Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Rose Colored Glasses

A modified cat-eye frame in tortoise with ivory color accents are a great shape for my heart-shaped face. The shape and size of the frame is the most important factor in whether a frame is flattering. Square frames look terrible on me, and small round John Lennon type frames make my large head look like a watermelon. Shape is everything!
I do not have a happy history with glasses. I did not want them; I cried the first time I had to get them; I rarely wore them; I often misplaced them. My first visit to the optometrist in grade school prompted the kind of shoulder-shaking, lip-trembling, over dramatic sobs that insecure tween girls are given to. Oh the wretched horror of having to wear glasses. My life was ruined. How I loathed those pale peach plastic Garfield frames. I resolved to wear them only when absolutely necessary. If I sat toward the front of the classroom, I reasoned, I hardly needed them at all. 
I thought black frames would be too heavy and dark for my fair skin, but the red accents on this William Morris pair lighten them up and make a style statement at the same time.
When I started high school, I finally  talked my mom into splurging for a pair of Liz Claiborne tortoise shell glasses that I didn't hate (yes, I know I'm dating myself here). But even that experience brought tears when I misplaced them in just a few short weeks.  I was panicked about losing them, and knew my mom would not be willing to foot the bill for a replacement.  So, I called the optometrist "on the down low" and worked out a payment plan to procure a second pair on my own.  For six weeks, both my allowance and a substantial portion of my lunch money went home with my friend Jill, who delivered it to the optometrist's office down the street from her house.  Of course, just one week after I finished paying for the new pair, my tennis partner mentioned she'd seen a pair of glasses just like mine in the office lost and found.  Guess who they belonged to?!  I didn't tell my mom about my "extra" pair of glasses until I was in college!
These modified cat-eye frames look like traditional tortoise at first glance, but they actually have a subtle leopard pattern and the coloring is a good complement to my hair.
It hadn't been too difficult to keep the lost Liz Claibornes a secret, because my eyesight was still good enough that I didn't need them all the time. Just two years later, though, I was saddled with the dreaded "A" restriction on my driver's license (despite my desperate, squinting attempts to read the eyechart unaided). That meant I was going to have to wear those dumb glasses a lot more, and while they weren't awful, I still didn't want to be a "four eyes." It was time for contact lenses, and once I had them, I figured I'd never need to wear my glasses again (and who'd want to?)
I wear a lot of turquoise, so the bright aqua accents on these tortoise frames will get lots of wear.
Since then, I've worn contacts almost exclusively, a few pair of outdated glasses gathering dust at the bottom of a drawer. I had little desire to wear them, let alone consider them a fashion statement. But, fast forward to late last year when my dear friend Deborah, who wears eyewear as her signature accessory, invited me to an open house at Revolution Eyes. I have never had so much fun at a doctor's office! Dr. Jeremy Ciano and his staff are committed to making sure their clients have a positive experience from the eye exam through frame selection and final fitting. What's more, their expertise in identifying frame shapes, colors, and styles that will be most flattering for a client's particular features make the experience feel more like a personal shopping trip to a high end boutique than a trip to a doctor's office. 
With assistance from office manager Debbie Lowry (a woman after my own MUST.MATCH.EVERYTHING heart) and her colleague Brandon Green, I finally found frames that actually made me feel good about wearing them, and were unique enough to make a personal style statement (Revolution Eyes carries several exclusive lines that can't be found elsewhere in central Indiana). In fact, I found so many pair that I liked, it was hard to choose! 
Look at all these stylish women excited to sport functional, statement-making eyewear at the Revolution Eyes Winter open house and trunk show!
I used to think I was a person who just didn't look good in glasses, but now that I've found styles that fit my face, features and coloring, I actually look forward to wearing them...but only when they match my outfit, of course.


FASHION IS WHAT YOU BUY; STYLE IS WHAT YOU DO WITH IT!