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!
