Archive for the ‘Glasses Fashion’ Category

The Future’s Orange…and Lime, and Turquoise!

Monday, August 15th, 2011

As a nation we’ve been getting braver with our eye fashion over the past few years, going from bland and boring to brave…..and now bright. Colour has been a big fashion statement with specs of late, and now we’re taking the next step and going for every shade of neon and fluorescent.

Now this may not be a look that we all feel we can get away with, and even the most die hard fashionista will probably think twice before donning an acid yellow or searing orange frame. The way to wear this trend is with a subtle touch to start with, such as a colour pop lining in a funky pink or mauve, barely visible from the outside, but you can be smug in the knowledge that you have inner style! Keep the detail to a minimum, avoid bling and pattern, this is more of a sporty look – clean lines, maybe just a dash of stripe, with the colour doing all the work for you.

Even men’s frames have got into this trend this season – Oakley have a funky lime lining on an otherwise simple metal, Paul Smith add their signature stripe in rainbow hue as detail and decoration. Men are often left out of the fun, as the designers go to town on women’s frames, but this season they’ve come up with some fab ideas for the boys.

Having tried a dash of colour, you can graduate to maybe a slim metal in a coloured finish, or a plain front and bright sides. Then maybe the full Lady GaGa with a wide rimmed plastic in bold neon, or a chunky metal that shows off your colour sense to it’s full advantage. Perfect for enhancing your summer tan, and for being seen in the dark on sultry summer nights!

Varifocal Glasses

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Blogosphere News
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Passion for Italian

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Checking through our stock frames last week, and browsing catalogues looking for new ranges, it’s more noticeable than ever how many designers and manufacturers are Italian. As they’re a nation famed for their good looks and innate sense of style, this can only be good news for consumers! So what makes Italians such experts on spec style?

In the UK a huge number of the top quality frames we import are from five big boys – Luxottica, Marchon, Marcolin, Safilo and DeRigo. Between them they manufacture frames for the biggest names in fashion – including Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Fendi, YSL, Pucci, Police, Paul Smith……the list goes on. Many of these design houses are Italian too. The system works by designers finding the manufacturer who shares their vision in terms of what they want to create, and who has the skill to make the product to the high standards they expect for their clothing and accessory ranges. Many factories are even situated on the same area, the beautiful Dolomite Mountains.

A spec frame goes through hundreds of processes before it reaches your face. The choice of materials, decoration and even small detail like the case have to be worked on with the designer, as it will reflect their reputation when it hits the shelves. Maybe the Italians are the best at interpreting the designers needs and translating this into the finished article – it’s rare that we come across a faulty designer frame of this quality, and each collection has it’s own distinctive look that carries the hallmarks of each design house.

Strolling through cities like Venice and Florence, it’s easy to spot the natives – men in sharply cut suits, women dressed up in high heels whatever the occasion. Italy is a byword for immaculate taste and style, and with their reputation for craftsmanship too, it’s not surprising that they play such a huge role in our eyewear. So if you want a little taste of Mediterranean magic, investigate some Italian style!

Varifocal glasses

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Blogosphere News
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

The Dark Side

Friday, August 5th, 2011

Colour is flooding our shelves this summer, with every combination – however bonkers – flaunting itself on frame linings, sides, fronts and even in the cases. Pink with green anyone? Lilac with orange? Within this explosion of all things bright and beautiful there’s a micro trend that anyone with a fondness for the dark side might be tempted by……….

Gothic good looks have been a fashion favourite since Twilight and True Blood set our pulses racing, and like all other accessories, frames have been no exception. A touch of the darkly dramatic is a delicious compliment to satanic dark good looks, or a stunning contrast if you’re pale and interesting.

Think bold black, passionate purple, or deepest blood red, all with lashings of baroque detail to make any passing stranger stop dead in their tracks and look deep into your eyes….

This is not a look for the faint hearted, but if you have a penchant for all shades of black in your wardrobe, and a slash of red for your lipstick, then airy summer blue, yellows and lime colour blocking will never get you excited. Something more sultry and belonging to hot summer nights will be more your style……..so if your skin is pale with a hint of blue, go for cold reds, dark purple or black. If you do venture into the summer sun and have a touch of a tan, go for tortoiseshell brown, olive green or tomato red. Dress this up or down as much as you want with chunky engraved detailing, tattoo type embellishments, and inset chunky stones. Stay cool and mysterious through those tiresome summer months and let your inner punk-vampire- princess shine though…..

Varifocal Glasses

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Blogosphere News
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Fashion Forward

Sunday, June 26th, 2011

Following our British Optical trade fair in April, new styles of frames are filtering onto the market after their launch at the show. This is an exciting few months for new fashions, as we see exhibition samples reaching our shelves. Nothing stands still in fashion, and our designers aim to compliment clothing and accessories with inspiring eyewear.

Rimless are still a steady niche product for some, and styles have been updated with coloured plastic and metal sides, and edgy new shapes that echo standard frame styles. Sharp rectangles for men, deeper shapes, and even round eyes are creeping back in for Summer/Fall 2011. Go a bit bigger than your previous model for up to date style with no boundaries!

Geek shapes are the norm rather than the trendy exception now, and they are bang on trend with new colours and materials. Now produced in sheet cut metals and skinny plastics rather than just chunky acetates you can go retro and traditional or fresh and funky within this look. Layered lime with purple, pink and red, a far cry from the Ronnie barker solid black plastics!

Metal frames, once simple and plain, are given the make-over treatment with deeper shapes, chunky rims, and wide plastic sides bearing every kind of decoration you can imagine! Dior are using engraved and touchy-feely texture, Fendi some rather chic wood grain pattern, Gucci a swirling mix of colours fading into one another. Prints are popular too, with inspiration form nature – butterflies, flowers and abstract patterns – and techno-geometry.

So whatever your personal choice, you can stick to your signature look while bringing things smartly up to date this season. Rimless, plastic, metal or a combination of all three, the choice is endless and very fashion forward!

Varifocal Glasses

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Blogosphere News
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Square Eyes!

Friday, May 20th, 2011

The trend for bigger and deeper frames has created a huge shift in fashion eye wear this year. Most of the new collections for late 2011 to 2012 are moving away from the shallow rectangular shape we’ve all been wearing the last few years, to a more wearable deeper proportion. Round is creeping in, but for the present, it’s seriously hip to be square…….

Square means a deep frame with an angular eye shape, which is flattering, funky, and actually pretty practical! Finally we can see to go downstairs again, as a little more lens means a lot more sight. This is an evolution onwards and upwards from the traditional Dr Who geek shape, which is based on the old NHS plastic frame – and it is time to move on as that frame was discontinued by the NHS in 1988!

This is a trend that transcends age, gender and budget. For men, women, young and old, in the right colour and finish it suits everyone. Bigger and bolder is better in this case, and is another nail in the coffin of the metal frame fashion story. Where a year or two ago our biggest sellers were always metal, they are now a rare breed! Plastic is less likely to break, more comfortable thanks to the moulded bridge, and have less bits to fall off or go wrong!

Bring your eyewear bang up to date with this shape and bright colour combinations. In line with the colour block trend for clothes, we’re lusting after hot colour combos like clashing lime fronts and pink sides, tortoise brown and purple, turquoise and orange. So for a practical fashion fix find the mix that flatters your complexion and enjoy going wild by being square!

Varifocal Glasses

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Blogosphere News
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Fashion Forward for Summer

Saturday, May 14th, 2011

After the excitement of our optical trade fairs in the spring, the new trends for 2011 are now on the shelves and gracing the faces of the fashion forward amongst us. A change is as good as a rest, and a new look for your specs can be the kick start you need to experiment with new hair, make up or clothes. So what is fashion forward for summer?

Retro is very much the look of the moment, but as ever with fashion, subtle twists on the original theme bring the look bang up to date. Seventies over sized and over-the -top glamour is beautifully combined with Sixties iconic shapes like the cat’s eye and large round shapes. For men too the retro theme is carried through. Size really does matter here – big is bold, beautiful and very very trendy. Frames are wider and deeper then we have seen for some time – so if you have a high prescription you can choose them as long as you plump for thin material lenses.

Colour is everywhere, and in line with the clashing colour block trend of clothes, there are some wild and wacky combinations on eye wear too. Acid yellow, bright orange, vivid pink and hot lime are fabulous for the brave amongst you, softer blue and tortoiseshell are chic for the introverted! There are more translucent plastics this year, so you can have colour in a softer form. For men there are the bold choices of blue and coloured linings to frames, and lots of warm olive greens, which can be flattering on boys with warm complexions.

Bling is gradually creeping back in, after a rest from all things diamante in the last year. Are we bored with austerity and looking for some fun again? A dash of crystal or a scattering of sparkling stones would make the glummest amongst us shine this summer!

Varifocal Glasses

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Blogosphere News
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Styles to Watch

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011

We’ve had a glorious spring and summer seems to be fast approaching, always the perfect time for a new look in eyewear as well as in our wardrobes. The chunky, heavy weight look of winter can be mothballed for a few months, so what have we got to look forward to in the lightweight look of summer specs styles?

Retro shapes are moving a step forward from square and geeky to round and preppie. We’re talking bold shapes in warm shades of tortoise or ice cold crystal. This is a soft and romantic look for girls, very Women in Love! For boys it’s cool and a refreshing change from angular styles which have been in for to long now.

Colours are everywhere, with hot shades in bright blue, zingy orange and even yellow hitting the fashion pages again. This Studio 54 craze runs through every clothes range, from Top Shop to Halston this year, so seventies inspired crazy shades and frames were bound to follow. There’s more white and cream than we’ve seen for some time too. This suits summer fabrics and styles to complement your wardrobe, but will carry you through to winter – cream eye wear with black winter wear is tres chic!

Logos and details are simpler this year, with visible pins and structural components taking over from twiddly bling as decoration. This is neat and sharp, and less girly than eyewear from the past couple of years. For boys a subtle dash of inlaid metal or laminate is favoured rather than pattern or engraving.

We’re also moving away from a whole eyewear proportion – for years frames have mostly been wide and shallow. We’re now going to the other extreme, with deep frames that are narrower at the temple. Not a look for chubby cheeks or those with high prescription lenses! You’ll be better with neat little round eyes.

Whatever your choice, try before you buy and experiment – this is one fashion where even if you remember them first time around you’re still ok to try them again!

Varifocal Glasses

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Blogosphere News
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Seventies Chic

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

It maybe the fault of shows like Life on Mars, or just fashion having a retro moment, but think Studio 54 for your style inspiration over the coming months and you won’t go far wrong. Yet again, it’s time to dust off the Bianca Jagger white trouser suit and frizz up your afro, as flares, wedges, and floaty maxi-skirts fill our wardrobes. Obviously it’s essential to find the eye wear to suit, so rifle through your Mum’s drawers and dig out those beauties of years gone by……..

Welcome back Dierdre Barlow, all is forgiven, as we embrace our George and Mildred past and look to those forgotten icons with their blue eye shadow and flicky feather cuts. Seventies specs were huge, with frames that sat high above the eyebrows and low down on the cheeks. We all had dented noses, but what price fashion?!! Plastic for preference, with rounded lenses and a lush colour palette that went through all those yummy colours like brown, yellow and orange. (This is not a fashion fad for the faint-hearted!)

Frames with faceted edges, sides that swept up from the lower rim, and Aviators were all in vogue. The Studio 54 disco vibe was all about massive lenses, smoky graduated tints, and lots of white. Frames were fairly simple, without the detail and bling we’re used to today – size was all that mattered! A little gold trim or a stripe colour way was our only concession to decoration. Fade effect frame colours were also cool, with two-tone finishes.

Boys all wore Aviators, except for John Lennon wannabes in tiny NHS gold round eyes. Black, gold or bronze were the options, with chunky side joints and deep lenses. The colour was shiny, no matte or antique finishes. Bright yellow gold was the most popular choice! Smoky tints were again the most popular choice, although when mirror lenses came in boys were quick to spot the potential of a lens which made it impossible to tell what or who you were looking at!

So on the plus side, these fashions were cool, iconic, have stood the test of time, and certainly gave good coverage in the sun and wind. You couldn’t see the frame edges and you didn’t have to keep your eyebrows tidy! On the minus side you misted up like mad and your nose developed a ridge thanks to the weight. Still, you have to suffer for fashion, and at least if you pinch your Mum’s old pair they’ll be cheap!

Varifocal Glasses

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Blogosphere News
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Coming Around Again…

Saturday, March 19th, 2011

There’s nothing new under the sun apparently, especially in the world of fashion. Trends re-appear and re-invent themselves with unfailing regularity, even boot-cut jeans are on their second fashion moment in the last decade! So it’s no surprise that the star of Eighties eyewear, the preppie round frame is creeping back onto our fashion radar again……

Round eyes were a big feature of the Designer eyewear boom in the Eighties, starting out with the famous John Lennon tiny gold metal, and ending (thankfully!) with huge Timmy Mallet plastics in a wild array of colours. For the cool and chic amongst us there were neutral plastics in black or brown, with visible pin joints. These were not ridiculously tiny or enormous, just a neat size that flattered many face shapes. In the USA they never let this look go! Johnny Depp is often seen in this shape, as is Steven Spielberg.

Now we’re in 2011, and the eye wear fashion pages are once again featuring round plastics, everyone from Giorgio Armani to Paul Smith going with this trend. Gok Wan wore his new pair on his show this week. It’s a refreshing change from angular plastics and metals, which have dominated the rails for the past few years. They’re not too overpowering on small faces, can soften angular jaws, and are flattering if you have petite features or close set eyes. To look like a trend setter rather than Eighties throw back, upsize a little, and look for modern finishes like laminated layers of colour. These frames are nicely minimal and pared down in terms of decoration, which again is a change from the eye fashions of the past few years.

So if the androgynous charms of the chunky geek plastic are not for you, and you want to re-visit an old friend, it might be time to take fashion full circle and go for a round eye. Just don’t be tempted to re-glaze your Mum’s old pair – unless you really want to look like a Su Pollard tribute act!

Varifocal Glasses

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Blogosphere News
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Casual Style

Saturday, March 12th, 2011

A more relaxed attitude to fashion seems to be on the way in for spring, with subtle nude make up, beach style wavy hair, and lots of denim and chambray filling the style pages. This is a chilled out look, demanding a laid back approach to accessories, so less bling, more beads looks like the mantra this year!

This is echoed in what we’re seeing in the new trend in eyewear – less ornate detail, a nice change if you want less sparkle and glitz for day wear. Those of us revelling in the Big-Fat-Gypsy-Wedding look will always want to indulge our girly side, but there are times when you want to calm things down a little! Diamante, lavish filigree and galaxies of crystals will always have a place in our hearts, but even we admit there are occasions when it may be a little OTT!

The trend for all shades of denim, even that Eighties throw back double denim – demands understated eyewear to match. Plastic frames in unisex shapes, layered in tortoiseshell and a dash of colour are useful – strict secretary chic for work, not too dressy for leisure time. Metals in soft colours with patterned wide sides are a perfect choice if you find plastics too heavy. The trend for patterns is very feminine; you’ll find everything from paisley swirls to garlands of roses inlaid in frame sides. Stripes are big fashion news, and subtle colour graduations and chunky contrasting stripes are two groovy looks to add a psychedelic dash to your denim!

Tortoiseshell is a nice change from black as we head for the (hopefully) sunnier months, and for blondes, lime and bright blue are a nice alternative. These are good as an accent lining or detail if you don’t want to go the whole hog with colour. Teal and brown is re-appearing as a popular colour combination this year. It really is time to embrace your stone washed fashion history and enjoy a laid back summer of love this year!

Varifocal Glasses

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Blogosphere News
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati