The 20/20 Editorial Team

James J. Spina
VP, Editor-in-Chief

Jacqueline Micucci
Executive Editor

Gloria Nicola
Senior Features Editor

Andy Karp
Group Editor, Lenses and Technology

Melissa Arkin
Associate Editor

8/11/2009 May Eye Have Your Attention
Posted by 20/20&U Blog Admin
Location: Blogs2020&U
 		    
I notice eyewear. It’s an occupational hazard. I pay attention to frame shapes, brand logos and colors. I have been known to ask a total stranger about her glasses. There are even times when I am straining so hard across a room or subway car to make out a name on someone’s frames that I’m sure the person thinks I’m either crazy or stalking him or both.

Recently I was on vacation in Chicago. The weather was beautiful so I spent a good chunk of time outdoors. As a result, I saw a lot of sunwear. What I noticed in the Windy City were much more overt designer logos. Big styles and shields reigned supreme, which was a bit different from my home city of New York. Here it’s more about retro ’80s P3 frames and Wayfarer shapes in bold colors—designer names but smaller more discreet logos. Then I started thinking back to some other cities I visited this year: Boston—sportier and more conservative shapes and not as many noticeable logos. Austin, Texas—Retro styling and vintage frames.
 
It’s important to pay attention to what people are wearing, especially as a dispenser. I remember back when I was an editor on a footwear trade magazine, I had a conversation with one of the designers for Vans (a company known for skater shoes and those funky sneakers Spicoli hits himself over the head with in the movie “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”). She said when she travelled, whether on business or for pleasure, she liked to sit outside at a café or restaurant and just watch people go by. It was both inspiration for her designs and gave her a good feel for what people were embracing in fashion at that moment.
 
It is such a simple task and yet it can pay great dividends. Instead of relying on what sales reps or a few customers tell you when they walk into your dispensary, take a look around your town and see what people are wearing (and not just their eyewear). Pay attention when you travel. Something that is incredibly popular in Los Angeles may eventually make its way to your city.
 
I’m not saying you need to be a trendsetter; just be aware of what the people in and out of your area are wearing. You don’t always need to rely on fashion magazines and TV and movies. Sometimes everything you need to know is right outside your door.

Are you always noticing eyewear no matter where you are? What do you do to stay on top of trends? Let’s us know how you like to frame spot.
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Re: May Eye Have Your Attention
By Barry Santini		 8/19/2009
s
Yeah, there are rules.

Local rules and trends, if you will.

I myself like to run up right to the edge of the rules...and sometimes cross over.

In this way, I make my most enthusiatic customers.

Barry

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