KIDZ

When we enter adulthood often times we look back and long for the simpler time of our childhood.  I have done this many times myself.  However, I don't look back fondly on the glasses I HAD to wear!  first there was a huge stigma attached to wearing glasses and second there were so few choices.  That has all changed!  Many eyewear designers are focusing more and more on little ones and now glasses are COOL!  I'm JEALOUS!!!

Original Penguin has done a really unique thing for their first children's line which launched this year. They took their most popular adult styles and minimized them. They call the line simply Penguin Jr.

My favorite girl's line in Juicy Couture. Always fun and full of color!

I'm very excited to be attending Vision Expo West in Las Vegas next week. I can't wait to share all the new eyewear trends and knowledge I pick up with you in future posts!

WHAT'S NEW IN WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY

Diane von Furstenberg and Google announced their official partnership on Monday June 2.  The result DVF Made for Glass.

A limited edition series of optical frames and shades that will be available online only starting June 23.  With this release it will make von Furstenberg the first designer to the market with the Glass technology.  DVF herself will select a hand picked combination of frames and Glass that will sell as a package for $1700.  The frames and Glass will also be sold separately at a cost of $1500 for Glass, $120 for the DVF shades, and $225 for the clear frames.

Another new release in the wearable technology field is Glasses TrackR.  This "GPS" system is meant to help you keep track of your expensive glasses.  The Glasses TrackR device attaches to one temple and looks a little like the computer of Google Glass.  You download the TrackR app to your phone or tablet and if you "lose" your glasses you can go on the app and it will tell you where you left them.  The company is currently taking pre orders with no official release date yet.  The cost is $29.95 and they give various discounts if you order multiple devices.

THE DEATH OF FAUX EYE WEAR

According to the Vanity Fair/60 Minutes survey Americans want to see fake glasses go away. It came in second only to low rise jeans.  I was always curious about this trend.  I come from an era when you were told you HAD to wear glasses you didn't consider that good news.  I started wearing glasses at the age of 10.  I remember only taking them out and wearing them just long enough to see the chalkboard.  I also didn't have all the designer choices that there are today.  In other words they were purely functional and not a fashion accessory.  Designers didn't get involved in eye wear until I was in high school.  I remember being so excited to get my first pair of Calvin Klein glasses!  I also had a pair of Armani frames during that time.  I wore my glasses all the time at this point because I was driving but they still weren't considered "cool".  So coming from that background I can't believe that it has come completely full circle and people WANT to wear glasses even if they don't "need" them.  Oliver Peoples even has a line in Nieman Marcus called fashion glasses.  A series of clear frames marketed purely as an accessory.  Yes this is great for my industry but the 10 year old in me is still a little bitter.  I feel that I went through all the years of pain and suffering before glasses were a fashion accessory, I (and my fellow 4 eyed friends) should reap the benefits now that they are cool!  So if you don't need glasses there are plenty of hot sunglasses to wear.  Leave the clear for those who have to wear them! Thank you. 

CAMOUFLAGE

This military staple has been an urban crossover success for many years.  However lately we have seen big fashion houses like Valentino, Michael Kors, and DKNY parade this print down the runway.  They have taken some artistic liberties with this well known print and changed the scale and the color.  This helps make it fresh and current.  It also helps it look more high fashion and less Duck Dynasty!

Michael Kors 

DKNY

Valentino

This trend is also trickling down to eye wear as well. Here a couple of my personal picks.

Valentino

Valentino

Cazal

GOOGLE GLASS

Google Glass was finally available to the general public.  For one day only, this past April 15, if you were willing to cough up the $1500 you could be the first on your block with this new wearable technology.  Prior to this they were only available to a select few in Google's Explorer program.  These people were hand selected by Google to test drive Glass and give them feedback.  Google is expected to officially launch Glass later this year.  I'm sure in time for Christmas shopping!

OK now to the important stuff, how does it look!  I have to say the first roll out looks pretty good.  Glass itself comes in 5 colors. 

They have 4 prescription frame options.

The frames are hand made in Japan and are all titanium.  The frames come stock with high quality antireflective coating on the nonprescription demo lenses.  They are not recommended for minors.  Google also doesn't recommend polarized lenses.  The current prescription range is +2.00 to -4.00.  That range is expected to expand as they release new styles.  Google is currently in talks with Ray Ban, Oakley and DVF to release their own version of Glass.  Last year DVF even used Glass to show us a special perspective of her spring show for fashion week.  She even had the models where Glass on the runway.

GREEN GLASSES

No not green colored glasses, although very cute, but green as in environmentally friendly!  We are all trying to do our part to be kinder to Mother Earth and the optometric community is no different.  We see it at every level.  From cleaner lab manufacturing habits to biodegradable frames!  I'm, of course, going to focus on the fashion aspect.  There are two incredible companies that I work with in my office that are leaders in this field.

The first is ICU.  You may know them as the vibrantly colored, over the counter, readers that are one of  Oprah's favorite things.  What you may not know is that they are a very environmentally conscious company.  All styles use frame and lens material that is fully recyclable.  Some frames are made with sustainable bamboo temples or bio based plastic.  Many frames is this line are made from excess material from the manufacturing process that would typically go in the landfill. These frames are marked with this special tag.

Here are two of my favorite styles.

The second company I want to tell you about is Prodesign.  They have an eco-friendly capsule collection that is everything!  All styles are made from biodegradable acetate material which contains cotton! Yes cotton! So not only is it environmentally gentle and sustainable, it is super light weight! This was genius of them! What I love about them the most is they are high fashion and stylish as well as environmentally conscious! Here are some of the styles so you can judge for yourself.  

Another way that we can be good to environment is buy or use vintage frames.  It's fun to go through our collection and pull out one of our beloved frames from the past and revisit that moment.  This works great as your second pair.  Your main pair can be something new and modern, while your second pair can be fun and retro!  There are also a lot of great vintage stores that have great frames for sale. 

One last way that we can be kind to the environment when it comes to eyewear is donate.  We accept donations at my office and many other offices do as well.  This is a great way to keep a frame out of the landfill AND you are providing sight to someone who otherwise would have nothing. A win/win in my book. 

INTO IT AND OVER IT THE SUNGLASS EDITION

Well spring is upon us again.  The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and we are starting to make plans for our summer vacation.  This all usually means we start thinking about new sunglasses.  Even though we should be thinking about sunglasses year round because even on over cast, cloudy winter days we are still exposed to damaging UV rays.  OK so that was my little side bar PSA.  Now to the fun stuff...FASHION!  My two top passions in life are fashion and food.  I'm totally obsessed with this new show on Food Network called the kitchen.  They do this segment at the end called Into It and Over It.  So I'm going to "borrow" the idea for this week's blog post.  By the way Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, one of the show's co-hosts, has more Tom Ford frames then I have in my office!

SPORTS SUNWEAR

I am totally over Oakley!  They have completely saturated the market and I think people are just buying them because they don't know any better.   That is about to change.  There are so many other cooler looking, better performing lines out there.  Also why would you want to look like everybody else walking down the street?  Let's have some originality people!  That leads me to what I'm into.  DRAGON!  This line was just released under parent company Marchon NYC on a larger scale but has been around for several years.  They have an action sport foundation and a hip, fresh look. They even have frames that floats!  Here are some of my favorites.

Another company that I'm into is Kaenon.  This 100% polarized line is not only the number one optical lens on the market but all of their frames come in unique fun colors.  The shapes are very fashionable too!

Danica Patrick in Kaenon 

The last sports related line I'm into is Rudy Project.  They have a definite sports look but the coolest thing about them is they offer a wide variety of custom tints.  Every rider on the Tour de France wears these.

LUXURY SUNWEAR

I am 110% over the Prada Baroque!  I loved them when they first came out but everyone and their mother seems to be wearing them.  

Prada Baroque

On the other hand I am 110% into the Jimmy Choo Flash.  Also Jimmy Choo's parent company, Safilo, who also manufactures Carrera, has melded the two together in one amazing mash-up! 

Nicole Kidman is the face for Jimmy Choo eyewear!

In addition I'm in love with the Diesel 0071.  Which your's truly is wearing in my profile picture clear.  The frame has actual Diesel denim in it!  

Kudos also goes to Valentino who's Rock Stud and camo offerings are a breathe of fresh air from this legendary fashion house.

So remember sunglasses, unlike white,  you can wear before Easter and after Labor Day!

ICONS OF EYEWEAR

No matter what era comes to mind, you can think of some one who's eyewear defines them and the time.  People like Benjamin Franklin, who is credited for inventing bifocals.  Funny man Groucho Marx and Albert Einstein both had signature eyewear looks. Would we have thought of them the same without their glasses?  Who knows?

Then you have the trendsetters.  In that category there is nobody bigger then the legendary Jackie O!  50 years after she left the White House she is still influencing modern day designers.  Every time I put a large, plastic, rounded sunglass on a women she looks in the mirror and says "very Jackie O!"  Mrs. Kennedy's eyewear designers of choice were Nina Ricci, Francois Pinton, and Traction.  Interestingly enough all French designers.  This fact would stir quite a controversy today if our current first lady would choose to wear a non American designer.  Another rather mind blowing fact about how Jackie O put her permanent stamp on the eyewear world is that Nina Ricci still produces the 3203 that Mrs. Kennedy wore in the 60s.  Also Francois Pinton has a frame in his current collection named Jackie 1 after the original that we all fell in love with.

The Nina Ricci 3203 then and now

Jackie O in Francois Pinton (PS I would kill for that YSL coat!)

Francois Pinton Jackie 1 available today

Other notable icons include John Lennon, Buddy Holly, Sally Jesse Rafael, and Sarah Palin.  All of which still influence frame styles.  You can't put a round metal frame on any man without him referencing John Lennon.  If Buddy Holly were around today he could be a Tom Ford model!  Sarah Palin started our obsession with drill mounts (frameless).  Although her's were magic and allowed her to see Russia from her home in Alaska! Even the Tura 311 worn by Sally Jesse Rafael is still available in about 15 colors including red! Although even she has moved on to other styles.  She does however continue to wear her signature red color.

Sally Jesse Rafael then and now

My picks for modern day eyewear icons are Chef Carla Hall from the Chew, Project Runway's Mondo Guerra, and always and forever the king of all eyewear Sir Elton John.  These three inspire me because they don't really have a signature look.  They make bold, fearless choices and ROCK them!!! Just like me!