Eyewear trend: Funky and elegant
Eyewear trend: Funky and elegant
A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In the past, many people have held to the opinion that
eyeglasses make someone look serious, older, and altogether
unfashionable -- like a bookworm. That is why many choose contact
lenses rather than glasses to rectify poor vision.
Actually, many people now wear eyeglasses in order to improve
their physical performance and boost self-confidence rather than
just to improve their vision.
Andre, an 26-year-old employee of a multinational company, is
among those who wear glasses as part of his lifestyle. He indeed
has poor eyesight.
Andre says he has a number of pairs of glasses, which he wears
on different occasions. At the office, he wears small black-
framed glasses. When out and about or on holiday, he uses
different glasses, replacing his conservative "office" glasses
with more colorful styles.
"Now, eyewear is trending towards the funky and elegant, with
various shapes and colors," LookZ's marketing manager Rika
Melianti told The Jakarta Post recently.
Rika said LookZ, which was established just last year and has
an outlet in Plaza Indonesia, Central Jakarta, provides trendy
world designer glasses.
In terms of shape, eyeglasses are no longer just big circle or
square frames. Curved bars and flat fronts are among the many
innovative shapes now found in eyeglasses.
While frames of glasses are traditionally colored black,
silver and gold, now people who care about their looks have many
colors to choose from, including blues, pinks, yellows, browns
and even mixed colors.
The various colors and shapes reflect the different concepts
and messages that their designers wish to express.
Multiculturalism, the importance of technology and even safe sex,
are among the concepts used in new eyewear designs.
Currently popular designs such as Japonism --inspired by
Japanese tradition -- and condom-shape temples, reflect messages
of multiculturalism and HIV/AIDS prevention.
The designs also create an impression that the wearers, either
men or women, are bold, beautiful, young, simple, modern, smart
and so on.
Another interesting trend is that eyeglasses are now becoming
like cellular phones. You can change the front rims or temples of
the glasses with those of different colors.
People will not quickly get bored with their glasses as they
will feel they are wearing "new glasses" every time they change
the frames.
"Instead of just making vision better, more and more people
wear eyeglasses to look trendy," Hermawan Kasoem, the general
manager of the Lily Kasoem Optical, one of the country's largest
optical chain, said recently.