Selima Optique
Neighborhood: SoHo
Type of Place: Eyewear
Description:
When it comes to a quality eyewear experience, it depends greatly on the ratio of fashionable inventory to non-aggressive customer service. In NYC particularly, it’s easy to find frames to fit your style. Be it librarian wire-rims or voguish tortoise-shells, you are bound to find the specs to suit you. However, landing that same versatility in collection in an optical shop where the staff doesn't hover like hungry kitties every time you try a pair on is not so easy. At Selima Optique, you’ll find a nice balance between their ultra-chic inventory, high craftsmanship and low-pressure sales. The store owner's credentials is just the icing on top.
Owner Selima Salaun runs eight locations of her optique boutiques in NYC, Paris and Los Angeles. She prides herself on providing eye and sun-wear that blends her edgy flair with high functionality. To some, her prices may seem a bit high; last I looked, both her women’s and men’s frames cost $285-$450. To me however, the overall Selima experience is well worth the price tag. A few of my favorites, the “Alex”, a black retro-inspired frame, the “Angel”, a clear, over-sized square frame and the “Ayumi”, an Asian-influenced petite frame, each were $360.
Although I have never met her, word through the vision grapevine has it that the designer is pretty dynamic and holds nearly superstar status in the industry. So esteemed is she that celebrities including Madonna, Bono and Liv Tyler have called upon her unique artisanship to create custom frames. Ms. Salaun’s resume is impressive indeed. She studied the unique art of optometry in Paris to become an opticienne-lunetiere (licensed optician and optometrist) and now draws up trail-blazing designs that carefully meld French sophistication with the sizzling creativity of NYC – a marriage that can’t be topped, if you ask me.
The staff at both the Upper East Side and SoHo locations are the perfect counterpart to her craft. Only the utmost patience and just-enough room to breathe is offered to customers. I have shopped at the SoHo location twice and both times tried on at least ten pairs. If I were my own salesperson I probably would have lost my mind! On the contrary, the staff allowed me to try and re-try on frames to my heart’s desire until I finally settled on those Ayumis I mentioned above. A perfect score for Selima.
Selima Optique
59 Wooster St
(Broome St & Spring St)
New York, NY 10012
(212) 343-9490
Website
Map
Comments:
Sign up for our newsletter !
