Category: Journal

Back in February, Rach went out on an eyewear expedition. We had heard exciting things about an up-and-coming collection; Lowercase NYC.

Lowercase NYC are the first eyewear collection to be designed and manufactured in Brooklyn. We wanted to know what all the buzz was about, so Rach headed stateside to see for herself!

Built in 1919, the Brooklyn Army Terminal housed the largest US military supply base during WWII. Today, it’s been repurposed for manufacturing and industrial use. Lowercase NYC work alongside other New York City-based makers, artists, and manufacturers. Each frame is a piece of New York, inspired by the people, culture, and history of the city.

The team took Rach on a tour of their Brooklyn workshop, and showed her how their frames are designed and produced. She was so impressed by them, that she decided to bring the collection back to Grey St.

We’re now the first and only stockist of Lowercase NYC in Europe!

The beauty and quality of Lowercase NYC needs to be seen to be believed. Get in touch for the chance to see a piece of New York for yourself!

https://lowercasenyc.com

Easter weekend

The sun will be shining for Easter weekend! If you need some amazing new sunglasses for 2019, here’s our all important opening hours:

Good Friday: 11.30am to 4pm,

Saturday 20th April: 9.30am to 5.30pm

Sunday: CLOSED

Easter Monday: CLOSED

Grey St. Sunglasses

Following our recent endeavors in Milan and New York, our 2019 sunglass collection is better than ever before! We have some great new brands and styles to show you by cool, independent eye-wear companies from around the world.  If you want something a little different to the mainstream brands found at the airport, this is the place to come:

https://mrleight.com

No Apologies for being Independent

Fresh from our trip to Milan last month we got an unexpected bonus… The largest eyewear exhibition in New York was looking for a top UK practice to travel across the pond to see how they do eyewear, stateside. How could we refuse?!

The New York eyewear scene..

…is certainly thriving. We had lot’s of fun exploring the Loft and met lot’s of great characters, with great glasses!

New eyewear for Grey Street?

We couldn’t possibly come away empty handed! There are some amazing frames winging their way to the Grey Street shelves. Independent eyewear, handmade in New York and never before seen in a UK opticians… we can’t wait!!! We’ll keep you posted when they land!

https://lofteyewearshow.com

It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for the Grey St. Gang! Now back from Mido global eyewear trade show in Milan, let’s catch up with Rachel and Laura, and see what’s new for SS2019…

So girls, how was your trip to Milan?

Laura: It was amazing! Totally exhausting but worth it.

Rachel: Yeah – five airports, three flights and a train – but two amazing days at the show!

Laura: We had only had one night in Milan but we managed to find gluten free pizza for Rachel! And we found time for a couple of cocktails too…

And what about the show itself? Did you find plenty of amazing eyewear too?

Rachel: Oh yes. The new collections are already starting to arrive and they’re awesome. We’re so excited to share them with everyone.

Laura: This is a really exciting time for eyewear – There’s such a broad spectrum of design out there.  Eyewear is so personal, and every person is so different. It’s great to be able to represent that in our collection.

Rachel: We’ve noticed a shift towards more unexpected shapes. Frames aren’t simply “round” or “square” any more. And it’s the same with materials too… We’re seeing more combinations now – vintage acetate details on metal rims, and the addition of metal nosepads onto plastic frames.

Laura: Shapes are more playful now; circles within squares, quirky geometric details, and quite a few hexagonal frames too!

Rachel: We’ve also brought back some very interesting limited-edition collaborations.

What are your predictions for eyewear trends in 2019?

Rachel: There’s definitely a seventies vibe going on right now… We can see that in the oversized shapes and also in the colours.

Laura: Yes, we especially saw a lot of peach tones, in optical and sunglass styles. There was a lot of cream and off-white too… Great for spring and flattering on so many skin tones.

Rachel: People are either going more and more minimal, or bolder than ever before.

Laura: Minimalist or Maximalist – there is no in-between!!

It’s a tough job

…but someone’s got to do it! The never-ending search for amazing eyewear continued in Milan this week. Laura and Rachel  were the lucky ladies to make the trip.

The work bit…

The trip was centered around the largest international trade show dedicated to the optical sector, MIDO. With over 1200 exhibitors and countless amazing frames to try on, there was much for the girls to get their teeth into!

So what’s new?

We will chat to Laura and Rachel next week for the low down on the latest colours, shapes and styles emerging in 2019. Look out for our next blog post!

After a flying start to life in our new look store we had a problem… Our frames drawers were emptying rapidly!

Fear not, we have lots of new and exciting frames arriving as we speak!

We have new frames from Ahlem, Maison Margiela and Dita to name but a few!

More details will follow next week but they are in store NOW! Including some new and very special eyewear from across the pond!

To be first to view them, we recommend a no obligation frame consultation. We love them and can’t wait to show you the latest and greatest independent eyewear the world has to offer!

2018 – What a year it was!

A year ago we said we had some exciting plans, and 2018 sure was exciting! Thanks to our loyal clients who travelled with us into our new chapter, and to all of our new friends we made this year too. We’ve ended 2018 on an absolute high and cannot wait to see what 2019 brings…

2019 January Sale NOW ON!

Here’s how it goes:

Buy 1 frame and get £60 off.

Buy 2 frames and get £160 off.

Buy 3 frames and get £300 off.

We have some “double discount” frames which are an incredible bargain. Hurry while stocks last!

Season’s Greetings

…from all of the team at Grey St. Optician!

Thank-you

Thanks to our our amazing customers for a fantastic year. 2018 was a busy one! We had frame hunting trips to London and Paris, Rachel’s wedding and then a full refurbishment of our store! The feedback to our shop fit has been overwhelming so thank you for your kind words. An extra shout out to those who brought us lovely Christmas cards and gifts. We have all enjoyed our fair share of chocolate and biscuits over the past few weeks!

That’s us for 2018, we’ll be back open on Wednesday 2nd January raring to go again!

That’s a wrap folks!

Christmas Gifts

Stuck for Christmas gifts this year? What better way to treat a loved one than some spectacular new eyewear! It’s pretty hard to pick someone a frame… but a bespoke Grey St. voucher might just do the trick! Ping us an email to hello@greyst.co.uk if you’re interested and we will tell you more!

Festive Opening Hours

We close for Christmas at 5.30pm on Saturday 22nd December.

In Christmas week, we are open Thursday 27th to Saturday 29th December (usual hours).

We re-open for 2019 on Wednesday 2nd Jan at 9.30am.

We hope you all have a fantastic time!