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Frames Should Frame.
Details Magazine put together their picks of the best of the new eyeglass frames from Tom Ford, Zita, and the like in their November 2009 issue, with Adam Lambert on the cover. Of course, it’s one of the only features in that issue that I can’t link you to because they don’t have posted on their site yet. Sorry about that.
The verdict: The Clark Kent-look is trending upward. It is more fashion-forward right now for men to call attention to their spectacles with big, bold, and beautifully full-figured looks, rather than trying to minimize their affect with wire frames or super light weight frames.
As an eyeglass wearer by necessity, I personally have never really appreciated the look of thin frame or wire frames on my own face. I have always wanted to use my glasses as an accessory. I’ve never had the inclination to tone them down, treating them like some kind of social liability. And this trend speaks to that; A parody of the ancient notion that the large spectacle was a province of the nerd.
I was a bit disappointed, though, that my personal top pick for this new eyeglass trend wasn’t included on Details’ list. But it may have been because that these particular frames are marketed as sunglasses, and are only turned in to eyeglasses with special effort by the owner.
My top pick for bold eyeglasses are the Selima Optique, Rivington, designed especially for the most recent J. Crew catalog, available for $325. In black:
…And the tortoise shell version on a model:
Awesome choice to top off any look, and certainly awesome with modern fitting suit.
Don’t expect to go and try these on at your local J. Crew though. Their popularity was underestimated and they are down to online availability only. And not only will you probably not be able to try them on, but the website doesn’t even list the official measurements of these frames. So until now, it was a bit of “pay and pray” as a shopper: Pay for them, and pray they fit. And at $325, admittedly, I don’t like those odds.
So, I was able to speak to a J. Crew Online personal shopper named Katie who forked over the measurements. So, as a bit of an exclusive, if you really are considering these frames, here are the size measurements of the Selima Optique Rivington.
Lens - horizontal: 50mm
Lens - vertical: 44.45mm
Bridge (mm): 21mm
Front of Frame at Top: 120.65mm
Length of Arms (temple): 143mm
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You Should Already Own This: A Thoughtful Umbrella
In California, you don’t see many rainy days. So few in fact, that you might store your umbrella in early spring and completely forget you own one. Until one morning, you wake up in October to a downpour, look in your entryway closet, and take comfort in the fact that at some point you got smart and bought yourself a good umbrella that will serve you for years.
I know it may seem mundane, but I feel like the commuter’s umbrella shouldn’t be just functional, it should be a statement, the same way your choice in a bag is a statement, or your choice in eyeglass frames is a statement. The umbrella should convey the same message that an overcoat or a scarf might. Fall accessories are half the fun of fall fashion, and an umbrella, an accessory so large that it can at times obstruct your entire look, should require far more thought than most give it.
Having owned it for two rainy seasons now, I completely and totally endorse the Burberry Giant Check Umbrella, $275.
I personally don’t appreciate compact umbrellas, nor do I enjoy the golf-style “stick” umbrella. I also happen to be a sucker for appointments like leather-wrap, and of course the Burberry tartan, regardless of it’s recent fall out of favor with some due to it’s increased accessibility in the last few years.
The full-sized, cane umbrella: They don’t stow away neatly, because they aren’t meant to stow away neatly.
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Fall 2009 Shopping List: The Brief Bag
I personally love my heavy leather messenger bag from Banana Republic, I take it everywhere I go. As much as I love it though, this season I’ve been seriously coveting a “brief bag”; a kind of hybrid of briefcase and bag.
Of my research, the most attractive bag that I can find happens to also be found at Banana Republic. Not only because I love the color and design elements, but because I happen to know by experience that they consistently produce quality-built bags.
The Banana Republic Nylon Twill Everyday Brief Bag. $180.
The canvas on this bag will add new texture to any outfit, and the slightly broken-down look, as opposed to the stiffer, more corporate looking brief bags, add a younger context without looking too casual for the office. I myself would sport this sans the shoulder strap though, and use just the handles. With this bag in one hand, and a stylish umbrella in the other, you’re just about ready for fall in the way of accessories.
