By Sarah McGoldrick
It’s not always easy to follow trends. This is particularly true in eyewear when the hottest look is constantly changing.
This year designers have taken their inspiration from across the globe and incorporated countless of beautiful design accents and colours to attract eyewear buyers.
No matter what a client is seeking this year when it comes to style, it will be easy for eyecare providers (ECPs) to find the right look.
The cat eye continues to be a favourite with clients and ECPs alike. Perfect to frame any face and offering a fun flirty way to capture the past, cat eyes are the go-to piece for eyewear fashionistas
“Thinner metal and acetate styles, more sleek and refined, with cat eye shapes staying present,” said Paul Storace, President vibrant and multi-colour looks playing of Alternative Eyewear, as he looks ahead to 2014. “Materials such as acetate, wood and high quality metals with interesting statement items added to them such as patterns, metalwork, temple details are also very popular.”
Storace said Alternative Eyewear has been carefully designing new looks that offer more than just a simple pair of frames, but a reflection of the wearer and their personality.
Colour remains an important aspect of defining a person’s style with vibrant and multi-colour looks playing a major role for many designers.
“Colour is going to continue to reign supreme in 2014 with a focus on blue, orange and red/pink,” he said. “Strong colour marbling and colour blocking will continue to be present but we will see sleeker metal frames featuring these bold designs alongside acetate. Retro shapes and details for sunglasses will be key.”
He added Alternative Eyewear continues to lead the way in colour application and techniques. Beautiful patterns, details and demi-colouring are being featured throughout their lines from ClipTech to Glacée.
“You will start to see more colour and texture in our Headlines collection as well, allowing men to get in on the trends as well,” Storace said.
Oooh La La
A French influence can be found in some styles for January 2014.
With a mix of sleek metal frames and rich colour acetates, the team at Optika Eyewear found that the French really do have a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ when it comes to eyewear.
“Clients are looking for new and exciting acetates and the Nat and Coco Eyewear collection features colour
such as Swirl Reds, (model NC2709 Cerise) which make a strong impact,” says Richard Allan, Optika Eyewear’s VP of Sales. “We have an excellent mix of acetate fronts with stainless steel temples with multicolour Emerald Green Acetate (NC2710 Emerald) front.
Styles for men are also playing a greater role in 2014 with companies finding new ways to appeal to both the style-savvy man and the man looking for form and function.
“Nat and Coco has expanded its collection to include frames for men,” said Allan noting masculine materials and colours are the focus. “All our men’s [frame] models are super light weight, since they are all made of stainless steel.”
Men will enjoy the bold dark navy, the sophisticated brush silver and the sleek dark guns.
The play of colour on colour and mixing mediums has found its way from the runway to the ECP office.
Clients no longer want flashy logos or obsessive branding. Subtly and chicness reign supreme this season.
“Matte, frosted, transparent, coloured tortoise shell colouration are very popular this year,” said Kristina Simeone, Marketing Coordinator for Marchon Canada, adding industrial details and flat lenses are also very popular with clients.
Though clients may not be seeking obvious brand placement, they are still craving styles from their favourite designers.
This year the Karl Lagerfeld Italian Independent Capsule Collection featuring velvet optical and sunglasses is among the more sought after pieces. So too are sunglasses by Chloe featuring micro-studding.
Simeone says there is a move towards round shapes and colour blocking which creates a more versatile fashion accessory for wearers. She adds Marchon is working to blend style and technology in several new collections slated for later in 2014.
“Marchon is always at the forefront of design and is submersing a greater amount of technology into product,” she said. •