NEW YORK--The popular eyewear fashion panel returns to International Vision Expo's opening day exhibition on Friday, March 11. Held in cooperation with The Accessories Council and In Style Magazine, this free session entitled, "Sharpen Your Vision: Insight from Top Style Experts," will be held in Room 1E13.

Sheila Vance
David Wolfe

In this fashion-oriented general session, opticians, retailers and ophthalmic professionals who sell eyewear will learn how the world of fashion and celebrity influence eyewear trends. Gaining insight from In Style, top fashion houses and optical retail, attendees will get the inside scoop on how to build a buzz around their business, increase sales, foot traffic and attract new patients. They'll get facts on how style trends are formed, how trends begin, how to adapt them to one's business and how to translate them into profitable sales. At the end of the session, attendees can participate in an "Ask the Expert" Q&A.

"Last year's debut turned out to be standing room only with nearly 200 people in attendance," Eileen Baird, International Vision Expo's vice president and show manager, said. "In light of that success, we are pleased to bring this event back to this year's show, with a new panel of leaders who start the trends, report on the trends, and understand how to best leverage them in the consumer marketplace."

Robert Marc will provide the opening welcome to the panel, which will include the following leaders in eyewear, accessories and fashion:

 

Lulu Guinness
Robert Marc

Sheila Vance, chief executive officer, Sama Eyewear. Sheila brings innovative eyewear into a new realm of fashion. With Sama, Sheila introduced fashion-specific purposes to eyewear and creates custom eyewear for prestigious clients like Harry Winston, who commissioned her work for the nominees at the 73rd Annual Academy Awards. Sheila has also custom- designed frames for Arnold Schwarzenegger's role as the Terminator in T3: Rise of the Machines, Catherine Zeta-Jones in Intolerable Cruelty, Ashley Judd and Greg Kinnear in Someone Like You, Brittany Murphy in Uptown Girls, Meryl Streep in The Hours, Nicole Kidman in Stepford Wives and Jude Law in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Sama will be launching the Loree Rodkin line at this year's Vision Expo East.

David Wolfe, creative director, Donegar Creative Services. David expertly delivers color forecasting analysis for women, men and youth apparel and accessories. He analyzes trends influencing the accessory market as well as big-picture developments in style and culture. With more than 35 years of experience in the fashion industry, he is a quoted authority in the industry, appearing in The Wall Street Journal, Women's Wear Daily, Vogue, Glamour, Forbes, CNN, Entertainment Tonight and The Today Show. He is a guest lecturer at Fashion Institute of Technology and has spoken at the International Fashion Fabric Exhibition, National Retail Federation conference, Magic and more.

Alice Kim, accessories director, In Style Magazine. Alice is responsible for accessories, which includes eyewear, footwear, and bags for both domestic and international coverage at this top fashion publication. In addition, Kim works with the magazine's stylist to accessorize the celebrities featured in the magazine's photo shoots. Prior to joining In Style, Kim worked in marketing and promotions at Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.

Lulu Guinness, designer and founder, Lulu Guinness Collection. The Lulu Guinness collection can be found in the most exclusive shops in the world--Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue in the U.S.; Joyce and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong; Isetan in Japan; Selfridges, Liberty, Harrods and Harvey Nichols in London and Le Bon Marche in Paris. Despite her success, Lulu never had any formal design training apart from a year's foundation course in art school and a passion for design and fashion. In 1989, she left her job in video production to start her own business from the basement of her home in London. Lulu's strong personal style and her original ideas have played a large part in her success with her designs inspired by her retro glamour, cheeky humor and modern chic style.

Robert Marc, Robert Marc Eyewear. The optician, designer and retailer behind Robert Marc Eyewear, will moderate this year's panel. He has built a multimillion dollar business framing the eyes of such A-list clientele as Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Liam Neeson and Uma Thurman. Identified by the signature metal hinge, the Robert Marc Collection's sleek, elegant and durable eyewear designs have turned up everywhere from urban streets and designer runway shows to Woody Allen films and Aaron Spelling shows. A member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and a fashion trend expert, Robert Marc has been a frequent guest on CNN, Good Morning America, Inside Edition, Live with Regis, Entertainment Tonight and Extra. His eight boutiques--seven in Manhattan and one in Boston--offer innovative and prestigious eyewear selections from around the world.

Other International Vision Expo East 2005 Programs includes: