Posts Tagged ‘eye wear’
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
We very often hear – particularly from men!! – that fashion doesn’t matter at all when it comes to specs. “They’re just to help me see, I don’t care what I look like.” “They’re only specs, who cares what they’re like,” etc etc are common comments when faced with the challenge of finding a new eye wear. So does it matter?
If first impressions count, and people make assumptions about us within seconds of meeting us, then of course glasses are as vital to your appearance as hair, clothes, make up and other accessories. If you’re a techno geek and you appear in ten year old specs, would you look as if you know about the latest and greatest products on the market? If you’re in business do you look as if you’re ahead of your game in battered, frumpy, or out of date specs? Of course you don’t, and just as most of us don’t wear the same clothes as we did ten years ago, we really shouldn’t neglect our specs when it comes to updating our look.
New glasses, just like new hair, can knock ten years of you in an instant. If you change your hair colour, or the way you do your make-up, then change your specs too. An alteration to your colouring will alter the way your specs reflect light and colour back on your face. Trends come and go with glasses as with any other aspect of fashion, so check out a few magazines, websites, and simply faces on the High Street to get an idea of what’s in vogue.
Within current trends, work on a colour and shape that will flatter your looks and your lifestyle. Even a subtle change in shape – remember when we went from round to oval – will update and reinvigorate your look. And at least with specs fashion you don’t have to worry about being mutton dressed as lamb. There are a very few styles that are age specific, so you can fearlessly choose whatever you fancy without worrying about whether you are too old.
As faces are what we focus on first, your specs never go unnoticed, so don’t think that they don’t matter. Cheaper and less painful than a face lift, you can refresh yourself and leap into fashion with a simple pair of new specs!
Tags: eye wear, glasses, new glasses, specs
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Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
The Optical world is getting excited as we gear up for our version of Fashion Week, the International show Mido which hits Milan in early March. It’s the fortieth anniversary show and expectations are high. The average spec wearer on the streets of Britain may wonder what this has to do with them, but the answer is everything!! The new brands, styles, and colours that grace the catwalks and displays at Mido will gradually filter through to an optician near you, so what have you got to look forward to – and through – for the upcoming season?!
Pattern, colour, and the new large shape are set to give us new looks and ideas for the Spring. All manufacturers sneak a peek at each other of course, so as with mainstream clothing and accessory fashion there are always key themes and trends. Etched and inlaid floral patterns are still very much in vogue, and there’s a hint of more ethnic designs creeping in this year.
New collections will be exhibited by Seven for all Mankind, better known for hot denim, John Rocha, Paul Costelloe, the iconic Jaegar, and the ever cool Lambretta. We’re keen to see what they come up with, and as ever we’ll be amazed at how new techniques, colours and styles will still appear, just when we thought you could do no more with eye wear!
Our predictions are for huge over sizing, the re-appearance of preppie round eyes and Aviators, and retro shapes such as cats eyes. All of these arrivals will be updated for 2010 with new colours, innovative detailing, and exciting texture. Fashion may always come round again but thanks to new materials it’s always a little better and brighter for its reinvention. We also suspect that the technology that can create curved lenses will give us lots more wrap around styles.
So along with the 1000 or so exhibitors we’re looking forward to spring in Milan, hard work of course, but someone’s got to do it….line up those Espressos please – Ciao for now!
Tags: eye wear, Fashion Week, International show Mido, Jaegar, John Rocha, Lambretta, Optical world, Paul Costelloe, pec wearer, Seven for all Mankind, wrap around styles
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Monday, February 22nd, 2010
The tragic loss of Lee Alexander McQueen this week has given rise to many articles in the media about his career, and the designs he produced for his catwalk shows. Hailed by many as a true creative genius, others often could not understand McQueen’s vision. Opinion is always divided about the work of great Couturiers – a case of the Emperor’s New Clothes? As more and more designers take on Optical assignments and bring us new eye glass styles, we should consider the work of innovators and appreciate what they bring to our everyday lives.
Anything that makes an everyday chore more pleasurable must be applauded, and this has been very evident with spectacles. A medical device that many of us need to function in our everyday lives has become a must have accessory and a desirable purchase. This first became apparent when Designers moved into the eye wear market and began transforming the humble spec into a piece of fashion.
A trend that began with Giorgio Armani and Christian Dior during the Eighties designer boom is now a multi-million pound industry and has ended the misery of glasses wear for many. McQueen himself produced a stunning eyewear range, as do countless others. Who wouldn’t want to buy something they enjoy wearing? Even if you don’t appreciate a specific designer frame, you will still reap the benefits of their inspiration as their innovation filters down through all manufactures ranges.
McQueen stunned the fashionistas with his Highland Rape Collection in 1995, displaying some shocking rear cleavage on the catwalk, but for many years afterwards we were all wearing low slung jeans and sharp tailoring that owed much to his initial vision. Eye wear follows suit, with detailing, colours, and shapes providing inspiration for many collections that follow the trend setters. Never dismiss designers as being detached from your world, or out of touch with reality. Like McQueen they all come up with the look for the season, and our lives are made more colourful and aesthetically pleasing because of it. We have lost a true fashion great this week, and even if you don’t think he touched your life, his influence and vision has in reality affected us all.
Tags: Christian Dior, designer frame, eye glass styles, eye wear, Giorgio Armani, Lee Alexander McQueen, spectacles
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Thursday, August 27th, 2009
In the search for perfect eye wear you may have seen some frames that have no rim across one side of the frame – usually the lower rim. These useful and lightweight frames are called Supras – so let’s have a look at them in detail.
About five years ago we saw a huge return to popularity for totally rimless frames. New materials and manufacturing techniques made them strong, light. and pretty funky. A few years down the line however, many patients are moving on from rimless, wanting something equally light but a little different. This is where the supra comes in, a useful cross between a full frame and a rimless.
Rimless are vulnerable because as well as the lack of rim, the lenses are delicate as we have to drill holes in them to attach the sides and bridge. A supra or semi-rimless style is of a tougher construction. It utilises a nylon thread to hold the lenses in place, so they are not drilled. The nylon thread makes the lens look as if it floats within the frame, but the thread fitting makes it flexible but not flimsy. The joints are not industrial and bulky as they are with a rimless, and these frames often have a clean and uncluttered look to them.
The thread can be across the bottom, the top, or the temple edge of the frame, which is useful if you have a metal allergy – if frames usually sit on your skin then think about where the frame touches, and find a supra with a thread along that edge. They are also very tough – if you sit on the frame the lens might pop out, but can easily be put back in.
They are suitable for all prescriptions, but steer clear if you are very long sighted, as the ledges of your lenses are thin. We have to cut a groove into the lens edges for the thread to sit in, and a thin lens edge can chip easily. For most prescriptions however they are a cool and comfortable option.
Tags: eye wear, lightweight frames, rimless frames, supras
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Monday, July 27th, 2009
Trends come and go, in eye wear as in any fashion, but every summer there’s a returning horror as predictable as soggy picnics. For some reason we all start to imagine we’re on the prom at St Tropez, and before we know it the dreaded white sunnies have come out of the drawer again!
Just like Liz Hurley in her white jeans, we all have an image of the ideal summer look, and despite the fact that white is hard to wear, isn’t very flattering on most English rose complexions – or indeed any others – and picks up stains from your hair dye, we do it every year. It didn’t look good in the eighties, can we make it look good now?
The important thing is the right shape – retro can be good but there are limits – don’t go round, don’t go too bug eyed, and choose a shade of white that suits you. Cold grey toned whites are good on cool complexions, shades of creamy white are good with olive toned skins. It looks classy lined with black or crystal white, as a contrast in colour helps to avoid the cheap and nasty effect.
Keep the white plain – don’t add bling or bright pattern, although white is good with turquoise – very Pucci and hot for summer. A discreet inlay or touch of silver is good, but keep the lines clean – think Bianca Jagger lounging in a trouser suit, not Madonna pretending to be like a virgin! This is one fashion that the seventies actually did better than the eighties, let’s see if we can actually nail it in the noughties!
Tags: Bianca Jagger, eye wear, Liz Hurley, Madonna, Pucci, white sunnies
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Sunday, July 26th, 2009
We’re all becoming much more active nowadays, taking note of advice to keep fit and stay fit, and the sportswear market is important in maximising your performance. The only neglected area is in eye wear, where you need to know that the correct prescription glasses will help you in your efforts and protect your sight.
The obvious point to make is that if your eyes are properly corrected, then you will avoid eye fatigue. This means keeping your prescription up to date, and ensuring that you have UV filters and/or tints if your sports are outdoor. Polarised lenses are useful if your sport is on or in the water. These lenses cut glare from horizontal surfaces, and make your vision sharper.
The colour of the lens is important if you choose a tint, as each shade does a different job. Grey lenses transmit light evenly, so give true colours. Plump for these if you’re into road sports – jogging, racing, rock climbing. Brown give you excellent contrast and depth perception, ideal for golf, hiking over rough ground, fishing and biking sports. Yellow is great in poor light, giving the best contrast – good for driving later in the day, and for shooting.
For many sports a specific frame is not necessary – golfers for instance will be fine with standard specs, but with a good quality tint and UV filter. Check out sports magazines for suitable frames for your area of interest – wrap around masks etc give protection for racquet sports such as squash. Try out the products designed for your sport and stay ahead of the game!
Tags: depth perception, eye fatigue, eye wear, lenses, make your vision sharper, Polarised lenses, prescription, protect your sight, squash, UV filters
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Sunday, July 19th, 2009
With our passion for all things related to glasses, lenses, sight, and eye health, we like to think we have a pretty encyclopaedic knowledge of our little world. Eye myths are an interesting one to take a look at……
Eyes – the gateway to our inner selves, mystical organs that can mesmerise, hypnotise, overflow with emotional tears or freeze an opponent with a glacial stare. Eyes convey so much of what we feel, that it’s no wonder they are celebrated, feared, and analysed.
The evil eye is a concept that appears in many forms in several different cultures.
Can a magical eye curse it’s victims with a gaze? Or if you allow your covetous stare to linger too long on a person, or your neighbours livestock, can you then cause them harm? The evil eye is often thought to cause harm by drying out, desiccating or withering it’s victim – but you’re ok if you’re a fish, as they’re thought to be immune!
The third or inner eye is an interesting concept that appears in some spiritual traditions. It is the doorway that leads to the inner being and states of higher consciousness (and you thought a pint or two was the way to manage that!) and it’s often associated with clairvoyance and out of body experiences. Do we all have it? Could we develop the capacity to use it? Seers are those who use this extra sense.
So if you suffer from the green eyed monster, or next time you flash those baby blues, think a little more about the mythical, magical beauty of eyes, and of course the very least you can do is choose a really stunning piece of eye wear to frame those windows to your soul…….
Tags: body experiences, clairvoyance, Eye Health, Eye myths, eye wear, glasses, higher consciousness, inner eye
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Saturday, July 18th, 2009
In these times of financial meltdown even the conspicuous spenders amongst us are trying our hand at a little restraint. MPs are cutting down on their little luxuries, Victoria Beckham has (allegedly!) downsized her assets, and there’s even talk that Patricia Field won’t be working on Sex and The City 2 if Carrie Bradshaw’s wardrobe has to be reined in! So if eye wear is a fashion trend like any other, where does that leave us?
Bling has ruled the hot looks for an impressive length of time in the fickle world of fashion. Spectacle frames have sported an ever increasing amount of sparkles, spangles and bright shiny diamonds. Even frames for men have gone a little crazy, with inlaid colours, bright linings and fancy detail. This made eye wear interesting and we all loved the covetable designer detail, but does it reflect the zeitgeist in Summer 2009?
New frame shapes for upcoming seasons embrace the geek chic trend that we predicted way back before Spring. This heavy, solid look, free of fancy detail and sombre in it’s stark styling, may be a reflection of our times. It means you’ll be taken seriously, it’s free of frivolity, and it’s cheap! As it’s a timeless classic you may even have a frame you could dust off from the last time they were trendy – just have your updated prescription put in and tell everyone you’re channelling Lily Allen!
Tags: eye wear, Geek chic, Lily Allen, Patricia Field, Sex and The City 2, spectacle frames, Summer 2009, Victoria Beckham
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Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
One of the things we really enjoy is untangling problems and solving life’s little dilemmas for our customers. We’re always happy to answer phone or e-mail enquiries if you need help. Plenty of you out there do have specific eye wear needs that we’re delighted to tackle.
We recently made varifocals for a lecturer who also works in a research lab. He’s always worn contact lenses, but recently he’s found that the lenses keep going a funny colour due to something in the atmosphere at the lab. Not a problem with his new specs, varifocals online are easy to make nowadays, we just wouldn’t want to be near whatever he’s working with – if it makes his contacts discolour what’s it doing to the rest of him?!
Last month we made some Polaroid sunglasses with prescription in for a regular customer who’s a keen angler. He hasn’t told his fishing buddy he’s got new specs, they look just like his usual prescription sunglasses, but the Polaroid layer on the new pair will let him see into the water, and he just might win the little wager they’ve got on next week.
We’ve made several pairs of different prescription specs for one customer, she does some kind of surveillance work and likes to change her appearance. Different glasses are an easy way to alter your look, trendy shapes make you look younger, a traditional frame will age a young person. We’d just like to know who it is she’s keeping an eye on!
We had several chats via e –mail to a chap who has recently had a lot to deal with – after radical surgery he has a prosthetic eye. Obviously this takes some getting used to, and we have suggested a varifocal lens to help him maximise the vision he has got left, and a frame size and tint to help him get used to the look of his new eye.
So there’s always a solution to every problem – just mail if you think you’ve got a challenge for us!
Tags: contact lenses, eye wear, Polaroid sunglasses, prescription specs, prosthetic eye, specs, varifocal lens, varifocals
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Monday, May 18th, 2009
We’re all chasing the dream of looking thirty when we’re sixty, injecting, plumping, slathering on miracle creams and lusting after Michelle Obama’s gravity defying biceps. If the surgical fix isn’t for you though, or the gym is too much like hard work, then settle down at your keyboard, get on line, and select some instantly age defying eye wear.
Your glasses are on your face every day, and nothing says I’ve got bingo-wings- hidden- under- this cardie like granny glasses. You may not fit into the fashions at Topshop, but you’ll never have a problem getting your glasses on. Change them for a modern update and it’ll knock ten years off you. All frames can be worn by any age group, so don’t think fashion spex are only for the young.
Go funky, go trendy, don’t go Deirdre Barlow. Interestingly, Dame Edna has the perfect idea with her specs. That Fifties/Sixties upswept shape is flattering on most faces, and gives a lift to your features. Detail at the temple also lifts the eye. Rimless frames are not good on older faces – all that detail in the twiddly little bridge and temple parts brings attention to your laughter lines. The lenses are also made slightly thicker to give strength, so this will magnify imperfections in your eye area.
If you’re sagging a little around the jaw line, an upswept shape will help with this too. Don’t go near aviator styles, or frames which are wider at the top than the bottom. This ‘pulls’ everything down. At online optician prices you can afford a few pairs, so keep it fresh and up to date.
Tags: Dame Edna, Deirdre Barlow, eye wear, fashion spex, frames, glasses, lenses, Michelle Obama’s, online optician, rimless frames, Topshop
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