Let’s be honest. I know more than a thing or two about what guys want when it comes to… STUFF. I consider myself quite the arbiter of good stuff, bad stuff, big stuff and little stuff.

In the market for a really boring-but-bulletproof car that is as economical as it is bland? I’m your guy, and that’s odd considering I’m also a great source for the auto-maniac searching for a thrill in a vintage muscle machine. And I can take you to and through full details when it comes to a Timex or a Rolex. Collectable albums from esoteric rock bands released on a specific date in May of 1966? I’ve got that but also available for up to the minute news on popular releases on CDs via multiple online sources. (Just don’t talk to me about Internet-able downloads since those are not “ownable” objects. So for me… they don’t exist.)

And, dare I mention, I’m pretty good when it comes to suggestions on eyeglasses and sunglasses. Lucky as well for YOU, the amazing women of 20/20 (Christine, Victoria, Jillian, Iris, Julie and Emily) were able to reel me in on a tremendous number of choices in this, our annual issue devoted to that dominant entity, men’s eyewear on the seen these days.

Remember “unisex” as an eyewear category playing loud some 20 years ago? It was basically eyewear for… nobody. When I would experience such a frame in a product review with a vendor, I’d shy away from trying it on since it usually had a sense of style, color, quality and fit suited for… nobody.

That whole notion of unisex is thankfully long gone from most collections. That said, there are now numerous styles of (mostly) men’s frames highly suitable for women and increasing instances of women’s styles with a somewhat soft edge and sane-yet-bold colorations I’d easily wear. It plays out that way, especially with the highly touted Independent Eyewear collections so revered by 20/20 mainly because the design bar has been significantly raised of late, and the color palettes seem at a merge level where both men and women can be confident and comfortable making a statement with their favorite accessory. And the oscillation from bold to slightly-more-discrete is in a comfort zone for both genders.

Proof is in the pages as our cover and photo feature explore an eyewear arena with numerous instances of mass appeal. Such crossbreeding makes for terrific SPECulation about the future of eyewear as something we like to think of as… the Ultimate Accessory.

James J. Spina
Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]