Eyeglass Styles

Eyeglasses can aid your vision and make a fashion statement.

Eyeglasses have been transformed from a thing of necessity into an accessory with a variety of styles, shapes, colors and materials to choose from. The eyewear industry does not consistently use specific terminology to represent eyeglass styles; however, popular types of frames, particularly trendy ones, have created names for themselves.

Contemporary

"Contemporary" is a very general term for frame styles that are either popular, trendy or relatively new to the market. Most contemporary frames are classified by their designers; contemporary eyeglass designers include Gucci, Prada, DKNY and Dolce & Gabbana. Some example of contemporary frames in 2010 are thin, rectangular frames; oversized butterfly frames and John-Lennon-style circular frames.

Vintage

Eyeglasses labeled as "vintage" include styles that were popular in the past. Many of these styles have become trendy and are re-created by modern manufacturers, but eyeglass wearers can also find actual vintage glasses made years ago. Some examples of popular vintage-style eyeglasses are horn-rimmed (dark, heavy frames originally made out of horn or tortoiseshell), cat-eye (in which the top outer corners of the frames form a dramatic point), art-deco (thickly framed lenses with strong lines and angles), browline (in which the top of the frames, which lie near the eyebrows, are thick and straight) and clubmaster (which are similar to browline glasses, except the frames follow the curve of the lens) .

Oversized

"Oversized" is a generic term for eyeglass styles in which the frames are large compared to the face of the person wearing the glasses. These glasses come in many different frame colors and lens shapes; however, a majority of them employ round frames and lenses.

Aviator

Also referred to as "military" glasses, the aviator is a classic eyeglass style commonly associated with pilots, hence the name. These frames, first developed by Ray-Ban, are a timeless style that has been popular since the 1960s. The easily identifiable oblique teardrop shape was first developed for sunglasses, but has since been used for everyday eyewear as well.

Shapes

Many eyeglass styles are simply classified by the shapes of their lenses, such as round, semi-round, oval, rectangular and square. Frames for such glasses come in a variety of materials, including plastic, stainless steel, aluminum and metals, such as titanium. Specific frame shapes flatter different face shapes.

Rimless

As the name suggests, "rimless" eyeglasses appear to have no structural support holding the lenses in place; the lenses attach directly to the bridge and the temples. Some rimless frames are completely without rims and some have very thin rims that appear invisible.

Bendable

Bendable eyeglasses, as the name suggests, are made of a flexible material that allows the rims to bend. This is a popular style for children's eyewear due to the glasses' durability and ability to withstand wear and tear.

References

• Eye Doctor Guide: Eye Glasses Frames