Six Eyewear Trends for Summer 2003
Six trends have been presented in the catwalk in Paris of Made in Italy eyewear:
Magic
It's the magic of light, transparency, gold, metal and stones As well as alluding to the movies, the circus, with exaggerated, theatrical details, with transformations. The luxury becomes a game with the showy reflections of pure gold, sometimes teamed with the shine of Swarovski crystal. This trend has a certain degree of magical opulence that is nonetheless entertaining, in the precarious yet fascinating balance of various details, for eyewear sometimes produced in a limited edition.
There and back
'Travelling' atmosphere is constantly present, from opulent 1930's and 1940's China to India with the palaces of its maharajahs, from Mexico and its Incas to the Cote d'Azur of the 50's and 60's. Women, of course, are travelers who belong to other times in the sense that they nurture a romantic and adventurous ideal, but with a modern spirit, who love luxury, comfort, and focus on the effects of a detail. Eyewear is exclusive, refined, painstakingly made, decorated. For men, eyewear is timeless, with a classic-sports style, perhaps with details that make it more protective or practical.
Couture-culture
Classic colors are back, tortoise shell, subdued hues, black and white. Lenses are very dark, sometimes completely flat. A newly-found concept of quality, style, that is reflected in specific, clear-cut, but substantially softer lines. It's the 1970's but even before then, from the 1920's and 1930's on with small butterfly or large eyewear. The kind that Jackie O or Maria Callas wore in the most classic tortoiseshell version. The classics are the preferred choice for men too. The myths of Ari Onassis or Steve McQueen have returned with a narrow, wraparound shape, and revisited teardrop design.
Live paintings
The colors, graphic motifs, multilayer acetate, colored lenses. New eyewear architectures have appeared. They are almost sculptures where the focus is on shapes, cuts, detailing, sinuous lines, modulations, overlapping surfaces.
Office
Rigorous and essential lines. From invisible frames to square, often rectangular ones. Metal teamed with transparent glass comes from the architecture of the skyscrapers that surround us, from the new shapes of scenery and cities. Like the projects by Jean Nouvel or Norman Foster that are all about lightness, apparent fragility, a barely visible "structure", naked frames. Increasingly more ethereal, or very present on the face with clear-cut lines and shapes, in tune with fast-moving lifestyles, racing against the clock, virtual meetings. Non-stop working hours. They change, are flexible, innovative. Ultra resistant.
Energy - kids
Shapes and marks are the offshoot of their adult counterparts but with a special focus on structures to adapt perfectly to little faces and their hyperactive life. Hinges are always flex, nose pads soft and adaptable, anti-grip end pieces, tough materials and lenses, the bright colors are just what they want and satisfy their fantasy and imagination. Once in a while there are splashes of veritable luxury with some out-of-the-ordinary models in a limited edition. Sunglasses are wraparound, sporty, visors. Prescription eyewear prefers basic shapes, often oval or rounded in metal or plastic. Color is a must-have: it is one of the most important components which, despite everything, children never want to give up.
