Creating a look
As you shop around for eyeglasses, you’ll see that the styles and customizations are nearly endless! Couple this great variety with affordable prices and you have no reason not to pair each of your looks with a complementing set of eyeglasses!
There are many people who come to mind when I think about how a pair of glasses was completely linked to their style. For me, the first person who comes to mind is Sally Jessy Raphael and her red frames. Perhaps she is the first person I think about because her eyeglasses were definitely the brightest, if not the biggest. Her eyeglasses made such a statement that taken by themselves, they completely represented her and what she does – talk about branding!
We have talked about Indianapolis Colts place kicker Rodrigo Blankenship and his thick black frames in another post. He wears them every week and it’s clear that they have become part of his branding and his marketing.
Chloe Kim, Jonny Moseley, and just about every winter sports player can always be seen wearing their sunglasses or snow goggles – both of which can be corrected to suit your vision prescription!
Harry Potter has a specific style of round-rimmed eyewear. So iconic are his glasses that they have sold countless pairs as souvenirs and memorabilia! John Lennon wore a similarly styled pair back in his day. Maybe it’s a British thing.
Who do you think of when you picture aviator style sunglasses like Ray-Bans? Your uncle? Tom Cruise as an actual aviator in the classic film, Top Gun? Speaking of “classic,” I mean, old, how about Erik Estrada in CHiPs, or you know, that other guy, his partner? Aviator eyewear represents a style that is timeless. They’re as popular today as they were generations ago. I’ll hold onto mine and see if my great grandkids want them.
My father was watching the news the other day, or what passes for news these days – a panel of six guests talking over each other. I noticed a lady wearing some wild and large eyeglass frames. I said something about it and my father responded, “Oh yeah, that’s so and so and she’s always changing the glasses she wears.” I haven’t seen her since, but I’m sure that there is a story there about how she chooses her glasses each day – could it be that your choice in eyewear can be intriguing to others? I’m sure that they have served as a conversation piece on more than one occasion.
Another lover of eyeglass frames is Iris Apfel as she was always drawn to collecting eyeglasses, even before she ever needed glasses for her vision. When she finally did need eyeglasses, she took out the biggest pair from her collection and instantly created an iconic look for herself. She has also lived a long time and has a lot to say. Her bold choice in eyewear perfectly matches her character!
Sandra Oh at a 2010 premiere after party can be seen wearing glasses, a dress, and shoes of the same color. She accessorized so perfectly that it’s hard to tell if the glasses are an accessory to the dress or if the dress and shoes become secondary to her glasses. Her glasses balanced the accents from her shoes and it’s clear that the overall look doesn’t work without the eyeglasses that she chose. The eyeglasses were integral to the success of her outfit.
Real people aren’t the only ones who wear eyeglasses. I’m reminded of Jake Jarmel’s eyeglasses from “The Scofflaw,” the 99th episode of the Seinfeld situation comedy series of the 1990’s. Jake was a bit smug and he insisted on wearing a pair of glasses that no one else could have. For this reason, he would source his glasses from Malaysia, but when his girlfriend, Elaine, was tired of him and wanted revenge, she went out of her way to find a pair of glasses that were identical to his. She eventually gave them to her boss who was doing a reading at a bookstore where Jake would see him and first be confused by the identical glasses and then get angry and attack the boss for wearing “his” eyeglasses. I will admit that they were a nice pair of eyeglasses with a tortoiseshell frame.
You can’t look at someone in the eyes without noticing their eyewear. That’s why eyeglasses are the perfect accessory to make a statement! Will you choose the biggest and the boldest glasses you can find, glasses so bold that they become synonymous with you, like Sally Jessy Raphael and Iris Apfel? Will you match them to the outdoors where you find yourself, like Chloe Kim and Jonny Moseley? Will you complement them to your outfit in such a way that no one can imagine your look without them, like Sandra Oh? Will you change them daily and perhaps match them to your mood for the day? Or will you choose a pair that defines you and your brand so perfectly that they become timeless, iconic, and instant classics? What will you decide? Whatever it is, we are lucky to have endless options that are affordable when it comes to eyewear.
