15 May 2009 (US)
Member when I was mopping around cause Sheldon left me for his side piece (California) and I felt that my heart went with him. Well he's back and brought everyone goodies (I wasn't going to share but I'm in a good mood). So here we go..introducing Sheldon...Philly's traveling salesmen...
I went into this interview not knowing much about vintage eye wear, except for the fact that I believed they were “totally sweet.” I left with [a sense of] knowledge and appreciation for the pieces themselves and a new [understanding] for the optical arts.[ My] interview with one of the owners of Hotel de Ville, Van de la Plante, [whom] I consider to be LA foremost expert on vintage eye wear. I back this claim with Van's experience in the industry [ 9 years as an optician, and commitment to great quality and design]. So if ever in LA, regardless of your eye wear needs you should go check this guy out or visit any of their three LA locations, which also accommodate rotating art shows and variety of unique and interesting pieces.
Sheldon: How did Hotel de Ville come into existence?
Van de la Plante: My partner , Javier Brambila, and I have been opticians for years. We worked together selling eye wear for other companies, but we got sick of the mass produced new eye wear that was relying on the label on the sides instead of unique and solid construction. We got into vintage 40s, 50s, and 60s pieces because of their quality design and superior craftsmanship. I’ll wear a pair of frames that say Gucci but only if its great quality and design which is usually found in their older pieces.
Sheldon: What was the cause of this decline in quality over the years?
Van de la Plante: What’s happening now is there is a huge corporation that makes most of the frames for most of the big clothing labels and brands like Prada, Chenelle, and Bugari to name a few. Because there made by the same factory you are getting all these glasses that are mass-produced and intern essential the same just with different labels put on the sides. The companies selling them are relying on the name on the sides to make sales instead of the quality of the frames that aren’t nearly to the quality of the vintage eye frames.
Sheldon: What is the difference between vintage eye wear and the new pieces being produced now?
Van de la Plante: The vintage eye wear was generally made of petroleum-based acetate up until the 60’s but when oil prices went up when Nixon got into office it actually affected the material used eye wear at the time. Now [in]days high quality frames are made from cellulose acetate which is a really high quality plastic that is derived from cottonseed fibers wood chips and plasticizers they are hand cut hand sanded hand polished. Old Ray Bans were made much better than new Ray Bans, and the reason that they are so popular right now is because the corporation that bought out Ray Ban injected a huge amount of money into add campaigns. All of a sudden overnight everybody was wearing Ray Bans because they were told it was an American iconic rock and roll frame but Ray Ban isn’t even made in America anymore. We actually offer Ray Ban but ours are 30 to 40 years old that were made in America by Bausch and Lamb. They are beautiful quality acetates and they will last a long time, you find that a lot of the newer frames just don’t compare.
Sheldon: What would you say is the difference between the experiences someone has here as opposed to a more generic eye wear store?
Van de la Plante: Most opticians fill prescription, adjust frames, customize tints and lenses, and deal with the general overall maintenance of eye wear pieces. If you we were to bring a vintage or antique piece to a normal eye wear store for repair or adjustment there is a good chance, due to the lack of knowledge of the piece that they would be handled poorly and most likely broken. For one, I would say that our vast collective knowledge of vintage pieces and the details of their overall construction put us on a level higher than the rest. This knowledge enables us to provide better attention to detail and overall quality when we maintenance vintage pieces. Once they are broken there gone.
Sheldon: What are some of your clients where have we seen your frames?
Van de la Plante: Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Garner wear our Jackie O frames from here. I have been Jonah Hill and Jeff Goldblooms optician for years. If you watch Jeff on Law and Order right now you will see two sets of lenses I did for him. Nas comes in here every time he is in town and gets glasses from me, and Mary Kate Olsen she’s one of our A listers she gets a lot of glasses from us.
Sheldon: Whats your favorite pair of glasses?
Van de la Plante: The Goliath II from Ultra. It’s a Iconic frame. When run DMC weren’t wearing the Kahza 607 they would wear the Goliath. Cee-Lo wears them, Robert De Niro wore them in “Casino” its your classic Mafioso frame.
This place is about more than just glasses it represents a lifestyle based on unpretentious classic style. [Their]website is very interesting to me because it seemed less forcefully retail based and more interested in the aesthetic and feelings of the vintage pieces you offer. . It really puts me at ease to look at an old image of two scientist mixing chemicals with Bunsen burners and beakers in old horn rim glasses and then to look over and see them sitting on our shelf. “Its so cool how fashion is so cyclical.”
