The days of being called “four-eyes” for sporting a pair of glasses are long gone. In their place, an industry has blossomed that focuses on bringing fashionable and on-trend frames to the masses. Even if you’re blessed with 20/20 vision, sunglasses are as much necessity as statement: to dress up a look or shield the shame from a night of one too many libations. Here we take a look at both optical frames and sunglasses from companies that focus on beautifully designed, innovative frames.
Warby Parker
With spring approaching and the many styles of a new season strolling throughout the streets, the Warby Parker Marva frame, designed in collaboration with Leith Clark, is the perfect accent for feeling refreshed and new. The round lens with a subtle brow arch is elegant and feminine, yet summons an air of intellect. The coloring – a gentle blue speckled gradient with highlights of pearl – creates a vintage feel while staying relevant. Made from twice-polished custom cellulose and Teflon-coated screws, each pair is handcrafted with delicate detail to ensure a perfect fit.
Warby Parker was conceived as a response to a market saturated with overpriced, run-of-the-mill eyewear that bore no significant relevance to the free-spirited, independent demographic they sought. Borrowing names from Jack Kerouac’s earliest characters Zagg Parker and Warby Pepper, the company embodies the unique personal traits of its four founders while maintaining the underlining core requirement to do good. For each pair of glasses sold, Warby Parker donates a pair to someone in need. Partnering with non-profits like VisionSpring, they have surpassed the 500,000 mark of donated glasses to date.
Protos
The success of beautiful accessories hinges upon more than just the design. The fit is paramount to how an item will be judged. A frame that is chic and elegant on one person may feel awkward and uncomfortable on another. This idea is what compelled four friends at the California College of the Arts to spearhead an innovative start-up eyewear company that makes customized frames with 3D printing. While flying cars are hardly around the corner, futuristic technologies such as translating a layered digital file into a hard, physical object (such as a pair of glasses) is here. All you need to do is snap two photos of your face and submit. Anyone who has ever worn a pair of glasses has been confronted with the uncomfortable task of trying to bend frame arms or stretch the bridge so it fits properly. With Protos, the team puts emphasis on examining facial contours, including cheekbone structure, jawline, eyebrow arch, and facial depth/width. They have joined with designer eyewear consultant, celebrity stylist, and founder of Veo Optics James Peo to provide simple yet beautifully designed frames.
Although the frames come only in matte black for the moment, the hypoallergenic bioplastics are malleable, printed in the U.S., completely waste-free, and the temples of the frames can bend a full 180 degrees without breaking. The materials are lighter than titanium and stronger than acetate, creating a uniquely durable pair of glasses. Tailoring clothes to accentuate our bodies has become the norm, so why not translate that concept onto a pair of daily worn glasses?
Oliver Peoples
The Louella frame in cocobola and spice brown gradient transforms the wearer into a daring woman, capable of carving out her own destiny. Inspired by Louella Parsons, a woman who is credited with being the first American female movie critic, the semi-rimless frame is striking, and was designed with thoughts of Parsons walking between sets under Los Angeles’ glaring sun. With plaque detailing on the temple and a wide-breadth arm, the design evokes a sentiment for the past and begs the question: why would we ever abandon such style? The Louella is the burnt gin martini amidst a room of vodka sodas, and a dignified one at that. The subtle cat eye definition provides a feminine edge while remaining utterly timeless.
Hand crafted from substantial acetate, with logo-engraved wiring to ensure durability, each pair of Oliver Peoples glasses is designed by founder and creative director, Larry Leight. In the game since 1986, Oliver Peoples is an internationally recognized brand with stores around the world.
MODO
Based out of NYC’s SoHo district, MODO provides eyewear for the individual, marrying elevated design quality with the daily inspiration of Manhattan’s pulse. The new Paper Thin Titanium collection, released for Spring 2014, is exactly what the season requires: fresh, colorful, and dynamic. The frames are one of the lightest and thinnest on the market, weighing in at only 6.8 grams – little more than the weight of a wooden pencil – and 0.6mm wide. While the design itself resembles the elongated oval geek-chic shape famously found on those traipsing around local coffee shops, the minimalist, punchy colors make the Paper Thin collection a perfectly balanced and classically simple look.
MODO is committed to social responsibility as well as to fashion, and for every pair purchased, a pair is donated to those in need.
Text By Morgan K. Sterns
