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See the light

How architectural aperture inspired the new collection

See the light

How architectural aperture inspired the new collection

The latest Silhouette collection, Aperture. Accent Rings, plays with light and detail with an architectural expertise.

How some architects play with light, specifically through apertures has influenced a new era of eyewear. The Aperture. Accent Rings collection is decorated with delicate cut-outs, like the most intricate, filigree structures.

Optimizing natural light is one of architecture’s key building blocks. Not only does light shape our perception of a room and set the ambience, it’s a fundamental need for humans. It’s not just a matter of light and dark, day and night; light keeps us calm, productive and sets our circadian rhythm. The design of the buildings we live and work in is paramount to the way in which we receive this natural light.

Image credit: Roberto Torres Gonzalez

Image credit: Roberto Torres Gonzalez

Light and lightness

The neo-futuristic designs of buildings like the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia and the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro are echoed in the new collection. These designs playfully experiment with apertures, each drawing the eye to the light they form and shadows they cast. The World Trade Center Transportation Hub (more commonly known as the Oculus) is another example of this. An awe-inspiring structure that uses the practice of daylighting, it pulls light down into the subway below the surface. Its ribbed structure is divided by glass panes which arch and curve outwards to disperse the light. Even in the strongest of architectural structures, these delicate apertures give the illusion of lightness in every sense, a trait Silhouette has always shared.

Image credit: Marco D’Alessio

Image credit: Marco D’Alessio

The craft of the aperture

But it’s not all about the presence of light. In many cases, architecture challenges the way we see light by focusing on its absence, and the concept of shadowing instead. The Church of Light, in Osaka, Japan is a minimalist, modest building. It’s a simple concrete shell aside from one defining feature: a glass panel built into the exterior wall that allows light to flood through the building in the shape of a cross, illuminating an otherwise dark void. It’s simple, but beautifully crafted showing the powerful use of an aperture in design.

Image credit: Henryk Sadura

Image credit: Henryk Sadura

Beauty in the detail

Like great architectural design, Silhouette’s new collection skillfully combines subtle lace-like detail with a strong head-turning finish. While the three new women’s models now come in colors of Leather Brown, Velvet Blue and Blackberry, the three new men’s models feature cut-outs on the temples. Each of the women’s models features playful rings of color that wrap around the lenses to give you the lightness that aperture brings, with the weightlessness of Silhouette. The Aperture. Accent Rings collection creates a new level of lightness, inspired by the greatest of architects.

Discover the new Aperture. Accent Rings models in six expressive shapes and colors.