As a website and blog all about eyewear, we like to keep up-to-date with the latest fashion trends, and that means always thinking ahead to NEXT season's line up, after all, who would want to be seen wearing last year's sunglasses? 

This week is London Fashion Week, so with the help of our latest guest writer, we thought we'd take a look at the event, it's brief history and what it has become today.

How London Fashion Week Became the Show it is Today

London is considered one of the “Big Four” fashion week sites, along with Milan, New York and Paris. London Fashion Week celebrates its 26^th year in 2011; from its origins in 1984, this show has been a “must do” event for fashionistas and designers from around the world.

Origins:

The first London Fashion Week event was produced in 1984, and featured a diverse group of designers, including David Fielden, Ghost and John Galliano. The week featured catwalk shows and fashion industry booths and events, and was produced by the British Fashion Council.

Early Years:

• Designer Katherine Hammet becomes the first to receive the newly minted Designer of the Year Award, offered in 1984 by the British Fashion Council.
• In 1985 the British government agrees to sponsor London Fashion Week and British designers, thanks to prompting by the editor of the UK version of Vogue and a select group of established. designers.
• In 1989, supermodel Kate Moss heads down the catwalk for the first time at the age of 15; her first appearance is at a Galliano show during London Fashion Week.
• The Princess of Wales, Diana, attends the British Fashion Awards and shows for the first time in 1990; her attendance brings worldwide attention to the British fashion industry.

1990s:

• London Fashion Week changes venues several times, ending up in the National History Museum. The show adds more exhibition space and press space during this time as well.
• In 1993, the British Fashion Council reaches out to educate and give recognition to new and upcoming designers by offering the opportunity to show during Fashion Week. Designer Alexander McQueen is one of the first to participate in the program, which will continue to encourage and include new designers and labels each year.
• Like many fashion-related businesses and events worldwide, London Fashion Weeks suffers setbacks in the early-1990s, thanks to an overall recession.
• Many fashion houses and designers are criticized in the mid-1990s for using near-anorexic models to showcase couture. Several initiatives and funds designed to promote healthy body image are founded in response by the late 1990s, including the Model Health Enquiry.
• Some of Britain’s most fashion forward designers are lured from London Fashion Week to larger shows in Paris, New York and Milan. It will take almost a decade for London Fashion Week to rebound from this defection.

2000-Today:

• In 2009, the British Fashion Council moves a revitalized London Fashion Week to its current venue in Somerset House.
• By 2010, London Fashion Week was responsible for almost £ 100 million in orders, including garments, shoes, handbags and accessories like sunglasses and eyeglasses.
• The current day London Fashion Week has grown exponentially to include 68 “official” catwalk shows and numerous unofficial offsite events as well. London Fashion Week currently draws in excess of 5,000 industry visitors per year, including designers, students, press and buyers.
• In 2010, London Fashion Week became the first major fashion event to fully embrace the Internet; the entire weeks’ worth of catwalk shows are broadcast to a worldwide audience over the web.

Steven Elias is a freelance writer from Dallas, TX and currently runs a site on wedding photographers in Dallas TX and wedding photography prices. Visit his site at www.thedallasweddingphotographers.net

Following on from our recent Avril Lavigne post, which inspired OK magazine to do a piece on our glasses, we sent some glasses off to Now magazine for their latest Fashion Q&A: How Do I Work The Preppy Look?

The shoot also includes a couple of Ray-Ban Designer glasses worn by the stunning actresses including the always-popular Ray-Ban Wayfarer

You can see Skins (series five) at 10pm, Thursday nights on E4

Get the Glasses Here

If you're on a tight budget and want the preppy look with a Wayfarer style frame, these Savannah 2249 glasses are available from just £6 (yes, £6), including Lenses and all the coatings! (Also available with Red, Blue or White arms).

Or go for one of our best selling wayfarer styled frames, the SS Collection 92002b available from only £39.99

If you’re after the Real McCoy the Ray-Ban RX5121 Original Wayfarer is one of, if not THE best selling designer prescription frames on SelectSpecs, available from £93.96… Alternatively, the RX5184 New Wayfarer might be your style.

See the article in full in Now Magazine dated 14th March 2011 – available now from all good newsagents (and some bad ones).

There are certain fashion accessories that modern culture obsesses over, and at the top of that list are glasses. Although technically these are items that are worn for corrective reasons, the same way one would wear a hearing aid, they have their own school of style. What we call "nerdy" glasses is the best example. Classic styles have been created throughout the years, which society relates to those studious, clever nerds whom everyone secretly wants to be like. While constantly reading and studying may be boring, wearing the nerdy glasses is easy, fun and nowadays a flattering accessory.

Classic Black-Rimmed Wayfarers

The wayfarer design for glasses has become a quintessential part of American accessorizing. Not only are they the foundation for some of the most popular sunglasses ever, but with prescription lenses, they create the ultimate uni-sex nerd glasses. When most people think of nerd glasses, whether it be those worn by Buddy Holly or the heroes in "Revenge of the Nerds," they usual think of these black-rimmed frames. Although they may have started off as glasses for legitimate nerds back in the 1950's, they are now the spectacles of choice for any self-respecting filmmaker or indie rock musician, whether it be Woody Allen or Rivers Cuomo. To up the ante, and get the most nerdy-ness out of the black-rimmed wayfarers, it's customary to add a small piece of masking tape around the frames, right between the eyes.

Gazelle Glasses

Gazelle glasses have been in and out of fashion since the early 1980's. These types of frames were originally designed for the elderly, which is why the lenses are so large, but it's their square shape that gives them their distinct, somewhat comical appearance and makes them so popular among the younger crowd. The trend really took over when Run DMC wore them as part of their group uniform, and nowadays, anyone from young, indie actors to professional football players can be seen sporting a pair of these over-sized glasses. Although many a girl has pulled these types of frames off, the nerdy gazelle glasses are typically worn by men.

Cat's Eye Glasses

Although there's no doubt that some men have tried, the cat's eye glasses are a nerd accessory that is, for the most part, for girls only. It's also a timeless classic that dates back to the 1940's. The name describes the shape of these spectacles. As opposed to a rounded, even shape, the frames curve into a pointed edge on the outer tips of the lenses, giving them a feline feel. Well they may not have been considered "nerdy" when originally conceived, their now-vintage aesthetic has made them popular among pop-culture nerds everywhere, especially those who love all things 1950's. The more hip versions of these nerdy frames are typically bedazzled with rhinestones around the edges and come in an array of colors aside from the original black.

Sujan has been blogging about health for over 4 years, he currently helps people find online health insurance.

The progress made in the eyewear industry has made it possible for people to correct their vision disorders in elegant and fashionable ways with just about all the top designer fashion brands jumping in and playing a roll.

The introduction of lightweight frames and lenses have enabled the change in attitude towards glasses.  Thin lenses replaced the thick ones, which were uncomfortable and negatively affected the wearer’s self-esteem. The ability to offer various lens curvatures in a variety of frames empowers the wearer to achieve almost any desired look.

Advancements in lens technologies and the ever increasing wide ranges of eyeglasses are extremely welcomed considering the high percentage of people with eyesight problems. According to a study by the National Eye Institute about 64 percent of the U.S. adult population wears glasses. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showed that the most encountered vision deficiencies are astigmatism, which causes fuzzy vision and affects 36 percent, and myopia (short sightedness), with 33 percent of respondents having problems seeing objects located at certain distances. Another 3.6 percent are affected by hyperopia, being longsighted. Read the report from Reuters here.

Findings in other countries are similar, indicating that more than half of the world’s population has vision problems and needs corrective glasses.  Thankfully, each individual can express themselves in their own unique style by choosing the glasses they like.

Today, there is an incredibly wide range of frames, which come in various materials, shapes, colors and styles.  People can choose full frame, semi-rimless or rimless glasses with an oval, round or rectangular shape that will best match their physical traits.  And for adding some spice, they can opt for all kinds of interesting or expressive colors.  Extra fine details, like sculptures, logos and other personal elements, can be added for creating a personal image through the glasses.

Besides the large variety of frames available, there are also multiple options when it comes to choosing lenses, something to suit the needs and requirements of any wearer. Different materials, including glass, plastic, polycarbonate, trivex, and high index plastics, also known as polyurethanes, can be used to manufacture single vision, bifocals, trifocals, progressive lenses, or aspheric lenses.  Specs wearers can play with the tint of the lenses, as colored pigment can be added both for function and for fashion, the choice of basic coloured tints, photochromic and polarized are all at the wearer’s disposal.

Prescribed by an ophthalmologist or an optometrist after an eye exam, eyeglasses can improve both vision and physical appearance. Famous designers and qualified opticians cooperate in order to create glasses that are also elegant accessories for those who are in need of both perfect vision and that need to scratch that fashion itch.

Fashion design houses, such as Versace, Gucci, Emporio Armani, Ray-Ban and Prada, have being making efforts to offer customers eyeglasses that highlight one’s elegance and are always up-to-date to the latest trends.

Eyeglasses can help someone boost their self-confidence or to make a powerful personal statement of self-expression. All in all, one can look fabulous and express their style while correcting a vision deficiency.

This Belgian fashion designer has maintained a notoriously low profile throughout his career; he has never had his picture taken and hides backstage after his fashion shows.  Getting an interview with the man himself is like trying to build a life-sized Empire State Building entirely out of Lego in the middle of an earthquake, since any media contact with the designer is via a fax machine alone.

Martin Margiela’s designs revolt against the luxurious fashion world with garments of oversized proportions such as long arms and seams and hems on the outside, a style which can be clearly seen in these crazy sunglasses.

Now I won’t lie, I did enjoy the recent Sacha Baron Cohen yuck-fest of a movie that was Brüno, I laughed and laughed until my jaw ached, but I don’t know much about fashion.  It seems to me, that these single lens sunglasses are designed to make a statement and probably only one that will be seen on the catwalk.  They seem completely impractical in the real world; I mean where the hell does your nose go?  The tiny nose-piece (see insert) must rest on the tip of your nostrils.  I would imagine these sunglasses would fly from your face as soon as you turn your head.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but looking at the front view of these so-called sunnies the only thing missing is a set of windscreen wipers!

More Crazy Martin Margiela Sunglasses

Okay, I’m guessing Martin Margiela doesn’t refer to these sunglasses as ‘Crazy’ himself, but while we’re on the subject I also found these…

Although I can’t see myself wearing these nutty shield style sunglasses there is something a bit more acceptable about them.  I guess it’s because they look a bit like some of the mad plastic headgear worn by the dancers in a Kylie Minogue music video or something out of the movie Minority Report.  There’s something very Sci-Fi about these, they really do belong in a movie or music video.

Whatever your opinions are of Sarah Palin, there’s no denying the fact that she has been grabbing the lion’s share of the headlines during the 2008 Presidential Election campaign.  Republican US presidential candidate John McCain’s chosen running mate seems to have gained more attention than the man himself.

While Barack Obama appears to be easing ahead in the polls, its almost as if Sarah Palin is the new Britney Spears or Paris Hilton of Internet search terms.  “Sarah Palin” is No. 1 on the list of mostly widely used political search terms, with about 1 in every 500 web searches containing her name.  Although research by Hitwise suggests that popular searches include terms such as “Sarah Palin Vogue”, “Sarah Palin sexy photos”, “Sarah Palin bikini” and “Sarah Palin Nude”! (Make of that what you will…) (See the top 100 search terms here).  Needless to say, even Hustler appears to be cashing in on her popularity by shooting a Sarah Palin themed porn film.

On a serious note, Sarah Palin has apparently even influenced some of our own customers into certain fashion purchasing decisions.  At SelectSpecs.com we have seen an increase in popularity in glasses and frames that are similar in style to those worn by the attractive vice-presidential nominee hockey mom.

We therefore decided to have a glance over our extensive range and pick out a selection of glasses/frames that we consider to be potential “Sarah Palin look-a-like” glasses and list them here for your viewing pleasure.  Surprisingly there are quite a few more on our site that we couldn’t list here, so feel free to have a browse.

Rodenstock Prescription Glasses: R4722-S1

Hush Prescription Glasses, XiFlex W05, Sarah Palin look-a-likes

Esprit Prescription Glasses, et9322

Ray-Ban Prescription Glasses, RB7002

Humphrey’s Prescription Glasses, 2412

Just Cavalli Prescription Glasses, JC 0057

Rodenstock Prescription Glasses, R4757-S2

Feel free to take a look around our new site and use our new search functionality.  Maybe you can find something even better.

Animal eyewear offers some of our most affordable designer name frames in trendy functional and sporty designs. You can pickup Animal Sunglasses from as little as £32.90 or Animal Prescription Glasses including lenses from £68.74.

Below are just some of the examples of the varied Animal Sunglasses and Prescription Glasses now available, click for more details and to see more colour options for each frame.

Animal, LYNX ALS-8050 - £32.90

Animal, VOLT ALS-7566 – £37.02

Animal LAMS ALS-7561 – £45.24

Animal, ALO-7521 – £87.07

Don’t forget – All our prescription glasses come with thin and light lenses with anti-reflection, UV protection, scratch resistant lenses, and water and dust repellent treatment all completely FREE.