In an interview with Eugénie Lemoine-Luccioni in 1982, André Courrèges stated that he wasn't interested in fashion but he was interested in style. Fashion is indeed a regimented superficial and continuous transformation that follows temporary tastes and moods, while style is something that remains and marks history forever.
In his career The Lord of the Space Ladies André Courrèges managed to make some important statements that pertained to the semantic field of style rather than just to fashion. As announced in a previous post, the fashion house - currently owned by Jacques Bungert and Frédéric Torloting - is launching a collection of eyewear in collaboration with Alain Mikli.
Two types of sunglasses - the iconic 1965 slit model and the 1970 mask-shaped glasses - will be available in preview at Paris' Colette from Monday (the former retail at 90 Euros; the mask-shaped ones available in black and white will retail instead at 290 Euros).
It's pretty fun to see once again in the shops the famous glasses with a single slit in the middle of the lens, originally inspired by the Inuit bone or wood goggles. The Inuit used to wear the slit goggles to see better in bright light and prevent snow blindness, a pathology that usually manifests when the sun shines on an expanse of snow and is caused by the reflection of ultraviolet rays. Snow blindness may indeed happen after a fall of new snow, even when the rays of the sun are partially obscured by light mist or fog or at high mountain altitudes because the clear air allows more of the burning rays of sunlight to penetrate in the atmosphere.
The re-issued Inuit style sunglasses by Courrèges are very light and ideal while relaxing on the snow (so the pre-release date is apt...) or on the beach. But you can also use them to make a style statement, block anybody else out of your world or use them as a space-inspired interior design item to be proudly displayed in their futuristic Plexiglass box.
The sunglasses were actually employed in 1986 by artist Arman for his work 'La plage aux clins d'oeil', part of the "Hard & Soft Ware" series for which seven symbolic objects - tailor's scissors, gloves, boots, glasses, socks, caps and bow ties - were chosen (see images in the background in the first two photographs enclosed in this post).
Yet the good news for new generations of Courrèges space cadets aren't over: the sunglasses are accompanied by a sleeveless shirt with a print of an iconic image of Madame Filipacchi wearing the slit sunglasses (200 Euros; available in five colours – black, grey, turquoise, pink and red). Looks like the Space Age is finally back, and it's definitely here to stay.
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