For Erin Wasson, Sunglasses Offer ‘Panache’
PARIS — In lieu of a barbecue on July 4, Los Angeles-based eyewear guru Jerome Mage hosted a chic, open-air dinner in Paris with Erin Wasson to celebrate their collaboration on a frame with a rock ‘n’ roll soul.
“Let’s go to Vegas right now,” Wasson exclaimed when Mage arrived and she took in his outfit: a flamingo pink Saint Laurent suit, white cowboy boots and a snakeskin-print silk shirt from cult Japanese brand Wacko Maria.
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Then she flew into his arms and they shared a long hug. The two certainly mind-melded over the Erin Wasson for Jacques Marie Mage limited-edition collection of eyewear and accessories, which launched Tuesday.
“She has a taste for eyewear, and she had a really clear point of view on what she liked,” Mage said.
Indeed, Wasson said she owns about 20 pairs of sunglasses — and never, ever loses them. “They’re my thing,” she said. “I like my shoes. I like my sunglasses. I’m like a condiment girl, right? I like to wear very simple clothing. And then I add my panache.
“The second you throw on a pair of shades, it’s like there’s a transformation that happens.”
Dressed in a loose denim shirt and jeans with the back pockets ripped off, leaving only their shadow, the Texas-born model and designer explained how she and Mage bonded over their shared love of southwestern jewelry, Lucchese cowboy boots and other quality products from heritage brands.
A year in the making, their collaboration yielded a single frame dubbed Sud after Wasson’s adopted home of Marseille, France. The chunky style — all soft, sloping shapes and gleaming surfaces — comes in four different colors of acetate and seems to suit pretty much everyone.
After dining on sea bass and lime meringue desserts in the idyllic garden setting of L’Hôtel Particulier Montmartre, guests including model Maggie Maurer, cinematographer Leco Moura, DJ Agathe Mougin, and actors Vassili Schneider and Nine d’Urso, Inès de la Fressange’s daughter, tried on the frames in various colors and posed for photos. Some pulled out the oversized microfiber cleaning cloth it comes with and styled it as a headscarf.
In choosing each colorway of the Sud frames, Wasson said she took inspiration from iconic women: country-rock singer Emmylou Harris, writers Eve Babitz and Simone de Beauvoir, and singer and actress Françoise Hardy, who died last month at age 80.
“She was a huge reference for us,” Wasson said, noting that before shooting the look book with photographer Dan Martinson, she pulled multiple images of the French style icon. “I just like the spirit of her. She was very androgynous. There was never like an overt femininity about her, and that’s always something that I’ve been drawn to in any sort of female muse.”
Wasson rounded out the capsule with two delicate lariat necklaces inspired by bolo ties.
Now fully vegetarian, Wasson said she didn’t miss not having a barbecue on the Fourth of July, characterizing the holiday as “a more rowdy version of Thanksgiving.”
Meanwhile, Mage, a transplanted Frenchman, has fully embraced Independence Day rituals. “I adore it for exactly what it is: barbecuing, in shorts, by the pool, going to see the fireworks. I find it a very beautiful holiday and a very relaxing holiday,” he said. “It can be just hotdogs and beers and everyone is so happy.”
Maurer, who grew up in Potsdam, N.Y., has fond memories of the holiday. “We would always go to the river and watch the fireworks on Alexandria Bay, and it’s really nice,” she said.
Now living in Paris, she has another reason to celebrate July Fourth: It’s when she met her significant other, French advertising executive Hicham Gazhaoui.
Jacques Marie Mage plans to celebrate its 10th anniversary later this year with a host of product fireworks.
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