Oliver Goldsmith Vs Claudia Carlotti - Which came first the chicken or the egg??

The eyewear brand - Oliver Goldsmith is revered the world over as being iconic. Their designs revolutionised the world of spectacles and with celebrity following as far back as the twentieth century through the mid fifties by which time the brand had gained high profile status with unusual designs that even couture designers approached Oliver Goldsmith to create eyewear to compliment their collections.

Founded in 1926 and boasting of  twentieth century icons such as Grace Kelly, Michael Caine, Audrey Hepburn as Oliver Goldsmith Eyewear wearers, the brand was and still remains synonymous with stars and style ..

And when it comes to style in the 80's no one did 'it' better than the late Princess Diana, who proudly donned  her fabulous OG sunnies gifted to her as pictured above on several occasions and with one hit sealed the Oliver Goldsmith brand's cult status in British Eyewear history ....

Princess Diana in wearing Oliver Goldsmith's 1980 D' Sunglasses

Claudia Carlotti 1970's Astro Sunglasses

Claudia Carlotti

So you can imagine my excitement when I stumbled on this pair of Claudia Carlotti 1970's (ASTRO CS 07), handmade sunglasses which looks  pretty similar to Princess Diana's 1980's Oliver Goldsmiths gift.. 

Whilst many designers rip and copy others, it is clearly not the case here but possibly that of one inspiring the other? THE QUESTION IS ...who inspired who?? 

Claudia Carlotti was a celebrated design doyen of the 1970's who created elaborate and stupendously expensive eyewear featuring the use of precious stones, intricate hand-painted and gold plating details, leather, mother of pearl to name a few. Her design remain collectible and notoriously hard to find. 

Carlotti's designs where hailed in her time as being designed for the future ...Erm Oliver Goldsmith's future maybe? 

 Given the fact that Claudia Carlotti's version was from the 1970's and the OG version from the 80's did the master of British eyewear design take inspiration from the French vangaurd??Or was Oliver Goldsmith's popularity so great that their design / style / aesthetic was borrowed by the 1970's new kid across the pond??  

Whichever way the story goes,I'm holding up and looking at  Claudia Carlotti's Astro sunglasses and my my..it  is a work of art to behold. The detailed hand applied gold plating,  shinny gold temple frame skeleton and the overall finish speaks volumes of the quality today's eyewear cannot stand up to...

Vintage Claudia Carlotti Astro - £325.00 @ ToteLondon

The effort that was invested in Claudia Carlotti's handmade Astro Sunglasses is so evident that I'm convinced that even master's of design need inspiration and OG's Diana sunnies may just have been an  inspired spinoff of Claudia Carlotti's Astro..The Original!

What do you think??

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PS:

To see, marvel at or buy this and other one-off Claudia Carlotti Vintage Sunglasses at TOTE London, please book an appointment as they would need to be brought in for you as they are too precious for general display. 

I AM THE VINTAGE AFICIONADO...

Want a vintage body??? Errm...that's a whole different story...!
Pic: Star Sunflower Studio

It's not often you hear one thinking aloud is it? but hey welcome to my world..:) thinking aloud is what I do best and its a pleasure to finally get this blog up after ....Ermmm..Let me spare you the details..oh what the heck ..I'll tell you anyway..heehee! So first I couldn't makeup my mind what to call the blog as I wanted the blog to speak exactly what it is..a completely researched and wholesome dive into the history behind many of my vintage finds from pinning down the time-lines to the lives lived by people who once owned the pieces and where possible, the who, how and where the items originated from. I love a good story and for me nothing beats the feeling of finding a rare gem and like an investigator, unearthing the story behind it...That to me is my idea of 'Super Fun'...The Vintage Aficionado (this blog) is my avenue to share and catalogue my super fun findings..

For many years I have craved the elegance, grace and deliberate opulence of times past - Women and men cared 'serously & deeply' about how they looked.From Vintage eyewear to structured dresses, top hats to canes, my love for vintage is an attempt to capture the elegance and style of a people who lived a deliberate life of undiluted quality.

Welcome to The Vintage Aficionado...what to expect? Everything Vintage, stylish, elegant and unpretentiously story worthy...but I must warn you, I absolutely especially LOOOOOVE vintage eyewear, so yes...there will be lots and lots of vintage eyewear posts...Yaay ! I did say I love to tell a good story didn't I? Watch this space..