Last month Warner Bros. announced that J.K. Rowling will be making her screenwriting debut with ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’, inspired by Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbook of the same name, featuring Newt Scamander as the book’s fictitious author.
In case you’ve been holed up somewhere isolated for the past ten years, Harry Potter fandom is a big deal with an almost, dare I say it, cult status between millions of people – young, old and everything in between.
So why am I on my Harry Potter soap box? Well, when Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince arrived on our screens, it smashed box office records into smithereens. It also happened to have inspired hundreds of fans to become entranced by what I like to call, ‘Wizard Chic’, in particular, with regards to Harry’s round style glasses. At the height of the films popularity, many stores even reported up to a hundred percent jump in sales, proving just how influential the weird and wonderful world of wizardry can be and, perhaps, just how versatile those round and quirky frames can be.
Over the last 10 years we have followed the dramatic twists and turns and seen the characters – and actors playing them – grow into adults. Emma Watson became a fashion icon, while Daniel Radcliffe went on to prove his credibility as an actor – proving he isn’t a one trick child actor set to go off the rails. Harry Potter is all grown up , and his trademark glasses became, and still continue their reign as the on trend, must have frames to be seen in and this latest installment, albeit not exactly Harry and friends as we know them, is sure to cause another rush on the iconic eye-wear.
Harry Potter glasses could certainly be described as nerdy, but unlike typical nerd glasses they feature a slim metal frame – perfect for people who are tired of the omnipresent black of the Wayfarer style. Of course these round, ‘geek chic’ frames have been around for years, known initially Teashades, a type of psychedelic art wire-rim sunglasses that were often worn by members of the 1960’s counterculture like John Lennon, who became renowned for his iconic shades.
Although both Lennon and Radcliffe have a similarly shaped roundness to the face, the versatility of the circular frames means that a variety of different face shapes suit the style. A popular style with celebrities, the flattering circular frames are firm favourites with The Olsens, Lady Gaga and everyone’s favourite kooky actor, Johnny Depp, who’s rarely seen without his rounded specs. The style also seems to hold no prejudices when it comes to age either, flattering young hipsters to original hipsters and everyone in between.
Check out our great selection of round glasses on offer in the SelectSpecs store here.
Some of my favourites include a pair of Harry Potter style glasses from Tom Ford which come in a range of different shades including the enduring tortoise shell with the ever popular rose gold accents – a very simple style yet effortlessly stylish. Or if you’re feeling a little more adventurous, this model from Maddox comes in a bold, hot pink statement shade. Harry Potter-style glasses have been getting more and more sought after and show no signs of waning in popularity – we’re seeing them flying off the shelves, on broomsticks!
