Image by ktylerconk via Flickr
ONCE UPON A time when I moved to Paris, I lived a charming small place away from one of the loveliest passages in the city, the Galerie Vivienne. My eyes sparkled when I visited this historic hall and put my face up to the windows brimming with luxurious and fashionable items, among them the excellent wines, candies, and terrines at the Legrand Filles & Fils. At Wolff et Descourtis, I glimpsed shimmering scarves and shawls not to mention the elegant book and photography shops, clothing boutiques--most importantly John-Paul Gaultier...where sometimes I would drool--and art galleries, a framing shop, and toys.
My friend Laurent's modish boutique Odette & Zoe, which no longer exists (though you can see it in the podcast of my old neighborhood here), was my first and ever after regular stop though the passage. And I am still an addict of the richly delicious A Priori Thé, which bakes the most delicious scones I've ever tasted.
But since I have always have been a lover of sunglasses (how many pairs have I had?) and then glasses once I had to wear them, I salivated every time I passed by Traction, which as far as I'm concerned is the chicest optician in Paris.
If you notice in the photo above, Jackie Kennedy Onassis is stylishly sporting a pair of Traction sunglasses. Oh, how I'd love to own them.
Victor Gros is the company that owns Traction Productions (of which there are three brands). The company was founded in 1872 to manufacture hair ornaments and fashion accessories, and it began the production of optical frames in 1930. Traction Productions’ collection premiered in 1985.
The name “Traction” comes from a famous street of downtown Los Angeles, “Traction Avenue,” where upcoming young artists and movie producers got together. The inspiration of Traction was to combine Californian modernity and French refinement to create unique glasses frames--and the idea was for Victor Gros to anticipate the “avant-gardiste” tastes of his customers.
The frames may look a little wacky on the shelf. But put them on your face, and suddenly you're transformed into a diva of hipness. (Beauty may only be skin deep, but hipness is everlasting.)
I already own two swish pair, but I would like to have a case full of Traction glasses and sunglasses in my Parisian apartment as well as a dressing room as big as my current bedroom. There, now I've said it.
Just visiting? Why not buy the frames in Paris and get your prescriptions filled when you return home? But see the world through Traction eyes wherever you go.
Traction @
Galerie Vivienne
4 rue des Petits-Champs
75002 Paris
Metro: Bourse or Palais-Royal
All photos by Beth Arnold. Beth Arnold lives and writes in Paris.
