Eyewear Trends

Designer eyewear is pricey. Though a pair of nice frames with lenses can cost well under $60 on sites like EyeBuyDirect.com or Goggles4u Eyeglasses, a pair of designer frames with lenses bought online will cost you three or four times this. In stores, designer frames with lenses tend to cost about twice what they cost online. Generally, someone shopping for designer frames isn't what might be called a bargain shopper. Despite this, why pay double for literally the exact same pair of glasses?

Choosing designer over regular eyewear gives you cutting-edge eyewear fashion. Or, if you bought designer frames in the past, you can probably find the exact same frame online for a portion of what you paid for the glasses you are wearing now. This is a good opportunity if your glasses have broken and you are looking for an identical replacement.

Here we have the Ray-Ban RX 5095 at BestBuyEyeglasses.com. An undeniably slick frame, this will cost $131 with basic lenses or $198 with polycarbonate lenses. $200 seems a lot for a pair of glasses, but this same frame runs well over $400 at any retail optometrist. It is available in three colors and in two frame sizes. The frame sizes are almost identical, though it can be configured with an extra two millimeters of width per lens. If you're confused about sizing your frame, check out this link.

Next up is a woman's frame, the Burberry BE 2001. A perfectly fashionable and lovely frame, fully configured it costs $174 with basic lenses or $242 with premium polycarbonate lenses. You can find it in two colors and two frame sizes. If you have a smaller face, go with the 52 - 17 - 31 - 135 sized frame, if you have a slightly larger face, go with the other. This frame is designed to have a large field of vision and is fairly large.

Happy surfing! If you find designer eyewear just isn't for you, or if you just can't afford it right now, check out EyeBuyDirect.com or Goggles4u to find great frames including lenses for well under $60, often for less than $30!

The Greenville News put together a nice little piece about some of the happenings in eyewear. When you're shopping for 2008 eyewear, be sure to check out the retailers on the right of this page. I think you'll find just what you need at a price far less than "$79 to $200 and up," which is the price charged by the eyewear store manager being interviewed in the article below.

Frame designs are stylish, colorful and bold.

In the past, people looked at eyewear as more of a medical necessity, but now it's touted as a fashion accessory, says Craig Hall, optician and store manager for Visionworks in Greenville, S.C.

Eyewear choices are more diverse than ever. Some customers have three or more pairs simply to coordinate with outfits, Hall says.

Eyewear is not only more fashionable but more affordable, with prices ranging from $79 to $200 and up. Hall says many designers also make generic brands so consumers can get stylish looks for less.

Trends differ when it comes to men's and women's styles, says Lisa Gear, director for product management for LensCrafters, the national eyeglass chain. "Overall, what's really hot right now is color," she says.

Multicolored frames are trendy. Popular hues include blues, greens, reds and pinks.

"For the women, it's more on the front of the frame," Gear says. "And for men, it's kind of on the back of the frame - like a jazzy lining to a coat. So for a woman, the color might be a bright blue frame, and for a man, it might be a black frame with kind of a translucent blue on the backside that doesn't really stand out as much."

Other trends in eyewear include bolder shapes and frames made with a hybrid of materials.

"Men and women are tending to lean more toward plastic frames than they have in the past," Gear says. "A plastic is a bolder look than a metal. ... A metal frame kind of disappears a little bit. ... Or you might have a plastic front or the temples might be metal or vice versa."

Some frames also may boast a rhinestone or a designer's logo on the side.

Designer glasses, in particular, are fun because of how closely they reflect the clothing and accessories, Gear says.

Continue reading at ArgusLeader.com

Finally, a little advice for mixing eye color and frame color.

Color is everywhere on eyewear, Mango and eggplant, black and white, and black and red are popular pairings for 2008. Look also for orange and two-tone browns with some blue mixed in. And cranberry is in its fourth year of popularity, Dudas says.
Eye color can be enhanced by glasses, so here's Dudas' general guide to choosing an eye-popping frame color (without the benefit of considering skin color and tone): Brown eyes: blue, plum and cranberryGreen eyes: copper and greenBlue eyes: brown and plumHazel eyes: take your pick

One place where I consistently where sunglasses is when I am driving. I used to buy large, cheap sunglasses from the gas station. Sunglasses so large I could actually wear them over my regular glasses. No more. Now my prescription aviators, which I bought for $30, are the only glasses I wear when I'm on the road. This looks a lot better than my two-pair system, is far more comfortable, and is probably safer.
Let's look at some options for prescription driving sunglasses from EyeBuyDirect.com:

Above, the "Moritz" frame from EyeBuyDirect is a classic driving and sport frame. You'll have full prescription sunglass cover in the entirety of your vision. Excellent peripheral coverage is a requirement for great driving glasses.

Above, the Carlton Frame (a ladies' frame), would actually look pretty cute with an 80% grey tint (this option is available at checkout). This large frame provides a large field of vision and keeps that pesky sun out of your baby blues!

Finally, the Louis Eyeglasses Frame would again be a great driving pair if you put an 80% grey-tinted lens in. For both this and the Carlton Frame shown above, the look will be changed substantially with tented lenses.

Another option would be to spend an extra $20 on the transition coating...then you'd have sunglasses when you're on the road that would automatically convert to regular shades when you're picking up snacks at the 7-11.
Don't forget to use the discount code EYEBUYPROMO to take 5% off your entire order!

Thanks to the flexibility and weight of titanium, rimless eyewear are becoming something of a standard for professional men's eyeglasses. Early pairs of titanium eyewear cost $400 or more, and were arguably worth it even at that price. My father bought a pair back in 2000 that he still wears every day. Today, you can pick up a pair of prescription titanium eyeglasses from the internet for about $70, inclusive of some extra coatings and so forth. If you are on a tight budget, you could forgo some extras and spend only $30-$50. Above, the Hyde Eyeglass Frame at EyeBuyDirect is a classic frame shape that will compliment almost any face shape. Hyde Eyeglass Frame at EyeBuyDirect If those don't tickle your fancy, check out all of the Titanium Frames at EyeBuyDirect.com. Just click on that link. Don't forget to use the coupon code, "eyebuypromo" to get 5% off your total order.

The online eyewear industry continues to evolve. It seems the EyeBuyDirect is really proving itself a leader in innovations in the US industry.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- EyeBuyDirect (http://www.eyebuydirect.com
), the Internet's home of high-quality, fashionable prescription eyeglasses for about $20, announced today a new interactive feature that revolutionizes the way people can shop for the frames. Dubbed "The Wall of Frames", the online social shopping site allows an individual to receive instant feedback prior to selecting their frames, making choosing eyeglasses online easier and more fun than ever before.

The Wall of Frames works together with the company's exclusive EyeTry tool, which allows people to try on multiple pairs of eyeglasses virtually then send images to friends and family via email or by posting them publicly on the site. The Wall of Frames adds a Web 2.0 component by allowing EyeTry users to enlist the opinions of registered users from around the globe.

Eyeglasses are an outward reflection of the person behind them, therefore choosing a pair can feel overwhelming. With The Wall of Fame and Eye Try, people can take the time to enlist many opinions while also enjoy seeing themselves in a variety of looks onscreen prior to purchase.

"While choosing the right pair of glasses is a question of personal taste, the opinions of friends, family, and even strangers certainly can help make the final choice much easier," said EyeBuyDirect CEO Roy Hessel. "The Web makes it possible to hear the opinions of the people we value most and the general public, which can feel much more genuine than the feedback of an in- store salesperson."

Over the past year, websites like Kaboodle (http://www.kaboodle.com/), StyleHive (http://www.stylehive.com/) and ThisNext (http://www.thisnext.com/) have proven that social shopping is an idea that is catching on with consumers. EyeBuyDirect is one of the first online retailers to apply this concept to a single product, albeit a product that nearly 300 million people use worldwide.

"At EyeBuyDirect, we are always thinking about how to help our customers choose the glasses that suit them best," said Sina Farzaneh, vice president of marketing for EyeBuyDirect. "By combining EyeTry and the Wall of Frames with a broad selection of great looking prescription frames for around $20, it's an exciting time to buy a new pair of glasses."

About EyeBuyDirect.com


Eye vision correction should not be a luxury available exclusively to those who can afford the expensive rates of the traditional eyewear market. EyeBuyDirect has transformed the market by cooperating with top industry manufacturers and opticians to design the world's most cost-effective manufacturing process. We pass those savings on to our customers via an interactive online web store that sells complete prescription glasses starting at $14 per pair.

EyeBuyDirect.com is one of the largest online retailers of eyewear, delivering high-quality and fashionable eyeglasses to people around the globe who may have otherwise been unable to afford crystal clear vision. For more information or to browse our vast selection of frames, visit http://www.eyebuydirect.com.

If you use this link, you'll get a free gift if you choose to purchase some spectacles!



[Technorati Tags: Glasses Online, EyeBuyDirect, Eyewear, Eyeglasses]

I've written about the rebirth of the aviator sunglasses from the 80s. Today, let us go even further back. How about the 50s? The retro look of thick-framed or half-framed plastic glasses is back. Retooled horned-rimmed looks of the past give your style a flare you won't find in any other pair of glasses. There is really only one name in retro eyewear -- Shuron.


Take the Shuron Nulady. Horn-rimmed awesomeness with floral accents. A great pair of retro glasses for women. BestBuyEyeglasses.com has it for about half off of retail.

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Here are some Drew Carey Glasses. A throwback to the big plastic frames of the past, the
Shuron Sidewinder gives you a great look and a wide field of vision.

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The Shuron Barrette is just about the boldest pair of glasses I could find. Some might call them a little crazy, but I call them bold and trendy!

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All of these glasses can be bought at BestBuyEyeglasses.com, where you can save 40% on Designer Sunglasses To look at all the available Shuron frames, click the link above, hold your mouse over "eyeglasses" and choose "Shuron." If you're interested in any of the frames shown above, just click on their picture. You won't find a better deal on these frames anywhere.

[Technorati Tags: Glasses Online, Designer Eyewear, Shuron, Eyewear, Eyeglasses, Retro]

Designer Hyo-Jong Kim has proposed a pair of eyeglasses that are more like two pairs of eyeglasses!

From the appropriately titled Form Beyond Function:

Prescription lenses are expensive so it’s not often we can afford more than a single pair. Unfortunately that means being tethered to one frame style. Switch Glasses gives you at least two options to fit your mood and lifestyle. The design adds pivots and hinges to the arms and lens of a pair of glasses. By flipping them around, you can take advantage of two different frame colors. Maybe one for work and a funkier one for a night out.

While I don't agree with his premise about prescription glasses being expensive, I think this is an interesting design. As some of the comments note, the curve of the lens on any pair of glasses prevents you from simply being able to look through the other side of your glasses. The picture above shows the lens being simply turned around. If this is combined with a switch of the left/right side of the glasses, then the curvature issue would be addressed, but the prescription glasses wearer would be required to have the same prescription for each lens (I know I don't). Regardless, it is certainly an interesting idea!

[Technorati Tags: Fashion, , Prescription Glasses, Eyewear, Eyewear Style, Design]

"Everything that was old is new again." So it goes with Aviator Sunglasses. Though edging up in popularity since 2003 or 2004, 2007 really is the year of the Aviators. The trend is towards larger aviators with thin silver metal frames.

Personally, I love aviator sunglasses and think everyone should have a pair. They are great for driving and provide an enormous field of vision. I actually used to buy aviators that were so large they would fit over my regular glasses. Thanks to the wonderous ability to buy Rx glasses online, I have since been able to get my own prescription aviator sunglasses for under $30, including shipping.

Take This Aviator Frame at EyeBuyDirect.com as an example. Fully configured with an 80% grey tint, it costs just $24.95. Use the coupon "eyebuyfreeshipping" and you are looking at a great pair of rx aviators for under $25.

If you are looking for an even larger aviator, head over to Optical4less.com and search for frame model MA067. This is just about the largest aviator frame I could find. It is available in three colors. Use this link for free shipping. Configuring prescription aviators will ran me $38. This includes anti-reflective, UV, and anti-scratch coating, which are standard on all lenses from this company.

[Technorati Tags: Fashion, , Prescription Sunglasses, Eyewear, Eyewear Style, Glasses Online]