Designer Eyewear for Women

It may be difficult to tell designer glasses from regular eyeglasses.

Designer eyewear has firmly found its place in the consumer world, with some pairs of glasses retailing for more than $300. You can walk into almost any store that sells glasses and see designer frames sitting amongst budget-friendly pairs. For some women, designer eyewear is an opportunity to own a designer item at a more reasonable cost than a designer bag, apparel, jewelry or shoes.

History

In 1969, luxury designer Christian Dior introduced a pair of $45 eyeglasses---a significant markup for the time. What made this pair different from others on the market was that Christian Dior added his logo to these glasses. Since the mid-1980s, designer eyewear has grown from 5 percent of the market to more than 40 percent in the 1990s.

Celebrities

Buddy Holly and Malcolm X made wearing glasses a style rather than just a necessity. Women celebrities have been slower to catch on to the trend, but more are ditching contact lenses in favor of glasses, or even wearing frames with non-prescriptive lenses just to make a fashion statement. Singer Lisa Loeb and writer/actress Tina Fey have both taken on the chic librarian-type glasses, while actress Chloe Sevigny goes for geek-chic Wayfarers. Politician Sarah Palin wears rimless square frames from designer Kazuo Kawasaki.

Styles

Designer frames tend to set the trend for eyewear that lesser-priced frame manufacturers soon follow. Eyeglass trends that have become popular in recent years are retro styles like horn rims and cat eyes, bright frames, semi-rimless and a combination of metal and plastic.

The Difference

There aren't many distinctions between designer and non-designer eyewear; the manufacturing is almost always the same. While designer eyewear may set style trends, such as the return of the Wayfarer or ultra-bright frames, other eyewear brands often follow suit the following season. Consumers pay higher prices, for the most part, for the designer logo. That said, minor differences can be a factor, besides being more on trend. Designer frames often have more embellishments such as crystals or rhinestones, or more detailed craftsmanship such latticework, which are delicate cutouts on wire frames. These embellishments can also add to the price of eyeglasses.

Designer Colors

Stylists who dress celebrities with designer eyeglasses disagree on whether to select frames based on what works with a wardrobe or natural coloring. Those who wear mostly black clothing may want to choose a bright-colored glasses as a contrast. Those with colorful wardrobes may want something more neutral, such as silver, gold or tortoiseshell. Eyeglass frames based on eye color should either intensify eye color or help eyes stand out. For example, people with blue eyes should choose either cobalt or chocolate-colored frames. Green-eyed people should choose emerald or plum frames, while brown eyes look best in either tortoise or lavender frames. Black seems like a neutral color but can actually look quite harsh, especially on people with light coloring.

References

• CNN Money: And Wise Up to the Cost of Designer Eyewear Wise Up Designer Frames

Resources

• Lens Crafters: What's Your Face Shape?
• Lens Crafters: Women's Frames