At Seconde Vue, we have a wide selection of vintage glasses from the 80s and one of the leading designers in our collections is undoubtedly Patrick Kelly. A look back at the history of this American designer who made headlines during the 80s.
Patrick Kelly and his attention to detail in fashion and eyewear
Known as (among other things) the first American fashion designer to join the very prestigious Chambre Syndicale de Prêt-à-Porter, Patrick Kelly is above all one of the essential designers of the 80s. A decade during which XXL velvet shoulder pads and rhinestone ball skirts flooded the catwalks.
But Patrick Kelly chose to stand out by using denim as one of his main materials and focused heavily on accessorizing his silhouettes to differentiate himself from his peers.
Indeed, her collections were immediately recognizable, particularly thanks to the multiple details of her creations, all overloaded with pearls, gold details or even buttons. Omnipresent ornaments thus becoming Kelly's signature, both in the world of fashion and optics.
Patrick Kelly, a joyful and colorful fashion
At the end of the 80s, at the height of his success, the silhouettes of Patrick Kelly's fall-winter 1987-88 collection were dotted with appliqué hearts, made by sewing a multitude of buttons to create a raised pattern. The American designer made sure that the different details could be removed or moved, so that the customer could customize their garment according to their own tastes. An iconic collection presented by smiling and cheerful models, just like Patrick Kelly fashion!
Patrick Kelly immediately caught the attention of the press by unveiling particularly joyful, colorful and different collections.
An unrivaled sense of detail
A sense of detail that is also found in his eyewear collections. Indeed, at Seconde Vue we have a wide selection of frames signed Patrick Kelly. And, like his clothing collections, the designer has made a habit of decorating each of his pairs of glasses with small details (often found on the arm of his frames) that enhance and identify each of his designs!
What's more, if Patrick Kelly's fashion has always been designed with a touch of humor, we also find this second degree in his eyewear collections. And this, as much in his designs as in his details. Indeed, one of the designer's emblematic frames is none other than the "Patrick", which has two small chains as a branch, decorated with large dice or the Eiffel Tower at the end of them; never seen before in the world of optics!
Patrick Kelly and his obsession with buttons!
We were telling you about his iconic signature: the button. And at Seconde Vue, we are lucky to have found several pairs of glasses with this flagship signature of Patrick Kelly. Always vintage, joyful and irreplaceable glasses that will highlight your uniqueness and your personality.
Patrick Kelly's "pop" glasses designed with André Perceval
Very often decorated with buttons or dice that directly echo his fashion collections, Patrick Kelly glasses are recognizable among thousands. And this, in particular thanks to their rounded shapes, its details and its model names that always begin with the letter P. Among them, we find in particular the models " Pop Corn ", " Papaya ", " Pimento ", " Peanut ", " Paon " or even " Poudre ".
Acetate models only, all of which were designed and conceived during the 80s in close collaboration with optician André Perceval, who was notably the former president of Optic 2000 and Auror diffusion; the first distributor in France of titanium glasses from Japan.
Patrick Kelly and Grace Jones: An Intimate Collaboration
Like the greatest fashion designers such as Azzedine Alaïa with Naomi Campbell or Yves Saint Laurent and Betty Cattroux, Patrick Kelly also had his own muse, who was none other than the Jamaican singer and model Grace Jones. An intimate collaboration that will be articulated as much through his ready-to-wear collections as his eyewear collections.
One of the emblematic campaigns of the eyewear collections signed Patrick Kelly was also shot by Gilles Descamps, for Vogue France. And of course with none other than Grace Jones as the muse! A campaign released in 2002 in homage to the designer who died tragically in 1990, through which we could, among other things, discover the famous "Patrick" frame composed of two chains and the Eiffel Tower!
Our favorite selection by Patrick Kelly at Seconde Vue
At Seconde Vue we are unconditional fans of Patrick Kelly's creations! Our favorite frames (the craziest certainly) are pairs called "earrings", the famous "Patrick". We have already told you about them; the branch is flexible in chain and looks like a jewel, the finishes are original: small Eiffel towers or dice. The colors are bright, we find a lot of red, glass and blue. With Patrick Kelly, one thing is sure: we are moving away from the classic style and we are not displeased!
Butterfly-shaped or rounded pairs are available now on our website or in our boutique in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris.
