Rigorous, geometric, but never the same as itself. It happens in fabrics, and it happens in eyewear. The check is making a comeback and transforming into an original and unique decorative motif. As always, it all depends on the materials, the colours, and the perspective. Take Valentino's decidedly eccentric take (in the opening photo), for instance, where it is expressed in ultra-lightweight metal, replacing even the lenses in a minimalist, small, round model that redefines the concept of vision, appearing solely as a fashion accessory during the Spring/Summer 2025 runway show with the theme “Pavillon des Folies.” Inspired by the 1970s, it is also available in two other versions with sunglass lenses.

And, staying with the metal theme, Christian Louboutin makes his debut in the eyewear scene. The French designer transfers the iconic colour of his signature footwear (the red sole, of course!) into small touches of colour, almost like brushstrokes, which brighten glasses that often feature sophisticated golden metal mesh inserts in their structure. Glasses that, it’s safe to say, capture the gaze with exclusive architectures. This is just a preview, already available in mono-brand boutiques and selected department stores, as the full collection will be released in February 2025.

When it comes to 3D, all creative freedoms are allowed, including the ability to make the check pattern three-dimensional by exploring more complex textures with previously unthinkable material combinations, such as titanium and polyamide. Hoet, long focused on this innovative technique in eyewear design, offers two new models in their Costume collection. These are the result of meticulous research into weight and balance to ensure maximum comfort and lightness without compromising on a bold, recognisable style. The shapes are minimal: round for model U11 and rectangular for model U12, both rimless on the lower part.

For Dior, 3D printing becomes the ideal medium to transfer the iconic Cannage pattern, part of its heritage and always based on a geometric check shape, into a contemporary context, playing with contrasts. The classic acetate shape of the men's model S2I/F from the Dior3D Line is paired with three-dimensional temples. The women's prescription frame Troika by Frost Eyewear, made entirely of allergen-free acetate, features a three-colour design that makes the model with oval lenses inserted into a pentagonal frame even more attractive and dynamic. Suitable for almost all face shapes (round, square, rectangular, and heart-shaped), it is available in different colour variants that follow fashion trends.

Also made of acetate, the Koko model by Oliver Goldsmith is offered in some Limited Archive Colour Releases, including the Light Rum Chessboard combination. Designed in 1966, with the date printed on the temple, it fully embodies the unmistakable mood of the “Swinging Sixties.” And the concept of the Chessboard immediately brings to mind another icon, this time from art. In 1963, during a performance at an exhibition dedicated to him at the Pasadena Museum of Art, an elderly Marcel Duchamp, captured in a legendary photo by Julian Wasser, played chess with a very young Eve Babitz, completely nude. Unfazed by the unusual "surrealist" situation and fully focused on the game, of which he was a true champion, he seems to have briefly grown impatient with her, exclaiming, “Et alors!”