In Rome with elegant sunglasses

Luca Gnecchi Ruscone is proud to announce that he is opening a flagship store in Rome. His brand of glasses are handmade in Italy. The new boutique is going to open on July 9th in via Fontanella Borghese. It will be the second one in Italy after Milano. “ We plan to open other monobrands in my country- Florence may be the next one- but also abroad” states Luca as the CEO and founder of L.G.R.

Luca is a roman guy, his family has strong ties to Africa. During a trip to Asmara he discovered some vintage models who belonged to his grandfather Raffaello Bini who was running a store called Ottica Bini. He used to import sunglasses from the Thirties to the Seventies. This gave Luca Gnecchi the idea of making sunglasses inspired to this old, elegant models. Through the success of his first collection, entirely handmade in workshops, Luca has been able to recover an ancient know how that was about to get lost. It is not a surprise if a lot of celebrities wear his sunglasses such as Prince William, Kate Hudson, Gigi Hadid, Marion Cotillard, Charlotte and Pierre Casiraghi, Tom Cruise. The interesting thing is that they chose them, they bought them, they were not paid to wear them. It is not a detail to mention it.

This combination of Italy and Africa is in every corner of the store. The wooden furniture and the coconut elements have been carefully manufactured by italian craftsmen. Fabrics and chandeliers have been made in Morocco. The store will show case the Spring-Summer collection. Among the models the Lalibela, with round, wraparound lenses in the style of the Seventies. And what about the Pilot? It is a contemporary version of classic aviator frames.

L.G.R. has been producing eyewear since 2008. They can be purchased online on lgrworld.com but the best thing will be to come with us to explore the new store. Book us asap on www.grandtourshopping.com

Prince William.jpg

Ferragamo is all over Italy

This Autumn/Winter’s Salvatore Ferragamo advertising campaign - shot again by renowned British photographer Harley Weir - is an ode to the unmistakeably Italian flavour of ease and sophistication inherent in the house.

The locations were chosen by artistic director Paul Andrew shortly after the presentation of the AW show in Milan.

He says: “As I was walking through the city every day to prepare for that show, I started peeking into the doorways of the buildings as I passed. I realised Milan is full of hidden architectural treasures - beautiful courtyards and entryways - that you cannot see from the street and I decided to showcase some of these special secret sites in our campaign.

 Not unlike Salvatore Ferragamo, Milan is a place of great discretion but also deep cultural and artistic sophistication - which made me realise it made for the perfect location for this campaign.”

Continuing the house’s Patchwork of Characters philosophy, the campaign features a cast of models, both male and female, cast from a broad range of cultures and age.

Some of the models are regular collaborators with Salvatore Ferragamo - friends of the house - but one notable new face this season is that of Hero Fiennes-Tiffin.

Paul Andrew says: “Just like these exquisite architectural jewels in Milan, Salvatore Ferragamo is open to all who have the curiosity and inclination to discover it.” In the cast :

Liya Kebede - Kirsty Hume - Yorgelis Marte - Sora Choi

Jonas Mason - Rishi Robin - Hero Fiennes-Tiffin

The creative Director is Paul Andrew, the Photographer/Director: Harley Weir

Agency: Laird+Partners

 Stylist: Jodie Barnes

Casting Director: Piergiorgio Del Moro

Hair: Jimmy Paul

Make-up: Thomas De Kluyver

The location as said is Milano but Ferragamo this year is very active all over Italy. The Men’s fashion show was just presented in Florence in Piazza della Signoria plus don’t miss the exhibition called Substainable Thinking in Palazzo Ferragamo in Via Tornabuoni.

In Rome we can go shopping together in the Ferragamo store in via Condotti. Enjoy it with www.grandtourshopping.com

Salvatore Ferragamo adv campaign.jpg

Flying with Louis Vuitton from New York to Rome and Paris

In Rome Shopping in the Louis Vuitton store can be an amazing experience. It used to be a movie Theatre in the Seventies and Eighties, called Cinema Etoile. It is located in piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina. It was totally restaured by the architect Peter Marino few years ago.

The relationship between Louis Vuitton and the Architecture is very strong. As an example, we can mention, the recent cruise collection. It tooked place at the JFK Airport in New York. The models were walking around the TWA Flight Center designed in 1962 by the architect Eero Saarinen. It was conceived as a vast bird. The Cruise Collection summarizes the exaltation of departure.

The dialogue is also between Paris and New York. The house Louis Vuiton was already providing luggages for the first trans-Atlantic crossings.

In the picture below you can see a bag made as the Chrysler buiding ( the Architect was William Van Alen). On the runway they were prototypes of iconic bags, the basis for reconsidering the digital canvas of the future. A world première for Louis Vuitton which is always in search of the fusion of savoir faire and innovation.

The french designer Nicolas Ghesquière declared:” I was lucky enough to have landed on the TWA Flight Center in the late Nineties. It was something I could never forget. This place was forgotten for twenty years and now has come back to life. It’s like a sanctuary that’s been revived. It is about rediscovering of an uncommon place that yet is part of American heritage”.

We can take you to the Louis Vuitton store in Rome as soon as you book us on www.grandtourshopping.com

Louis Vuitton Chrysler Building.jpg