No longer just for better vision

No longer just for better vision

By Chris Tumelap

JAKARTA (JP): How many pair of spectacles do you have? That's
probably the kind of question you would ask a person who wears
glasses nowadays. Not "how long have you worn spectacles or how
bad is your eyesight?"

The main reason for wearing eyeglasses is no longer about
better vision. It's now more about standing out in a crowd. "Hey,
they're cool glasses, they must be Loewe, or are they Prada?'
Yeah, that's more like it.

Regular prescription eyewear, just like their cousin, the
sunglasses, is enjoying better status in many people's lives,
shifting from merely a vision enhancer to a vital lifestyle
instrument, a statement.

"People are now more daring in expressing themselves, what
they like, their style, what they want to look like. Many of
those who wear trendy, colorful glasses today are not celebrities
or fashion enthusiasts, they're just ordinary people who want to
try something new and look good," noted designer and entertainer
Robby Tumewu told The Jakarta Post.

A self-claimed eyeglass aficionado, Robby has a collection of
about 15 pairs, all prescription, with many custom made or
modified from frames made by various world-class designers like
Alain Mikli.

The new status of eyeglasses as a lifestyle statement has
motivated many clothing designers and fashion design houses, from
Donna Karan New York to Miuccia Prada and Loewe, to add eyewear
items to their existing clothing, accessory, bag and shoe lines.

Their new eyewear collections are usually found in the local
market two or three months after their initial launching in
Europe or America. A particular style of frame which gets the
warmest welcome from local customers usually remains the trend
setter for one or two years before another new, more appealing
style comes in.

Fun and function

Thanks to rapid development in optical technology and the
never-ending creativity of fashion designers, people can now wear
prescription glasses that perfectly offer both the practical
function of vision enhancer and the appealing aspect of over-all
look optimizer.

Frame choices are abundant, such as the John Lennon circle
look, the typical pilot frame and the great grandparent, serious
look.

The choice of lenses also varies from the regular clear-no-
frills to rainbow, gradient colors, silver, gold and copper
metallic mirror coating. Mirror coating is purely cosmetic. The
wearer perceives no difference in vision regardless of what color
the coating is.

Not to mention the material of the lenses and the various
method of lens coatings. Lenses are generally made of either
glass, which is the most scratch resistant; polycarbonate, which
is a durable, virtually unbreakable material and offers greater
impact resistance than glass; or plastic, which is lighter than
glass, has better optical quality than polycarbonate but is far
behind glass lenses in the sharpness of visual perception.

Lens coatings enhance the performance and appearance of
lenses. You should get lenses with a scratch-resistance coating
to protect the surface and thus make the lenses last longer. It
is best to get an ultraviolet treatment and antireflective
coating as well.

Many people, especially people who do a variety of activities,
can benefit from more than one pair of eyeglasses.

Robby says sometimes he takes five pairs of glasses with him
when traveling. "I need one pair to go to the beach, one for a
business meeting with clients and another for evening functions,"
he says.

Wolter Dajono, a father of two and grandfather in waiting, has
five pairs of prescription glasses and one pair of sunglasses. He
says he needs one pair at home and another pair at his office.

He denies being a fashion enthusiast. "I bought the other
pairs simply because they looked good, were branded, expensive
and because many of my business colleagues, including my boss,
wear them," he said.

What's hot

Light, sleek and rimless eyeglasses with lightly tinted lenses
are now in for prescription glasses. Lenses are still narrow,
although many still look for the more serious and classic-look
plastic frames in black, brown or tortoiseshell, which dominated
the local optic market sales throughout last year.

Most people now go for lighter frames. Shop assistants at
several optic stores in Senayan Plaza and Plaza Indonesia say
that many of their customers prefer to buy frames made from
titanium for their prescription glasses.

But the main attraction are sunglasses, says Ina Rizqie
Amalia, store manager for the upmarket Loewe and Celine boutiques
at Plaza Senayan.

"Frames for today's sunglasses come in various shapes, plus
sunglasses lenses come in a wide range of colors too. There is
more to choose from in the market, especially after fashion
designers decided to add eyewear to their clothing lines," Ina
said .

French fashion house Celine introduced its eyewear line this
year.

For women's sunglasses, the modified cat-eyes shaped, rather
thick plastic frame as well as the feminine look inspired by the
1960-1970s Sophia Loren style in glamorous larger sizes with
pastel and earth-toned lenses are hot items today.

Men are wearing glasses fashioned after those worn by fabled
aviators. They are large and, most importantly, have colored or
polarized lenses. Alternatively, they wear super funky, super
large industrial goggle-like glasses, the lenses of which also,
of course, come in various shades of colors.

Robby says the generous sized aviator frame with colorful
lenses will continue to dominate the market next season. "Wide,
square frames with colored lenses, such as industrial goggle-type
frames will probably become the hottest item in the sunglasses
line," he added.

Fitting frames

The first and most important thing is to find sunglasses
shapes that perfectly complement your face shape and match your
personal style.

People with a round face may be better off trying rectangular
frames to lengthen their face. A square face with a strong
jawline and a broad forehead may benefit from narrow frames to
help soften the angles.

A triangular face with narrow forehead and wide cheeks and
chin are best advised to wear bold colored frames that have more
detail on the top half, or cat-eye frames.

Those with oval faces can smile wider because, with their
faces already in balanced proportion, they can look good in
almost any style of frame.

You should also consider the type of activities you are
involved in and your personal character. Many creative people,
for example, go for more modern shapes like geometric lenses in
colorful, thick plastic frames, while conservative businesspeople
opt for a more simple style with a sleek frame made of light
metal or plastic.

If you prefer to own only one pair of glasses, avoid trendy
frames and pick a classic style instead so that you will look
forever chic.

Robby encourages people to try frames that suit their likes.
"Go for it. No one should be labeled a fashion victim just
because he or she wears unique, gigantic, colorful eyeglasses. I
personally don't care about what people say about my glasses."