Posts Tagged ‘Marc Jacobs’

Designs on You!

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

The concept of the ‘Designer’ product has come a long way since those heady, excess filled days of the eighties, when everyone was clamouring for jeans or other clothing bearing a logo. Prices have come down, so have reputations in some cases, and the flood of counterfeit goods has had an effect of the kudos of a named brand. Even in these credit crunch times however, there is a huge demand for luxury product, built to last, and the designer frames market has a huge place in this.

People often wonder if you’re just paying for the name with a designer product, but particularly with frames and sunglasses the stakes are high for designers if the quality doesn’t live up to the cost. Image the impact on a global brand like Giorgio Armani or Christian Dior if they supplied shoddy items of poor manufacture. These are multi million pound, internationally known names, and every item bearing their logo is a showpiece for them.

Designer labels need to be associated with quality

Designer labels need to be associated with quality

So you’re paying for workmanship and quality, and you’re also getting the assurance of a huge brand behind your precious piece of eyewear. What else do you get?!! You get innovation, and the chance to be ahead of the fashion pack. Every frame on the market will have been inspired by what the big brands are producing. Today’s Ralph Lauren will be echoed in a range brought out by mainstream suppliers tomorrow, but if you have the inspiration for the style it’ll be in fashion for some time to come, as it filters down to the mass market.

Often designer pieces are produced in limited quantity, with exclusive hand finished detail and luxury materials like gold, pearls, and hand enamelling. These specs will be made to last, we see vintage Christian Dior and Chanel from twenty years ago, still being worn and having new lenses fitted, and these styles are hot right now! Fashion has swung full circle to showcase bigger fames again.

So don’t be afraid to splash the cash on an investment purchase that will stand the test of time. You’ll be able to feel and see the quality, and be the envy of your friends! And if you still feel guilty remember that a Marc Jacobs spec frame is considerably less than a Marc Jacobs handbag – so really you’re saving money!!

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I’m 27 & Now I need Glasses !?

Monday, July 27th, 2009

I just got my first ever pair of glasses last week – it’s been an amazing experience that I want to share with you, as all my friends are bored with me going on about it!

At twenty seven I’m a late developer apparently, my husband is v excited about this as he’s hoping it’s not just about my eyes! Ha! Dream on. The Optician told me it’s unusual to be short sighted at my age with no previous prescription, but there you go, I’ve always liked to think I’m special! I’m -1.00 in my right eye, and -0.75 in the left. I need my glasses for TV, driving, and cinema etc.

I felt a bit disappointed about having them, but as I have a problem that can easily be sorted I’m telling myself to be brave. My husband always buys his specs with the online optician, so we browsed sites and made a short list. I tried his frames on to get an idea of size, and chose some Marc Jacobs – never turn down the chance to shop!!

The world is now a totally different place. There are bricks, leaves, and everything seems weirdly three dimensional. My rapidly developing crows feet have relaxed as I’m not squinting at road signs all the time. I’ve stopped wearing statement jewellery as I love having my specs do that for me. I feel more professional, better dressed, and
kind of grown up!

I wish I hadn’t put up with my short sightedness for so long, as I’m loving my glasses. The online optician is putting the corrective lenses in my Gucci sunnies too, which is cool as I love the frame. Must go now – need to re-watch all Brad Pitt DVDs now I can see him properly!!

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Back to The Future

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

Back in the good old days, when the NHS provided us with our eyewear, they had very specific ideas about styling the nation. In plastic frames, there was the ever trendy 524, the classic Dr Who shaped frame in black, blue, crystal, autumn leaf and pink. Even the toughest school bully could be reduced to tears at the threat of wearing them, and possibly the scariest adults too!

For the trendy hippies amongst you there was the classic John Lennon frame, a small metal with thin plastic rims that clipped in place. (Or not!) The joy of these was that the side arm attached to the front, so if you bashed them then the lens, the side, and the whole spec frame collapsed into a mangled pile of metal and glass.

The NHS stepped back from supplying our eye wear, and with the exception of Elvis Costello, The Proclaimers, and Harry Hill, we all moved on from our square plastic glasses. The eighties exploded in a riot of colour, huge shapes, and total lack of taste. (You only have the catch the opening credits of Ashes to Ashes to see what I mean) We also had a penchant for tints in lurid shades of pink and burgundy.

How times change – in 2009 the 524 is the epitome of geek chic – see Madonna, Lily Allen or Mark Ronson. The trend for colour is back, but this time in more subtle layers, patterns or laminates. We love detail, bling, and pattern – for boys and girls! Designer names are everywhere, and even Marc Jacobs and Paul Smith have taken some inspiration from those classic British NHS creations. Those were the good old days!

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Bully For You

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

We all have an image of a geeky, bullied child in our minds, the clever kid who wears specs and is the target for the playground tough nuts. We would hope that in these enlightened times wearing glasses does not make you the target that it once did. Specs are cool nowadays, they’re trendy, funky, desirable.

If you were bullied as a child then the scars run deep. Many adults are not keen to wear their specs because they remember how they felt as a child victim. Gok Wan has spoken about his experiences in childhood, and how bullying affects self-esteem. He now revels in being a spec wearer, and it’s an important part of his image.

Geek chic is such a hot look at present that you may even look back with fondness at your childhood specs and see how trendy they were. If it’s good enough for Dr Who then it’s good enough for you! If you’re still not sure about wearing your glasses, then think carefully when choosing your new frames. See them as an accessory, a fashion item, a treat like any other exciting purchase.

Go for thin lenses and an anti-reflection coating to make your specs look as good as possible, and to get rid of the dreaded bottle bottom look. Funky frames with detail are interesting and a good way to express your personality. For a fraction of the cost of a designer handbag you get a wearable piece of fashion that’s totally you. That Gucci, Marc Jacobs or Christian Dior can be yours – and it’s a necessity not a luxury!

A browse amongst online optician sites will let you look in the comfort of your own home, if you find visiting the opticians traumatic. Look at it this way – not everyone is lucky enough to need specs!

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Back To Black

Monday, April 20th, 2009

We all know that in recent fashion seasons everything has been the new black, from grey to yellow and back again. Has black become boring? Easy? A uniform for anyone who thinks they’re cool and stylish? Now that detail and embellishment has become so popular in eyeglasses, maybe it’s time to take another look at black…

Black is a classic colour that can be cool for career wear and elegant for evening. Girls can now take that eternally chic look and give it a noughties twist. You can go for frames with a hint of decoration in a tiny sprinkling of crystals, or full on with as much bling as you dare. This can brighten up that LBD or give some personality to a smart black work suit. Check out frames by Christian Dior or Marc Jacobs.

Men needn’t be left out – laminated, sandwiched plastics will give interest and cool techno detail to otherwise simple frames, and let your personality shine through. Or you can choose plain black rims with clear layers to make the look less heavy, or a frame lined with a flash of colour. Take a look at Gucci or Hugo Boss.

Black can be dramatic with all colouring, although autumn colour toned skins may be better with dark brown for a similar but more flattering effect. It will enhance dark hair and skin tones or stand out in chic style with fairer colouring. Just don’t dismiss black as boring – the time has come to go back to black…..

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Are high end designer glasses worth the cost?

Friday, March 13th, 2009

The fancy boutiques. The perfumed air and the gorgeous full color ads on the wall of with thin, large eyed waifs in incredibly tailored clothing and gorgeous scenery. What could be better than shopping the high end stores? Luxury and fantasy mix and sell you not just a pretty pair of eyeglasses or a functional handbag, but a little oomph in your wardrobe, a secret happiness, a little reflection of yourself!

When they are successful, Marc Jacobs, Christian Dior, Dolce and Gabbana and their cohorts are able to carry me away to a different place; a better, lovelier world. Now, this is not always the case with every designer and every collection. But once in awhile, you find that pair of glasses that you could not love more had you designed it in your dreams.

I have seen cute pairs of non-designer eyewear that I liked just fine and that I thought were cute. But there is that special something that designer eyewear can offer. Like when you find that pair that fits your face like a dream in gorgeous peaches and cream tones! And the couple pairs I own seem to last forever! That is why when I come across a designer pair I really love, I get it, or wait for it to go on sale on the internet to buy them. If they are just the right pair, they give me an extra sense of spunk, fun, and even confidence when I look in the mirror.

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Chic eyewear – why not?

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

When I was growing up, my mother always took me to good old Boots when I needed to get a new prescription and set of eyeglasses. And while the optometrist appointment itself was cheap at Boots, the glasses frames were always a hundred pounds still. And of course, every pair I got back in the nineties was incredibly geeky. I have grown up and stuck in the groove of what I am used to. I still go to Boots to get my glasses. They have gotten many more cute styles, but in my mind, glasses are still incredibly dorky, and so I avoid wearing them at all costs!

So when my friend came to work the other day with the most gorgeous pair of Chloe spectacles, it blew my mind! They were absolutely gorgeous in shades of plum and wine. They were modern and feminine and absolutely chic! I thought she must have paid way more than I would ever even consider paying, but then she told me there are countless online stores where you can get the frames for amazing prices.

So I looked online, and one site, theinternetglassescompany.co.uk had an amazing selection! Dior, Gucci and , Marc Jacobs. I did not know that Alexander McQueen was now designing eyeglasses, too! I have seen the promised land and I am not ever going back to Boots!

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