Lynne Diamante, who designed and owns the eyewear boutique located inside Johnston’s OPTX Rhode Island, has been on big stages before.
Although the OPTX CEO has been an integral part of recent Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, the stage she and her husband Dr. Giulio Diamante were on during a recent Monday was indeed a first.
“It was a night like no other,” Lynne told the Sun Rise earlier this week during an exclusive interview. “There we were, in New York City at the famous Friars Club, where some of the biggest names in Hollywood gathered to honor the legendary Tony Bennett.”
Bennett, as Diamante explained, was in New York City to receive the Entertainment Icon Award from the Friars Club –located in the heart of Times Square – during an A-List gala to which the Diamantes were invited.
“It was thrilling,” Lynne said of the gala, which “was also a bit of an early birthday celebration for Mr. Bennett, who will turn 90 on Aug. 3.”
More impressively, perhaps, is the fact that Bennett is a client at OPTX and has visited the Johnston location on numerous occasions during recent years.
“I was so excited for Johnston,” Lynne said while recalling the couple’s experience at the Friars Club, which was founded in 1904 and had a guest list that included Robert DeNiro, Regis Philbin, Scarlett Johansson, Brett Ratner, and Larry King. “A small company from Johnston being on the big stage … Giulio and I were absolutely thrilled that Mr. Bennett was wearing our OPTX eyewear.”
OPTX was invited to the event to present Bennett with a signature gift – custom eyewear and sunglasses.
“We were humbled and obviously highly honored to the only company invited to present Mr. Bennett a gift,” Lynne said. “OPTX was the only company invited, and the first New England retailer to accomplish such an honorable distinction.”
After much careful thought – and consultations with OPTX opticians Ted Nelson and Christine Chan, as well as Dr. Diamante – the team decided upon the perfect frames, which were then customized with lenses tinted in a beautiful amber color.
Lynne said the selected frames were an “exquisite Cartier Santos Dumont design as well as a Gucci aviator, both signature looks which Mr. Bennett has worn in the past.”
The night was flawless for OPTX and the Diamantes, who also presented eyewear gifts to DeNiro, King, Ratner, Alisan Porter, Robert Davi, and other celebrities who just to happen to be among the Johnston company’s ever-growing list of celebrity clients.
“This is a proud night for Johnston, OPTX, and our entire staff that assisted us with the project, and for Rhode Island,” Dr. Diamante said. “We were humbled and honored to spend time with Mr. Bennett and to represent our town as we presented his special gift.”
Lynne, who has worked tirelessly developing OPTX Rhode Island’s long and distinguished list of celebrity clientele that ranges from athletes to rock stars, supermodels, and beyond, offered: “It is amazing to me, and I am so proud of everything OPTX has accomplished and our national exposure right from our Johnston location. It’s thrilling that our clientele has other choices like Hollywood and Las Vegas, but they keep coming back to OPTX, and you really never know who might come in our store on Hartford Avenue in Johnston.”
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