VERSACE mod 4265 GB1 87 archive re edition ss13 © sunglassespreservation
VERSACE follows a trend that has been going on for quite a while in fashion business: the re-editions and remakes of vintage and archive pieces of high end brands. We have seen Courrèges remake thier eskimo shades as well as their mask, CAZAL making re-editions of their legendary 80′s and 90′s models brought to fame mostly by music bands like RUN DMC, CHANEL bringing back the mythological Edward Melcarth shades made for Peggy Guggenheim and Vampira and so on.
The “remake or re-edition” trend can be seen in all fields today. For example in cinema where we see remakes of most movies from the eighties and nineties, from Nightmare on Elm Street to Robocop, Spiderman, Superman, Batman, Funny Games and so on.
VERSACE chose to remake a specific model from the nineties. Model 413/A was elevated to an icon mostly because of NOTORIOUS B.I.G. and other rappers wearing it in music videos, interviews and movies. The vintage version can be very pricey and is available in two colors: black and tortoise.
The remake bares the model number 4265 GB1 87 and is not a one to one copy of its predecessor!
The differences are very big. First off, the material used for the re-edition model is injected nylon while the first edition was acetate. The temples are molded differently as they have a different shape to the tops as well as a different carving on the golden metal Medusa application. The Medusa application is screwed via two screws on the re-edition while it was screwed with one screw in the first edition.
The re-edition carries an inscription: “Iconic Archive Edition”, on the inner right temple, right behind the Medusa metal logo.
These shades are different from the first edition but capture nevertheless the essence of the predecessor with a new fresh touch as they seem less bulky and more harmonious in their proportions. However, thes also do cut off a lot of the flamboyant and baroque style ornamented details which made Gianni Versace to what he was. The lack of a higher quantity of detailed ornaments is not necessarily a positive but some people prefer it to the first edition. Sunglassespreservation likes both but we would like to remind you to still treasure more the first edition as it paved the way to many other models and experimentations and without it we wouldn’t even have the re-edition.
The re-editon version seems to have been made in very limited quantities as it came out in late July 2013 and was already sold out in almost each VERSACE boutique by September 2013. It was available in two colors: black and tortoise (as was its counterpart from the nineties).
We are not sure if injected nylon is the best option for sunglasses frames but we will see if it withstands the test of time. The fact remains that more and more sunglasses are being made in this material as acetate is becoming very quickly obsolete. On top of that, the era of 3D printers is taking over as we see an increse in the fields of computer engeneering and pretty soon we fear that hand craftsmanship will be a thing of the past or perhaps an overly expensive luxury only a few will be able to afford.
So we suggest you keep your acetate sunglasses safe and treasure them because pretty soon they might become “archaic” pieces of human history!
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