Features: Fashion Feature

Apr
2005

Game Face

Photographed by NEDJELJKO MATURA
Fashion Editor: Gloria Nicola

It’s style geared for action with aerodynamic face-hugging wraps and high-tech interchangeable lens systems. It’s sport style—designed to set and break records with no holds barred—surging with fashion and energized with the last word in technology. This is eyewear as vision equipment. And it’s eyewear optical retailers need now… To face the competitive edge head on.

Action Figures
Sports eyewear is the hotbed for tech gizmos that can enhance performance. If it flips, clips, whips or interchanges in any way make sure you demo the action and demo it so the consumer understands both the system AND the advantage.

RAWLINGS All Sport #5 from Smilen Eyewear


Big Red
Deep graphite-red
colorations are now edging out lime and orange sport staples as the hot new hue in sports eyewear. Could be that the blood-tone is a great complement to a wide variety of strong lens shades.

From top: NEOX AF103 from MicroVision Optical;
REC SPECS Maxx MX30 from Liberty Optical



Address the Ball Lens Colorations
are the name of the game when it comes to a variety of sports from golf to tennis. And sport specific also means eyewear that is suitable off court or fairway. Nothing looks as silly as a swoopy shield during a course-side lunch break.

From top: FL1 with Filter 8 Polarized Lenses from Wiley X Eyewear; BOLLE Sin City 10113 from Bushnell Performance Optics; MAUI JIM SPORT 405 from Maui Jim Sunglasses; LIQUIDMETAL Lava with WAVE 400 Lens Technology from Costa Del Mar


Shape Up
Sports eyewear thrives on inventing new and dynamic wrap shapes that can cope with any variety of extreme activities. Always play up the power of a particular eyewear’s peripheral vision since most sport action takes place on a 360-degree playing field-of-vision.

From top: NIKE Skylon EXP.R Round from Marchon Eyewear;
WINDANSEA from Hobie Polarized; EYESIGHTS S101S from Live Eyewear



Compact Muscle
Temples that “trick” into a tighter closed package are a huge hit when it comes to taming otherwise bulky sport frames. These New Balance shades have a spectacular swivel motion for just the right on- or off-face fit.

NEW BALANCE SUN 942 from Eyewear Designs



White Light
Sports depend on reflexes but SUN depends on reflexion doing double-trouble when it comes to any variety of winter games. And as chilly as the snow scene might be the next biggest culprit in snow conditions is condensation and proper sunwear ventilation. Make sure that feature is part of any cold-condition game face.

EXCEPTION from Rudy Project; THE NORTH FACE Thin Air 0195 from Marcolin USA



Nose It All
Hone in on high-tech nosepad solutions. Sport fanatics want their competition unhindered by face-fit headaches.

From top: ADIDAS 146 Gazelle from Silhouette Optical;
ROMEO II from Oakley



Choosing up Sides
Sometimes it’s a clever side shield and other times it’s the sleek confirmation of a classic logo but never miss the opportunity to redirect a consumer’s attention to dramatic sunglass temple details.

From top: PHIOPTIK PE015 from Jonathan Paul Eyewear;
CARRERA Draco from Sàfilo USA



Sport Celebrities Without
neglecting any high-tech properties sports eyewear continues to factor in as a fashion statement as well. It does it with frame colors and shapes equal to the endurance and action tasks at hand.

From top: LEADER Boston from Hilco; EFFECT E002 from Effect Eyewear; LEGEND 3112 with PX 3000 lenses from Vuarnet France



Oh Say Can You Sea
Water sports demand sport glasses equally adept at reflective combat AND corrosive durability. And that endurance factor is just as important for the total frame/lens package.

From top: ARNETTE 4041 from Luxottica Group; COLUMBIA Destiny from L’Amy Group USA

 

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