Mad about Hue

 

Tons of colors for Summer

Now that the summer season is officially here, it’s time to think about your new summer look for the office, at play or when you’re trying to impress others at social gatherings.  There are 10 distinct trends and we offer a bit of advice on how to pair eyewear with your outfits for maximum impact.

1- Color inside the frame creates a subtle flash of hue when you tilt your head.

1- Pants suits:  Of course you want to look sophisticated when you wear a suit, but then you might find you can’t resist this summer’s offering of colorful stripes, solids and florals.  To project that executive aura, choose a classy tortoise frame that features speckles of a bright hue mixed in.  Or, if you want to show a little spunk, go for a frame that is a solid black or brown on the exterior, but with a splash of color on the inside of the frame that shows when you tilt your head.

2- This fluorescent pink frame will go with your crispy white shirt

2- Classic White:  What could be more quintessentially summer than white?  But let’s face it, white can be b-o-r-i-n-g all by itself.  Spice it up with frames in a fluorescent shade and you will turn heads wherever you go.

 

 

 

3- Double color front for Pastels

3- Pastels:  The essence of delicacy in the summer palette, pastels needs a little help to keep them from falling into the category of dull.  Opt for eyewear with double colors to balance the understated tone of a pastel outfit.

 

 

 

4- Clean and refined matte nylon frame for sport inspired trend.

4- Sport Motifs:  The fashion runways this year featured sports-inspired fare such as varsity jackets, tennis-inspired dresses, baseball caps and stripy trims reminiscent of jogging-wear.  Follow through on this theme with lightweight nylon frames in playful colors.

 

 

 

5- Solid bright color frame with distinct shape to balance a classy black and white outfit.

5- Black and White:  This summer classic projects a clean, crisp look, but it risks being a little too unimaginative.  Add contrast and an element of playful shock with brightly colored frames in an edgy shape.

 

 

 

6- Matte finish available in different frames materials will tone down iridescent hues of your outfit.

6- Iridescent:  We love shiny, sparkly stuff for the summer, but it can be a little “too too” if your accessories also are shiny.  Tone it down a little with matte eyewear that balances your look.

 

 

 

 

7- Eyewear with a single distinctive line to go with any mesh clothes

7- Mesh:  Trendy and cool for the summer, mesh has a complex array of overlapping strong lines.  To avoid creating competing drama – or the opposite extreme:  a whimpy counterpart – choose eyewear with a single distinctive line.

 

 

 

8- Wear skin tone pastels eyewear with bright graphic sweaters.

8- Luxe Sweatshirts/Sweaters:

Another great look for this summer is a sweater or sweat shirt with bright splashes of color.  Don’t set up a competition with equally bright frames.  Instead, opt for understated eyewear in skin tone or a pale pastel shade.

 

 

This deep blue makes a bold yet classy statement.

Blue for Guys:  Great news for guys who are tired of elegant and classy, but somewhat boring, black accessories:  Blue is the new black.  Go for a strong look with navy or dark blue, opt for a more playful, sporty look with bright blue, or put on a sophisticated air with a distinctive but understated gray-blue.

 

 

9- Wear skinny lines, thin glasses with a trend.

9- Bold Geometrics:  Nothing says “fun” like a summer ensemble with a color block pattern or strong geometric shape in bold colors.  To echo, but not outdo, the look with your eyewear, choose thin frames with a distinctive look, either in a complementary bold tone or in an understated neutral hue.

10- With his Google Glass, Google launched the trend of wearable technology.

10-Wearable Technology:

 Available in 5 colors, Google Glass will definitely suits with any outfits.  Your Glass will follow you anywhere and will made technology available any time. The eyewear by Google has already reached the upper echelons of influence. It was featured in Vogue Magazine and has accessorized coral and turquoise garments at the Diane Von Furstenberg Runway Show during New York’s Fashion Week for Spring 2013.

“Million Dollar Arm”: Two Thumbs up for the Eyewear

The Emerson is sophisticated, but that doesn’t mean expressionless!

Disney’s newest release, “Million Dollar Arm,” has just hit the big screen, grossing about $10.5 in its first weekend.  While the movie itself – a true life story about a down-on-his-luck sports agent  seeking new baseball pitching talent in India – gets mixed reviews, actor Aasif Mandvi, who plays the sports agent’s business partner, gets a big thumbs up for his eyewear.

What are those chic executive frames he’s wearing?  The classy “Emerson,” which is part of OGI’s Seraphin product line. Mandvi sports (pun intended) the tortoise shell color option, but this frame also comes in a sophisticated black, an elegant dark tortoise and an understated mottled gray.  “Emerson” is one of our most popular frames, which just goes to show that Providence citizens are fashion savvy.

The Emerson frame’s close cousin: OGI 7150

If you like the Emerson, but have a smaller face or want more color, consider OGI’s model 7150, which has a similar front and is available in conservative black, tortoise or mottled gray or in a beautiful upscale tortoise flecked with blue and paired with beautiful translucent blue temples.

“Niles” by OGI Seraphin is the antithesis of Emerson — for those who like curves and thin lines.

 

If you’re not a fan of the geek chic or executive look, OGI offers an amazing array of other shapes, including ovals, rectangles and cat eyes.  You can find both metal and plastic options and one of the industries rarest hybrids:  Plastic frames with nosepads.  OGI even makes parent-child pairs of eyewear so your little one can wear glasses just like yours.  Come explore with us!

Passion for Eyewear Fashion – Asian Style

DIOPS expo in Daegu, South Korea was colorful and just plain fun!

We’ve just returned from the annual Daegu International Optical Show (DIOPS 2014) in South Korea, to which we were invited as VIP participants.  It was obvious as we approached the expo site that this city is in love with eyewear.  Bus stops, buildings and even light poles are decorated with giant eyeglasses.  Maybe it’s because major eyewear factories are only 3 kilometers away from the expo site, but still, you don’t see that kind of excitement in other cities with nearby factories.

Even light poles in Daegu celebrate eyewear.

Eyewear bus stop in Daegu

And it’s not just this city.  Asia itself seems to be in love with eyewear.  Even people who don’t need glasses wear them.  Celebrities have led the trend for more than three years by wearing fashion frames with no lenses.  They have a particular passion for big, chunky frames that make a statement.

One of the challenges for Asians and ethnic Asians living in the West is that American and European eyewear manufacturers don’t take the Asian facial geometry into consideration when they design their frames.  That is, until now.  Because Asia is the fastest growing market for the eyewear industry, Western manufacturers have begun to redesign some of their most popular models to fit the Asian facial structure more comfortably, with different nosepads, front lines and tilt.  Oliver Peoples was a leader in this trend, and Ray Ban soon jumped on the band wagon in a big way – 44% of its export models offer a version specially altered for an Asian fit.

Thin, lightweight, translucent temples with Ultem symbols.

Most popular eyewear shape in Asia in ultra-thin Ultem.

Though we in America tend to think of the latest fashions as emanating from New York, Paris or Rome, in the eyewear industry, Asia plays a leading role.  South Korea, for example, which just happens to be the fourth strongest economy in the world, is the birthplace of Ultem – a super-flexible, lightweight, heat-resistant (think sunglasses sitting on the dashboard) material that has revolutionized eyeglass frames.  Because of its superior strength, manufactures can now create ultra-thin frames, which previously could only be achieved using metal. Ultem also offers an amazing array of color possibilities ranging from transparent to multicolored.  Best of all, it’s a relatively inexpensive material.  Frank Custom and DASA both produce frames made of Ultem, which you can see and try on here at Providence Optical.  We also have a great collection of exciting Paul Hueman (South Korean) acetate and metal frames in sleek, trendy styles, offered at amazingly low prices.