The fashion industry is one that constantly evolves and pushes different boundaries every day. On the personal level, the world of fashion is also open to interpretation, giving individuals a chance to reflect their personal style. Columnists Alexis Williams and Aubrey Yeo look at different topics in fashion and find out what keeps fashion moving forward at UCLA. This week, they will focus on the trendiness of eyewear.
Maybe it was six years ago, or maybe even eight. I can’t really remember how many years ago it happened, but I definitely remember the words my mother said.
As we sat at the optometrist’s, waiting for my sister to get a pair of prescription glasses, my mom motioned for me to come over and try on a pair of purple-framed glasses. I was confused. I didn’t need glasses back then, and I still don’t need them today.
“It’s for when you want to change looks,” my mom said.
I guess I was blind to the trend back then.
Fast forward to 2015, and it’s almost a given that eyewear takes on a secondary role as a fashion accessory – or in some cases, a primary one.
“It’s a huge trend right now,” said Sarah Weldy, a fourth-year theater student. “I think that’s irritating because I actually can’t see, and you wish you couldn’t see, and that makes me mad.”
Weldy’s take on the trend comes courtesy of a pair of prescription sunglasses from Tiffany & Co. And yes, that is the famous Tiffany blue on the side of the frame.
Eyewear used to be plain and straightforward with small lenses and a very utilitarian approach. There were solid black frames or metal ones – maybe solid brown too, for the adventuresome. Now, no one bats an eye at the different shapes, colors and designs that populate the eyewear scene. But what really signifies the evolution of eyewear as its own fashion accessory is how all fashion houses now seem to have their own eyewear division – all set with separate campaigns from their ready-to-wear items.
My choice label for sunglasses has to be Tom Ford for its ability to consistently produce sunglasses with sleek frames, creating a modern look. I own a pair of brown-and-gold sunglasses from the label that – in my opinion – feature a very different take on the classic aviators.
I wish I could maintain the same position across all forms of eyewear, but when it comes to glasses, I’m just a sucker for the ones that fit in with the geek chic movement. I think glasses, and how they used to be thought of as eyesores to only be used when necessary, automatically insert themselves into the reappropriation of old-school geek culture. Whenever I feel like complementing my outfit with a pair of fake glasses, nothing screams “old-school geek” like my pair of tortoiseshell frames.
I guess like most things in the fashion world, it depends on what frame of reference you look at it from.
– Aubrey Yeo
I consider myself an eyewear expert.
As a first-grader, my quest for the perfect glasses led me to an extremely narrow pair of fuchsia wire-rimmed frames. At the time, I wore a uniform to school every day and considered my glasses to be an outlet for my developing sense of personal style.
As I grew older, though, I recognized something didn’t look quite right about how the glasses clashed against my larger features. I rejoiced in eighth grade when I finally made the switch to contacts, and I haven’t looked back since.
That is, until college. Before leaving for school, I knew giving glasses another chance was the practical option, but the number of options for frames overwhelmed me. High-end fashion labels like Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Gucci each had their own line, and to my untrained eye, they all looked the same.
So, after months of reading trend reports and style guides, I compiled an all-inclusive eyewear guide. While it is by no means necessary to follow, by trying on frames that complement my face shape, it helped me learn to use glasses as a feature-enhancer, and not a feature-hider.
I have an almost perfectly round face. To balance this, I looked for glasses with more square sides or angular corners. Conversely, those with square or rectangular faces are advised to look for softer, more round frames to not compete with the natural angles of their faces.
Third-year anthropology student Rio James follows this rule both literally and in the abstract with her heart-shaped aviator sunglasses, the wide frames helping balance her face perfectly.
“I feel like I have a bit of a heart face shape, and usually I do more square glasses or really big circles that are kind of more squarish-looking,” James said.
In the end, I settled on large, rectangular tortoiseshell frames with a slightly thicker outer corner from Vogue Eyewear. The large lenses help open up my eye area, and the tortoiseshell isn’t too stark against my extremely pale skin.
For far too many years, I thought of my prescription glasses as a necessary evil, but after looking at them through a different lens, I’ve since realized that choosing the right frames can be just as essential as choosing the perfect handbag.
– Alexis Williams