Mirrored and coloured lenses options

By David Goldberg

 

They can turn any ordinary pair of sunglasses into something extraordinary.

Mirrored and coloured lenses project the essence of the wearer’s personality and fashion sense.

“Mirrored lenses are playful, yet make a distinct style statement depending on what they’re worn with and can be easily incorporated into many looks in one’s wardrobe,” says Robin Brush, training and education manager at Safilo USA.

For men, Safilo’s fall lineup includes the rag & bone RNB 5040/S. These lightweight titanium aviator sunglasses are elevated by distinctive spoilers and a signature etched design on the frame’s front and temple tips. Available now in red gold with brown shaded lenses, gold with green shaded lenses, matte grey with grey lenses or grey with brown mirror shade lenses.

And for the ladies, there’s the Jimmy Choo Val/S. This angular cat-eye comes in black, Havana or nude with various accents as well as grey, brown or silver mirrored lenses.

From Instagram-worthy sunnies to an athlete’s best friend, it’s time to look at some sports frames to help you rule the pitch or court. 

“Nowadays, consumers want a trendy, sporty look but not necessarily a performance sunglass with technical features,” explains René Gerber, senior marketing manager – North America, for Bollé Brands.

“They want something that’s fashionable, but also versatile enough to wear casual or for sport. Bollé does a great job with the Sport Lifestyle line, which is super trendy, but also has a sporty look and features that work for the active individuals.”

Also armed with 100 per cent UV protection, this line includes PRIME, available now in black shiny, frost green crystal, black crystal, dark tortoise, navy crystal shiny and, of course, classic black.

For a little more flair, try GLORY in a wide range of colour offerings, including black, mocha, caramel tortoise, azure and teal.

Bollé’s new Volt+ high-contrast lens is also trending right now. The lenses come in three colours: gun, ultraviolet and offshore and can be found throughout Bollé’s Performance and Sport Lifestyle collections.

One of the most alluring traits of mirrored or coloured lenses is simply their versatility. It’s all about the ability to work your sunnies into both active apparel or casual attire. 

At Zeal Optics, the bestselling lens right now is the Ellume Polarized Horizon Blue, according to director of marketing Mike Lewis.

“This polarized lens features a blue mirror on a copper base. This makes it an incredibly versatile lens that works well for nearly every activity and especially for water sports and golf.” 

“The blue mirror adds a bright pop of colour while helping obscure the wearer’s eyes from other people. When paired with a poppy frame colour, the Horizon Blue lens also makes a statement with a multitude of other colours in any look.”

 

 

HUES YOU CAN USE

 

The first colour and mirrored lenses were only available in grey and brown, however, today’s palette has exploded with a dozen colour options. 

Peoples’ desire for fun hues inspired companies such as Maui Jim to introduce Maui Green a few years ago. According to the managing director of Maui Jim in Canada, Jeff Speiran, it was an immediate hit across a broad demographic range.

“We partnered with English Premier Football Club, Manchester United and created an exclusive collection for them that introduced the Hawaii Lava lens to reflect their team colours.”

Speiran says this mirror was an instant hit, quickly becoming a top-seller. 

Transitions has upped its colour game too. 

“Fall is a great time to accentuate your wardrobe with fashionable lenses. We’re seeing a focus on our lenses that pull cues from nature and especially pair well with fall colour palettes,” says Arnaud Rajchenbach, marketing manager at Transitions. 

Try Transitions Signature GEN 8 style colours in Amber and Emerald, and Transitions XTRActive style mirrors in Flash Gold or Copper. 

Rajchenbach reveals the best way to incorporate these lenses into the wardrobe and that’s to create harmony between frame and lenses for a classic look that will stand the test of time. 

“Emerald Transitions Signature GEN 8 style colour lenses pair well with frames featuring earthy tones. Amber lenses convey fashion with a vintage twist and are great in a lot of colour combinations – like light tortoiseshell or honey. Gold or Copper style mirrors are smooth and warm shades that complement all skin tones and pair well with metallic frames.”

With 12 colours to choose from, there’s no shortage of pairing options with any wardrobe.