Face à Face majors in blue with Jodie and Madam

Striking blues, inspired by the Majorelle Garden in Marrakech, feature in these new designs from French frame masters Face à Face. Above is a chunky feminine sunglass named Madam, while top is Jodie, a brow-focused cat's eye frame with some stunning 3D-patterned acetate.

Face à Face is one of my favourite makes, with both me and Mrs EWG frequently wearing their frames. Here's Beck, below on Christmas Day on the beach in Suffolk, wearing Face à Face Ebony, originally featured here a couple of years ago.

Och eye the noo: Face à Face tartan glasses for 2012

Apologies for the inevitable Scotticism. Tartan has far further flung fashion associations than Scotland, not least punk, but any "I" sound in a headline here has to be changed for poor play-on-word and self-serving SEO motivations.

So, we find a tartan frame created not by a clan north of the border, but from across the Channel.

Paris-based Face à Face is a brand close to my heart. So much so, I even got married in a pair of Face à Face. So when I heard about the tartan glasses coming in 2012, I was confident they would be well executed, and above lies the proof.

Tartan arrives in Face à Face’s 2012 collection, with six of its bestsellers available in this material: Sagan 1 and 2, Djinn 1, Macho 1 and 2,  and Woody.

More Face à Face posts here...

Eye am Legend: the Rock Collection from Face à Face

It's good to see an eyewear designer that's neither afraid of mixing contemporary with classic, nor afraid of mixing glasses with sunglasses.

Here we present Face à Face's Legends – the Rock Collection.

Face à Face glasses for Mad Men and women...

The first pair of decent glasses I ever owned were made by Face à Face; come to think of it, the second pair were too, and these two glasses remind me why.

Neither of these two latest designs from Face à Face's AW2011 collection would look out of place in the offices of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Top is Ebony, an amazing acetate cat's eye frame, while bottom Kazan, a thin acetate frame similar (although with more colour) to that worn on occasion by Roger Sterling (left).

Both clearly have 1960s roots, but with a modern treatment.

Swann and Polen - two terrific frames from Face à Face

Two great frames - Swann with swan-like temples and Polen (top, allergy sufferers beware) - from another great French design house, Face à Face. I love the pink detail on the front of Polen - excellent.

The Book of Eli: glasses and sunglasses identified...

For every film where I don't know the leading role's eyewear, there's another where I do. These are Face à Face glasses called Woody. The film in question is The Book of Eli, and these are worn by Gary Oldman... note the classic colour on the inside of the frame, and the slightly exaggerated corners.

And if you want to know what Denzil Washington (strictly the lead) is wearing in the Eli film, they are Oakley Inmate sunglasses...

Tag Heuer 27 degrees of invisible hinge - a sunglasses design classic

Anyone following a little more than average my optical obsession will have noticed a slight compulsion towards hinges. Mykita has two great hinges, IC! Berlin one, Alain Mikli another (probably more), Face à Face another, Lindberg has a screwless affair and Silhouette has none at all. There are more.

Swiss watch brand Tag Heuer launched its invisible hinge in the early 2000s, with its first eyewear collection, "27 degrees". Unlike those above, its clever hinge is hidden, "invisible" even.

Some kind of mathematical magic means that by cutting the temple at 27 degrees, you cannot see inside it: open, closed or anywhere in-between.

Acclaimed British designer Ross Lovegrove was the man with the 27-degree plan - genius.

Look and learn. The video gives you an idea, but the guy from Sunglassesavantgarde.com underplays the hinge big time.

Quentin Tarantino rocks in Face à Face at Inglourious Basterds premiere

... in Cannes in May.

Have had these terrific Face à Face Rocks1 sunglasses up my sleeve for a while and thought the premiere of Quentin Tarantino's Jewish revenge fantasy Inglourious Basterds in London last night a good opportunity to share them.

I love the colourful 1980s twist on the frame front where classic rivets might normally appear. A closer look shows different colours on the inside.

Rihanna was pictured wearing some great glasses also but I imagine her hair will get more headlines... would love to know who these are by.

Sandra Bullock wears Face à Face sunglasses in The Proposal

Which sunglasses does Sandra Bullock wear in The Proposal? They're Face à Face, a great French brand available from many high-end opticians.

She's pictured here (with actress Betty White) wearing Face à Face Ylang1... product shot below.

Face à Face are one of those brilliant brands that has something for everyone - I have two pairs!

Glasses Eye Wear - the frames and sunglasses I wear / have worn

Mykita Nils (with Arthur)...

Ray-Ban Wayfarer...

Face à Face Eden...