line. “Our philosophy here, and I believe this beyond, is that if you don’t represent a collection properly, you are not really representing the company. We carry fifty to a hundred pieces of every collection we carry,” Rosen said.
Fashion on the fly Barton Perreira aviator glasses are a perennial favorite.
Go for the gold A second pair of aviators, these with a luxe gold wire inlay.
Meanwhile, if you like vivid hues, this is your year. “Color is really in right now,” Rosen said. He cited the boldness of some types of Jacques Marie Mage glasses, a line which falls in the ultra-luxury category. The company makes only 200 to 300 of each model in the country, so you’re know you’re getting something extraordinarily rare. “The best analogy is like Rolex. Not Rolex in price, although they are expensive for eyeglasses—it’s more the allure of it,” Rosen said. The brand was worn by the characters in the show Succession, about a wealthy media dynasty, as well as on Guy Richie’s The Gentleman.
In living color Striking frames from Jacques Marie Mage.
Seriously good-looking. Another Jacques Marie Mage creation, with burlwood inside and at the outermost edge of the temples.
Packaged to perfection Rosen does a demo of the Jacques Mage unboxing.
Another line of glasses that’s big in the color game is Jeff Press, whose eponymous owner used to be the head designer for the uber-chic Morgenthal Frederics and Robert Marc brands. “He wanted to get out the funk out a little more,” Rosen said. “He’s kind of modeling himself after the Jacques Marie Mage.”
Press play (Foreground) Fun, funky specs from renowned designer Jeff Press.
Ready for something rock-’n-roll? Two words: Chrome Hearts. Ask the young adult in your life if they know the name, and you’ll learn that “UmmYEAH!” is, indeed, one word. The brand’s jewelry is wildly popular among celebrities at the tippy-top of the fame pyramid, and now its eyewear is feverishly sought by those in the know. Eye Gallery is one of the only places in the region you’ll find it. “We are drawing from all over the Ari-State Area for Chrome Hearts and Jacques Marie Mage—completely random people,” Rosen says.
They’ve got the beat Chrome Hearts glasses lend wearers a touch of celebrity chic.
A side of style, please Stylized temples make Chrome Hearts glasses even more distinctive.
With so much haute eyewear on display, it’s easy to forget that Rosen gives a great eye exam. “I’m an optometrist, and we do full, comprehensive eye care here,” he said. “We have a lot of insanely super-cool technology which lets me not have to dilate people’s pupils, and most comprehensive eye exams are done within twenty minutes.”
Should he see something unusual during a check-up, he knows the best experts in the area to refer patients to see. “We have the retail, but what I am personally known for is the stuff I do back here,” he said, gesturing to the exam room at the back of the store. Which makes Eye Gallery more than a business that keeps its sights set on fashion—it takes the long view of your health as well.