How to Style Eyeglasses and Build an Eyewear Wardrobe
May. 26, 2017 | By Perry Brill | In: Eyewear
Why do you need an eyewear wardrobe? You wouldn’t wear tennis shoes to a dress-up event. Take the same care with selecting your glasses. You wouldn’t wear sporty glasses to an elegant evening on the town. Before people even notice your apparel, they see your face and the glasses that are prominently situated there. Instead of purchasing the first pair you try, consider the most popular following social situations:
Dressy Frames
The dressy look will convey confidence and authority like wearing your best business suit. An elegant appearance is generally understated with classic clean lines and simplicity. Think of a Mercedes Benz, timeless and sleek. Popular materials for dressy frames are gold, silver, platinum, polished wood, Italian acetate, or buffalo horn. Examples of brands include Cartier, Lindberg, Von Arkel, Bon Vivant, and Courrèges.
Casual Frames
This will be your go-to style for lunch with a friend, shopping, casual dinners, and hanging out while wearing your skinny jeans and open-collared top. Look for styles that are lightweight, flexible, comfortable, and have interesting color combinations like the popular orange and gray. Think of a Mini Cooper or your favorite minivan to take the kids to their soccer game. Translucent colored frames, that can take a little bit of knocking around while playing with the kids, would make a great choice. Brands of casual frames include NW77th, Cody Air, mó, Ray-Ban and ProDesign.
“Notice Me” Frames
This funky fresh look will demonstrate your unique sense of style and playful nature. When you walk in the room, people will say “I love your frames, where did you get them?” The frames don’t have to have wings on them, but they will make you soar above the crowd to get attention. Heads will turn when you wear this style, much as they do when a red Corvette convertible zooms by. These funky frames will combine asymmetric and pointy shapes, unique textures, and mixed materials like leather, stone, and bright finishes to say, “Here I am!”. Brands include Dutz, Lucas de Staël, FHONE, La Matta, Vinyl Factory and Monoqool.
Sunglasses
Here comes the sun… so you gotta be prepared. You may have bought a pair at the pharmacy check out stand but later realized they didn’t fit your face and they weren’t clear. We’ve all done that at one time, so don’t feel bad. Here are three important factors that you really need to know about buying sunglasses!
- Are the lenses polarized?
- Are the lenses shatter resistant?
- Are the lenses dark enough, or too dark, for your intended use?
The best sunglasses combine proper styling with proper protection from the sun’s ultraviolet light. Whether you’re lounging at the pool or at the Royals game, you will want sunglasses that enhance the experience. Superior quality sunglass lenses will have high-definition optics. That means the lenses are designed for you to see clearly, protect you from the harmful rays of the sun, and from glare. The difference between these and department store, drug store, or convenience store glasses is as drastic as the difference between your grandmas black and white TV and the new 4K high-definition monitors.
Some popular sports brands include Oakley, Costa Del Mar, Bollé, Serengeti, Maui Jim, and Smith Optics. Some popular fashion brands include Ray-Ban, Cartier, Vinyl Factory, and Jaguar.
The Eyes Have It!
Like building your clothing wardrobe, building your eyewear wardrobe will take some time and professional expertise to get it right. This is not a DIY project. Deciding which pair of glasses to start with will depend on your lifestyle. Do you dress up more or are you more casual? Whether you start with dressy, casual, or “notice me” frames, you will absolutely need sunglasses to accompany your clear pair.