Léon Jeantet's jolie nice goggles

Ten miles west of Lake Geneva lies the small French town of Morez. The town began producing spectacles as early as 1796. The commercial success of opticians and their proximity to the French and Swiss markets caused the production of spectacles to increase rapidly. With industrialisation production rose from 720,00 pairs in 1850 to nearly 11 million in 1882.


In 1880 Eugene Jeantet founded the Jeantet company which manufactured and sold mainly pince-nez spectacle frames for cyclists and the first automobile drivers. Léon Jeantet, Eugene's son, created the Aviator Goggle on 3 July 1929. It was marketed to all sportsmen involved with planes, motor cycles and automobiles. Since then, very little has changed at the Jeantet company. Various family members have continued the traditions of its founder and in 1992, Pierre-Leon recommenced production of the Aviator Goggle. To this day the goggles are still made on the same premises, utilising the same tools and materials. To produce a single pair requires sixty seperate manual operations.



Manufactured from polished rolled brass and coated in a variety of finishes. All are supplied with clear polcarbonate lenses and two sets of acetate lenses in smoke and yellow. They appear to cost between £100 to £140 and are available online and through Davida.

Andtie

The Andtie by Pral & Brok. A scarf that doubles as an Italo style wide tie. Perfect for those who want to look sharp but might find skiing in a button down shirt a little restrictive.

History of Ski Aerials

Caught beautifully with the nostalgic warmth of super 8 these gentleman developed the sport of ski aerials whilst sporting some great knitware.

Beard Head

For that authentic Antarctic explorer look check out Beardhead.

Olympic Check

Day four and the Norwegian curling team are looking sharp in their red, white and grey harlequin check trousers.

Couture Skis

Couture has been a part of skiing ever since Mademoiselle Chanel began to take an interest in female skiers' clothes in the 1920s. Her range of matching outfits for the elegant women of Saint Moritz has led to designers such as Karl Lagerfeld's 2000/01 Fall-Winter ski collection. He recently created a pair of black quilted skis, no doubt drawn from his penchant for leather.

This season Chanel unveiled a pair of skis constructed of rosewood and carbon fiber. Could they be a suitable equivalent for vintage skis? Maybe if you expect to be sharing a chalet in Verbier or Courchevel with the fashion set. For the rumoured £2,300 price tag you could easily afford the far superior skis of Igneous or for little less the equally pretty Wagner. For those of us on a tighter budget it looks like the style will filter down to the more affordable ski manufactures. Atomic almost has it right with their Nomad Renu, which has the advantage of matching Bamboo look and leather poles.

On the piste...the north run Austria

These two chaps were spotted in Austria. I'm impressed by their total dedication to the style. However I think they would be better off with modern boots. Lets not get carried away, one would not want to risk injury in the pursuit of retro chic.