Hot and sexy in the shade
Friday, June 1, 2007
IT ONLY takes a few rays of sunlight for fashion-conscious people all over to get out their new shades and go for a stroll on the sunny side of the street. The oversized retro look which was so hugely popular in 2006 is strong again this year too, but the specs on offer are looking more refined.
Modern eyewear continues to be heavily inspired by the past. Yet style mavens will find plenty of new shapes and coloured frames to choose from. "The retro-trend is likely to be even stronger this year," says Kerstin Kruschinski of the Good Vision Curatorium in Berlin.
Softer, more curvaceous shapes have come to the fore, with warm and natural colours dominating typical examples are brown or maroon. "The colours are just not as intensive as they were," she says.
The silhouettes which went down so well last summer are getting bigger and bolder, says fashion expert Andreas Rose from Frankfurt. Women with long hair have the extra advantage that such stylish sunglasses can double up as a headband.
Of course large lenses are not just fashionable they protect the eyes more effectively from harmful ultraviolet rays than their smaller counterparts. Ideally, the sunglasses should shield the eyes completely. Fortunately, the larger aviator frames, with their large-surface lenses, continue to flatter most faces, male or female, and remain chic at the same time.
Rodenstock is one of the manufacturers to have recognised that big-sized glasses remain hot and the Munich-based firm has revamped its men's aviator range with innovative colours such as combination of gold and olive green. The new specs from the German Freudenhaus collection are also big-sized models which hark back to the sunglasses worn by screen idol Audrey Hepburn.
The Bavarian firm of Funk has been treading a different path at least as far as some models are concerned.
"Our glasses are comparatively small with out-of-the-ordinary shapes, such as butterfly frames," says Saschi Schuster. Some of these glasses were inspired by ones worn by style icons of the 1920s such as German actress Marlene Dietrich.
According to Andreas Rose, this year's eye shields have a brighter hue so that the face is not completely obscured behind them. At the same time, the mirror lenses of yore are back again, which can look sexy.
General frame embellishment is more restrained this year and many of the prominent initials and logos have faded away too, says Rose. The view is shared by Alexandra Kimmerle of Freudenhaus who believes "a lot of customers are looking for a more minimal look".
But there will always be room for glamour and Bulgari could just fit the bill. The sides of some of its top models are bedecked with gemstones.
MunicEyeWear has also gone for the extravagant look: Glittering rhinestones and snazzy black and white combinations are taking over, says company spokesman Marcus Riess.DPA
Modern eyewear continues to be heavily inspired by the past. Yet style mavens will find plenty of new shapes and coloured frames to choose from. "The retro-trend is likely to be even stronger this year," says Kerstin Kruschinski of the Good Vision Curatorium in Berlin.
Softer, more curvaceous shapes have come to the fore, with warm and natural colours dominating typical examples are brown or maroon. "The colours are just not as intensive as they were," she says.
The silhouettes which went down so well last summer are getting bigger and bolder, says fashion expert Andreas Rose from Frankfurt. Women with long hair have the extra advantage that such stylish sunglasses can double up as a headband.
Of course large lenses are not just fashionable they protect the eyes more effectively from harmful ultraviolet rays than their smaller counterparts. Ideally, the sunglasses should shield the eyes completely. Fortunately, the larger aviator frames, with their large-surface lenses, continue to flatter most faces, male or female, and remain chic at the same time.
Rodenstock is one of the manufacturers to have recognised that big-sized glasses remain hot and the Munich-based firm has revamped its men's aviator range with innovative colours such as combination of gold and olive green. The new specs from the German Freudenhaus collection are also big-sized models which hark back to the sunglasses worn by screen idol Audrey Hepburn.
The Bavarian firm of Funk has been treading a different path at least as far as some models are concerned.
"Our glasses are comparatively small with out-of-the-ordinary shapes, such as butterfly frames," says Saschi Schuster. Some of these glasses were inspired by ones worn by style icons of the 1920s such as German actress Marlene Dietrich.
According to Andreas Rose, this year's eye shields have a brighter hue so that the face is not completely obscured behind them. At the same time, the mirror lenses of yore are back again, which can look sexy.
General frame embellishment is more restrained this year and many of the prominent initials and logos have faded away too, says Rose. The view is shared by Alexandra Kimmerle of Freudenhaus who believes "a lot of customers are looking for a more minimal look".
But there will always be room for glamour and Bulgari could just fit the bill. The sides of some of its top models are bedecked with gemstones.
MunicEyeWear has also gone for the extravagant look: Glittering rhinestones and snazzy black and white combinations are taking over, says company spokesman Marcus Riess.DPA
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