Thursday, Aprils, 1934
Pago 10
Expressions
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By JANET STEFANSKI
The four-eyes syndrome no longer
abounds on the eyeglass scene. Stylish
frames are here and both men and
women are getting into the act.
"I actually think a frame helps your
appearance," said Philip Delaney, an
eyeglass frame designer for Martin
Copelind in East Providence, R.I.
Women interested in a professional
look should make eyeglasses part of
their ensemble, Delaney said.
"Rather than saying, 'She looks like a
free woman, she looks like an airhead,'
people will say, 'She looks intellectual.'
People will take them more seriously,"
he said.
Delaney said he thinks it's a good
idea for women who don't need pre
scription lenses to wear clear lenses in
a modern stylish frame.
Professionals in the eyeglass indus
try agree that men have been showing
an increased interest in stylish frames.
"They're (men) a lot more conscious
of what they're buying," said Julie Nel
son, a manager at Pearle Vision Center,
1132 0 St.
Men, especially those in the 20 to 30
year-old range, are willing to put more
money into a good-looking style, she
said.
The classic, goggle shapes and intellectual-looking
frames remain popular
with older men, Delaney said.
The Stetson brand, stylish and dura
ble, is also popular among older men,
Nelson said. The durability attracts
this age group specifically because older
men are interested in keeping their
glasses longer, she said.
Other brand names such as Ralph
Lauren, Halston, Sophia Loren and Bill
Blass are as prevalent in today's opti-
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A variety of spectacle styles at Pearle Vision Center downtown.
cal centers as they are in clothing
stores.
"Even Jack Nicholas makes frames,"
noted Wally Carlson, a manager at the
House of Eyewear, 810 N. 48th St.
Martin-Copelind's design names
include Nouvelle and Versailles.
"You have to call it something, so you
might as well pick something that
embodies your design philosophies. The
Palace of Versailles is quite a thing. It is
one of the richest and most elegant
places in the world," Delaney said.
He said their Versailles designs try to
convey these rich and elegant qualities.
Lighter-weight frames, plastic and
metal frames, preppy frames and
frames that contour to the shape of a
person's face are some of the new
trends in eyeglass designs.
Because of new technology, frames
have grown in size, allowing more crea
tive flexibility with frame shape to suit
a person's face shape.
"When you put these frames on, they
stop becoming an eyeglass frame and
become a geometric frame," Delaney
said.
Frames can take on a jewelry look
with gold or silver temple pieces which
Delaney said enhances a middle-aged
woman's fashions.
Conversely, Delaney advises younger
women to wear a basic, thin frame
with the appropriate style to match
their skin tone.
The downtown Pearle chain offers a
wide variety of frames. The hornrim
and round metal rims, which give the
wearer a preppy look, were hard to
keep in stock at first.
Punk sunglasses, such as wayfarers,
are another popular item, selling for
$37. Another popular sunglass style,
the Vuarnet brand, comes with a life
time guarantee nnd a price tag of
$84.95.
Prices vary ir. the eyeglass market,
depending on tne customer's prescrip
tion, possible tinting and the chosen
frames. One can probably spend less
than $100 on a style such as the horn
rims (about $30 for frames and about
$40 for lenses).
Despite the increased popularity of
contact lenses, they are by no means
phasing out glasses, Carlson of the
House of Eyewear said.
"In fact we're busier than ever with
glasses," he said.
Even though new types of contact
lenses are available to suit a range of
eyesight problems, not everyone has
these options. Once a person reaches
middle age, contacts can become too
irritating, Delaney said.
Colored contact lenses are becom
ing a popular item, which the Pearle
store is just beginning to offer. Nelson
said that when these contacts first
came out, they were hard to see with at
night, but now truer, lighter colors are
offered.
They really intensify the color. The
first thing you notice about the person
is the color of their eyes," she said.
Not everyone can wear colored lenses,
however, because they are offered in
only the standard hard lenses. Nelson
says they try to shy away from selling
the colored lenses to people who are
only interested in changing the color of
their eyes and don't really need
contacts.
Contact lenses range from $69 for
conventional lenses to $79 for conven
tional soft lenses. Some contacts such
such as bifocal soft lenses, are priced
up to $300.
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