In the past four or five years we’ve gone from outrageous bling, with frames practically flashing with diamantes, jewels and enamel detail, to more austere frames that fit our belt-tightening times. For the new season, colour and detail are creeping back in, and stripes are an excellent way to bring some interest to your specs without going overboard on the flash factor!

You can use stripes in masses of different ways – layers of laminates, colours, inlaid details, cut out segments, running through the whole frame or in touches of detail. Stripes are a useful way of adding colour without mad pattern, such as a pinstripe in a black frame or red frame to reduce the drama and make the frame more wearable.

Laminated layers within the frame always look good, cut horizontally through the frame front. You can take a really plain shape, a palette of dull colours, and transform them with stripes of colour that make the light play in different ways across the frame. This is good if you want colour but want the frame to go with lots of outfits. Take a raspberry frame with pink stripes – it will look more pink against clothes of the same colour, warm in tone with a smart black suit, and vibrant with matching raspberry red. You can play the colour up or down by enhancing it or calming it down with alternative outfits. This can give you a different look for work or play, just by playing with the attention your frame gets!

Stripes are a good way for men to inject some interest and detail into their specs, a touch of pattern without resorting to anything too girly or scary! So if you fancy a change from your butterfly strewn, wild specs of last year, seek out some stripes!

The sunglass trend is always slightly funkier than for clear ophthalmic lenses, going bigger, bolder, and sometimes, more curved. This wrap around style is excellent for sunglasses, as it stops light getting in, and if you’re a keen cyclist then it stops the wind whistling around your eyes too. For non-prescription lenses a large wrap around shield type sunnie can therefore be ideal.

When it comes to adding lens power to a wrap frame however, you can run into problems. Prescription lenses have a curve which is governed by your lens strength. The wonderful laws of Physics do allow us to play around with this to some extent, so you can have curved lenses made to your prescription if the strength is low and the curve can coincide with that of your super cool sunnies. The key here is to talk to the optician before raising your expectations and falling in love with a curvaceous but unobtainable ideal – story of my life!! Make sure the frame you choose has traditional mounts, not some kind of fancy rimless which cannot be glazed with new lenses. Keep the size down as much as possible, and post to us or take into your optician to be assessed. We can get specially made wrap lenses if necessary but these are more expensive, full quotes are always given.

When the Postie delivers your new sunnies into your excited hands, note that your vision might feel a little odd to start with. This is due to the wrap altering your peripheral vision slightly. It usually settles down quite quickly and you’ll stop noticing it. Try wandering around the garden in them before diving behind the wheel or handle bars. Then await the sunshine and get posing!

Back in the Seventies and Eighties big frames meant thick and heavy specs. The new wear to wear the size is in thin materials, with thin lenses too to reduce weight. New shapes are easier to wear, less extreme than the originals. Round is back too, taking over from sharp angular shapes, but the good news is that fashion seems to be less cut and dried than in the past. We have large and small frames sitting side by side on the display, oval and rectangular. The designers seem to be waking up to the fact that we don’t all want the same thing!

New materials mean that the shiny harsh golds and yellow tinged tortoise browns are thankfully consigned to the past, with subtle metals and soft colours bringing a fresh look to old shapes. Past and present blend with classic styles brought up to date in Noughties colour schemes and detail. Look for soft rounded squares and gentle Aviators that echo the disco era but still look on trend today. Aviators are a unisex style this time around, particularly for sunglasses where they give a really casual and relaxed beach babe look. (See Jennifer Aniston and Cameron Diaz for inspiration!)

Big frames give you a large field of vision and make a real statement on the face, so don’t dismiss the return of these old friends as a mare fashion fad – just hope that shoulder pads will be much more of a one season trend!

Giorgio Armani was working glamorous tailoring, always his strength, but with soft silhouettes and a neutral palette. So for work wear you might want to think about classic and grown up specs, in warm pale browns, caramel, or even nude, if your colouring can take it. Detail should be pared to the minimum for this look, so no added bling or pattern! A sleek metal frame or simple plastic with layered laminates would add interest without going over the top.

The house of Dior was awash with colour, a total contrast to the cool Mr Armani. And this colour was used to fantastic effect with mouth watering patterns that dazzled, in a riot of joyful flowers. So if you’re planning a wedding or a special outfit for a ball, you can go wild with hot shades and vibrant colour. Frames can be hot plastics, or layers of coloured metal, in a shade that’s as bright as your dress. You don’t have to match the colour exactly, brilliant red or green is fabulous with purple, or orange with turquoise, just make sure the strength of the colours are the same. Frames again can be simple with regard to detail, let the colour and pattern on your fabulous frock do the work for you!

If however minimalist chic is not for you, and you want to add bling, layers, flounces, diamonds and pearls to your dresses, than Chanel will fire your imagination this season. They were all about the detail and were also championing the floaty and romantic longer hem length. For all you fairy princesses out there, this is feminine and pretty. Specs can be metal or plastic, with slim rims that bring attention to your eyes. Add as much detail as you dare, with inlaid jewels, filigree work and delicate traceries of colour. Gold would be a good colour choice to echo the look and co-ordinate with lots of different colours.

Looking through the fashion pages can inspire you and excite you when making your decisions for the new season, so let your specs complement your clothes and add an extra fashion dimension to your outfit.

The cat’s eye was the first real fashion shape in frames that was strictly for women. Feminine and flattering, it was everywhere from the Fifties onwards, with details such as inlaid diamantes, pearly sides and rims, and even inter-changeable coloured panels! Men’s frames in contrast were usually chunky, heavy and dark. The cat’s eye was worn in a small and curvy shape, often with a thread holding the lower lens edge for further emphasis on the cheekbones.

This shape is super flattering for several reasons. It draws the eye upwards, taking attention away from any sagging areas in the lower face. It puts the spotlight on the eyes, exaggerating and elongating the shape, and the feline proportions are an enduring and appealing beauty ideal. Width at the temples of the frame make the jaw line look smaller and more feminine in proportion. The small lens area also meant thinner and lighter lenses.

It falls in and out of fashion with great regularity, but it’s safe to say there will always be a variation on it in most collections. Fendi, Pucci, and Christian Dior all featured a version of it this year. For updates on the look search out this season’s bright colours and slightly bigger shapes. Stick to one bold colour, but with a little shape enhancing detail at the temple or on the side arms. It’s very pretty with upswept hair styles, such as Christina’s elegant French pleat, enhancing the line of the neck and again, drawing the eye upwards. So if you do want to attempt the Mad Men look, try a cats’ eye – at least it’s more comfortable than a corset, and just as sexy!

‘I’ve had great fun with our latest collection – like a child in a sweetie shop! I’ve been working on filigree detail and very delicate jewellery-type designs for this autumn. I love the idea that specs can be an extension of your personality, framing your eyes and drawing attention to the face. So I like to put the interesting features around the sides and top edges of the frame, which lifts the whole face, and is much less painful than Botox!  Lacy patterns and cut out designs are big for us this year.’

‘Our collections tend to be minimal in detail but very strong on colour. Winter white, cream and pearl grey are nice between seasons, with stronger blacks and reds for after the summer tan has faded! With nautical, Breton jumper style fashions being seen everywhere in the summer, we’ve also used navy this year, which has been out of vogue for some time. It’s a nice soft alternative to black, and an excellent choice for men who want something different, especially if you have a bit of silver around the temples!”

‘We’ve seen a big swing in popularity over the past year from our slim rimless styles to chunky plastics and really thick metal sides. We’re going with that trend and heading towards the preppy rounded shape and big, bold lenses. Even our geeky plastics are softer rather than edgy squares this season. It’s quite an American look – they favour ovals and round shapes and never really did rectangular. Sizes have gone up over the last two years, with our average best sellers two sizes bigger.”

So there you have it – from the proverbial horse’s mouth, now we just need to get stocked so you can get shopping!

Kate Moss – Finally giving the Wayfarers a rest and stepping out in the cutest Aviator to match her boy crush Jamie Hince. Sweet! Killer on the cheekbones Kate, a great look.

Alexa Chung – Cool once more, in a divine take on the Wayfarer look, a deep plastic that complimented her elfin face shape perfectly.

Sienna Miller – A beach babe Aviator shape that looked chilled and laid back with her unstructured hair and that ever present ghost of boho vibe.

Kylie – Our fave babe weighed down by this season’s biggest sunnie so far, an Eighties homage with huge dark lenses, nicely balanced with skinny rims and sides. Why just kiss Ana Matronic Kylie? We were waiting……..

Festival season wore us out Darlings, so now it’s time to chill with the left over Wimbledon Pimms before we head off to the beach. Check the packing – Stella McCartney clutch full of Aviators, Chanel Coco lippy, Gucci cuff, Jimmy Choos – see how exhausting the last couple of weeks have been…..

There are three classic sunnie shapes that have been around for over fifty years and have stood the test of time. Always in fashion, whatever the year or even the decade!

Jackie O – Sophisticated and Grown up – This is the Charlotte York look if you’re a SATC fan, grown up, chic, stylish. Usually black plastic, a huge round frame with a very dark lens and minimal or no detail. Looks good for driving or beach wear, and useful for concealing all ills after a good night out! This will suit you if you like Victoria Beckham’s look, a frame for lady-like dressing up.

Jackie O Sunglasses

Wayfarer – Unisex, trendy, and a touch quirky – a plastic frame in the classic Blue’s Brothers shape, with a square top rim and sweep across the cheeks. Again, usually black, or the wildly different tortoiseshell for real rebels! This will be perfect if you’re channelling Kate Moss or Alexa Chung, a look for Indie girls. Avoid it if you have a tiny nose, they can rest on your face.

Aviator – Now more for the girls than the boys – big, blinging and the more oversized the better. Traditionally a men’s frame, this has now been totally adopted by women, and looks good for casual wear. The large teardrop shape is fashionable and practical, the lens area giving good sun protection. It’s quite a beach babe look, so if Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Anniston are your style icons, then go with the Aviator.

Styles that have had fashion staying power for half a century will surely be sticking around for some time to come, so invest and you don’t have to make another sunnie descision for the next fifty years!

Cheryl Cole – The Nations sweetheart bravely getting on with her life, chic in a radically slim-sided sunnie that complements her heart shaped face and that enormous smile – and just who is responsible for that Chezza?!! We girls need to know!!

Florence Welch – Minus machine but with lots of added style, in a very retro round frame – kind of Harry Potter meets Ozzy Osbourne – with a cool blue lens. If you can’t find any, borrow them from any under fives dressing up box, and sneak out some of their ankle socks too….

Florence Welsh in cool blue sunnies

Cameron Diaz – Californian beach babe Cameron went for the classic aviator, a casual shape that suits her tousled surfer babe style. Dark frame and lenses though – an unusual contrast to her golden skin and hair…..

Alexa Chung – shocked us by going for the obvious! The indie chick who always stands out from the crowd was blending in, in a very boring black plastic. Come on Alexa – we need inspiration from you, although it’s comforting that even style Goddesses sometimes get it wrong…..

So Celebs, we’re loving it that you’re surprising us this week, not going for the obvious, although Kate’s probably still in that Wayfarer and VB will be in a huge Jackie O plastic, rather like the World Cup results, some things never change………..like the fact that we’re off to hit the High Street, Hurrah!!!!

All the tricky colours can work on the right skin tone if you find the right shade. Then you’ll have eyewear that’s brave, bold, and flattering; in a way that truly suits you as an individual. Green is the perfect example. Fair skinned, green eyed, dark haired types look fab in strong and warm emerald or dark apple green. Blondes look fab in acid greens, and olive skins look warm and sultry in sludgy Khaki tones.

White is amazing against dark skin, especially with a tinted lens. Don’t go near it if you’re pale! It’s also great on tanned skin, and gives a stunning contrast if you mix in some black detail.

Orange is only for the brave, but it’s amazing on blazing autumn people, so go for it if you’ve got warm skin and copper toned hair. In a strong and hot shade it’s zingy with black skin. Again it suits a tint in a cooler tone, the perfect combination being hot orange and a cool grey lens.

Yellow is perhaps the hardest colour of all, and over our years in Optics the one we see the least. It’s a lovely accent colour against brown or khaki or even black, but entirely yellow frames are thankfully few and far between. It can bring out the golden highlights in blonde hair, but just choose your shade very carefully!

When trying a bold new colour, take some time getting used to the look. Does the frame light your face up? Bring out the sparkle in your eyes and hair? Or do you look like you need a holiday? Experiment with shade and tone and when you’re picked the perfect colour for you, step out and be daring and difficult!