Reviewing pieces that won’t make it into my wardrobe

In today’s post, I’ll be making my first foray (I think on this whole website?) into eyewear. Previously I’ve tackled denim skirts (which you can read here) and slouchy boots (which you can read here). I generally try to avoid following trends too strongly in my wardrobe; things can look ‘dated’ quickly, and if you’re not buying it because you truly love it you can end up with a wardrobe full of things you never wear. But eyewear and glasses are one of the most trend-centric areas of style. I don’t mean necessarily that we’re all going out and buying unusual, fashion forward glasses. I more mean than the general trends or tendencies are fairly ubiquitous, and once they move on, it can be very hard to still find your old style. Remember when literally no one wore wire framed, ‘Harry Potter’ style glasses? Or when everyone seemed to be wearing small rectangular glasses with wide arms? These trends come and go, but when they’re here, they’re here.

This is perhaps a slightly odd choice of thing for me to write about, in that I am not actually a very frequent glasses wearer. I’m supposed to wear them for reading, writing and general close work, and so I have a couple of pairs. But if I’m honest, my prescription is so low that it doesn’t make much difference, so I go for long periods without bothering to wear them at all. It’s usually when I’ve had a period of intense spreadsheet use at work that I return to them!

However, I do have fairly strong opinions about what style of glasses suit me, and I am definitely of my time, in that that style is the 40s style glasses that were ‘in’ around the time I finished university. That’s one of the things about glasses: I think they really reveal how susceptible you are to trends. Something you and the rest of the world hated a couple of years ago could be your new favourite thing. There’s noting inherently wrong about this. I admire many people’s flexibility and ability to just give things a go. But there is also a side of me that thinks it’s a little bit questionable how much of a volte-face some people’s fashion opinions can take. Things take a more unhappy turn if you’re so into following trends that you end up disposing of glasses that still work fine (or which you could just get the lenses changed in if you need a new prescription) simply to go along with the latest eyewear fads.

The current vogue for large, 70s and 80s style square framed glasses strikes me as one of the strongest examples of this trend-led eyewear we’ve seen for a long time. No one my age would have been seen dead in glasses like this a few years ago – you simply would have been laughed out of town. Now, they are all the rage. This has been growing over the past year or two, but they seem to be hitting their peak now. I’m not going to pick out any individuals who wear these. I appreciate that they want to try something new (well, old), and as far as I know this could be a new love that lasts a lifetime. This could be their ’40s frame glasses. But as with many more intense, less neutral styles, it is hard not to imagine a large number of these people moving on next year. Perhaps the practical advantages will help overcome the urge to move on (such large frames must be easier to see out of?), but I’m not sure.

I don’t think there’s anything inherently unattractive about these glasses, there is just a long build-up of associations for me, and likely many people of my generation, which is hard to blot out. It’s probably a good thing that a younger generation of wearers has come along to update these associations, but I’m afraid I won’t be one of them.

So all in all, much as I admire the adventurous spirit of those adopting these hyper-retro frames, they won’t be finding a place in my reading room.

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How do you feel about this style of glasses? How do you choose eyewear, and what tips do you have for overcoming the trend cycles that dominate glasses? Please do share your thoughts in a comment!