Warby Parker, the eyewear designers with revolutionary style and social-conciousness, are introducing the Ocean Avenue Collection TODAY and they have asked me to tell you about it! This unique collection is "one for the boardwalk truants, amateur spongers, and aspiring beach bums." Count me in...
Each of the 8 optical frames and 14 sunglasses are custom acetate, with dreamy new hues like Sea Glass Blue, Driftwood, Orange Fizz, and Chocolate Soda. Just looking at these juicy colors makes me want to pop open a popsicle and sink my feet in the sand.
So, where did you get your inspiration?
We’ve returned again and again to cult film The Warriors as a source of inspiration. Walter Hill’s grimy 1979 thriller charts the interborough rivalry of New York City gangs as they rumble their way to Coney Island over the course of one long night. It’s a metropolitan spin on The Odyssey—sirens included.
We wanted to commemorate the similar lawlessness of a bygone summer with a film of our own. When school’s out, responsibility and playing by the rules take a vacation until further notice. Chrissie Miller teamed up with director Cass Bird and stylist Turner to stage a Warby Parker-style beachside scuffle in the form of a dance-off. The setting? Coney Island, of course. “The collection and the film celebrate the fun and mischief of summer in New York, and nothing is more classic summer in the city than escaping to the Coney Island boardwalk and eating Nathan’s with your friends,” co-founder and co-CEO Neil Blumenthal says.
When I look at certain frames in this collection in your video, like the Jaspers in Orange Fizz, why do I feel like I've thrown on my mother's bell-bottoms and a vintage tee from the thrift shop?
“You feel like you’ve stepped into a time warp,” Miller says of the area’s preserved boardwalk, vintage signage, and scream-inducing rides. “We wanted it to feel like it could have been shot in the ‘70s, or it could have been shot yesterday.”
Take a look at this video, released today, go to their website and tell me what your favorite frame is. I'm pretty sure you will see me sporting the Wheeler in Cream Soda this summer… along with a pair of hot pants, of course!
