What's In For Eyewear? Light Metal And Plastic

Hey there, Four Eyes. Is there a spec of fashion in your eyewear? Or are you wearing geezer goggles in brittle plastic with tape around the temple pieces?

The small, light look in metal is in and has been for a while. Some call it the retro look because of its detailed scrollwork; others refer to it as vintage or "techno vintage."

If you were wise enough to save Grandmother's or Grandfather's metal frames from the '20s, '30s or '40s, get them out. Get thee to an optician. You'll be right in style.

Metal frames have a new look this season - color applied at the factory, sometimes in enamel or foil, or applied after manufacturing with strips and wraps to match wardrobe changes.

Ruvane Richman, owner of Market Optical Inc., designs a line of frames called Myopium. He believes consumers will stay with the small metal frames for another two to three years. Rimless frames, which seem to float on the face, are popular, too.

The metal frame style began with round shapes, moved on to ovals, and now has evolved to a shape in between that outlines the eye itself.

"It's the minimalistic look," says Sandy Likes, associate vice president of merchandise and buying for the national chain LensCrafters.

Cat eyes are in, too, for the umpteenth time. Nearly every generation has had a fling with cat eyes.

But hold on there. Just when you fashion laggards thought you'd venture into skinny, little metal frames, out came the September issue of 20/20, an industry publication, with a cover model wearing small, delicate oval plastic tortoise frames.

The headline reads: "Plastic: A New Perspective."

As usual, everything old is new again as the cycle shifts back to plastic. And some frames are getting bigger. Again.

Translation: There's something for nearly everyone.

In fact, most people will wear glasses at some point in their lives.

The market for eyewear has been increasing since the first group of yuppies hit their 40s, "and their arms needed to be longer to read," says Jacqueline Fairbarns of the Optical Association of America.

Sixty percent of the population, or 154 million, need some kind of eyewear. After age 65 the proportion is 98 percent. Twenty percent of school-age children have vision problems that require correction.

In other words, glass-frame fashion will continue to be a hot topic. But the fashion cycle in eyewear doesn't move as quickly as that of clothing. The Optical Association of America says the average consumer purchases new eyewear about every 1.8 years. But that is more in sync with fashion than in years past, when eyewear was purchased just once every five years.

Eyeing the trends

This year's frames are made from different forms of plastic, sometimes shot with an array of bright colors; more sophisticated "fades" where a color fades to clear plastic, or milky translucents, according to 20/20. Some of the new plastic frames are small and delicate; some are bright and bold. And there are plastic upper eyerims with lower metal rims.

Big, bold and gold also are back, but mostly in sunglasses.

Someone who isn't surprised by the shift to more color and plastic is Steve Hull, owner of The Eyeworks at Fifth and Pine.

Hull's boutique has some frames that would rival the eyewear wardrobe of TV's Dame Edna (female impersonator Barry Humphries).

"You'd need a whole new lifestyle for some of these," Hull says, eyeing a display case with frames that include cats curling at the temples or parrots perched on the side.

The folks who buy some of these things tend to be town characters from small towns, Hull adds.

But among the glitz and glitter at The Eyeworks are some strikingly sophisticated items such as the handmade Rio frames from Brazil with mirrorlike backing that gives the front a luminous quality. (Patti Warashina, a University of Washington School of Art professor, owns a pair of Rio frames.)

Hull frankly caters to high-end clients who want something different. He has one of the priciest frames in town (a Cartier, 22 karat gold, $1,350). The only other Seattle area optical store authorized to carry Cartier is Visual Effects, operated by Virginia Mason Clinic downtown. Harbor Optical in Gig Harbor also is an authorized Cartier dealer.

Wood frames or wood accented with gold are another trend, says Brad Besner, co-president of Ultra/Palm Optical Co., a North Miami Beach firm known to be at the head of the pack in sniffing out trends.

Like Hull, Besner sees a trend back to glitzier, bigger frames, including huge, heavy-looking ovals.

Why?

The understatement of small metal frames has become too commonplace. And aging baby-boomers probably have fuller faces than they used to and probably need bifocals. A larger frame can slim the face and help accommodate bifocal lenses, Besner said.

There are other fashionable things specs' wearers can do for a different look. Carol Norbeck, owner of three Optical Illusions stores, offers "cosmetic" tinting, with the top of the lens tinted in a color matching eyes or frame, and a blush tone at the bottom to match skin color. She calls it "makeup for glasses" and teaches the technique in seminars around the country.

You probably won't be surprised to learn that celebrities have an advantage when it comes to eyeglasses. Manufacturers give them free frames to wear.

"It gives us exposure," says Judy Saltzman, a spokeswoman for Luxottica Group, an Italian firm and the world's largest manufacturer of frames.

Paul Reiser of "Mad About You" wears Georgio Armani round metal frames in the movie "Bye Bye Love," which will be released by Twentieth Century Fox early next year.

Whitney Houston wore Yves St. Laurent sunglasses in "The Body Guard."

And Candice Bergen of "Murphy Brown" and Sprint fame wears mostly Armanis.

Not to worry if you feel you cannot afford "designer" frames. Companies such as Luxottica also make nondesigner lines such as Avant-Garde, Berdel and Mirari. And there are two Armanis, Georgio, the expensive one, and Emporio, a moderately priced division.

Fashionable clip-ons

Clip-on sunglasses are back, in part because of designer Oliver Peoples, says Ruvane Richman. The look is done by a number of manufacturers and these clip-ons aren't the flimsy plastic type found in the drugstore, but stylish designs intended for specific frames. Some consumers are attracted by the preppy look, others by the cost effectiveness.

Buying a pair of prescription sunglasses, including frames and tinted lenses, makes as big a dent in the wallet as a pair of regular specs. But for $75 to $85 you can buy a pair of customized clip-ons to go with certain designers' frames.

If you're one to fret over not knowing how you're going to look when choosing new specs, help could be in sight.

That is if local optical stores buy the Electronic Mirror, a device made by Streibig Development Inc. of St. Louis.

The device allows customers to view themselves in up to four different frames with different options, such as tints and bifocals.

One drawback: the machine costs $6,000. No local store has bought one yet, but Streibig representative Jack London is working on it.

Some local opticians say they would have to charge $5 or $10 for customers to view themselves with different options, then give that as a rebate when glasses are purchased.

But London says they've got it all wrong: Use the machine to get customers to upgrade their purchases, buy better, more expensive frames.

----------------------------------------------------------------- BEFORE YOU BUY EYEWEAR, SOME TIPS

-- Under state law, you are entitled to a copy of your prescription after an eye exam and may have the prescription filled where you choose.

-- A prescription cannot be written for less than two years unless warranted for health reasons.

-- Ask friends for referrals to reliable ophthalmologists, opticians and optometrists. Ask about service and quality of workmanship.

-- In the optical store, look for the state license of the optometrist or dispensing optician. A licensed dispensing optician may supervise two apprentices. You have the right to ask for input from the licensed dispensing optician.

-- Ask whether there are extra charges for high-powered corrections, prisms and oversize lenses.

-- Before you buy an extended warranty, ask yourself how much it costs in comparison to what a new pair of eyeglasses would cost and whether you have ever broken a pair.

-- Compare the package price and the quality of the products involved to what you would get if you purchased them separately.

-- How much will sales tax be? Sales tax should be charged only on the frames, because the lens is a tax-free prescription. However, there is an exception: If an optometrist sells an exam, lens and frames only as a package deal, sales tax is calculated on the full amount, according to the state Department of Revenue.

-- Ask whether the store charges for minor adjustments and repairs.

-- If you want to use your own frame for a new prescription, be prepared to sign a waiver and/or pay an additional fee, sometimes as low as $10.

If you have a complaint

-- Complaints about optometrists and opticians may be sent to the State Department of Health, Vision Care, P.O. Box 47863, Olympia 98504-7863, phone (206) 753-4614. The department licenses individuals, not optical companies. -- Complaints about optical stores may be sent to the Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division, 900 Fourth Ave., Suite 2000, Seattle 98164, phone 464-7744. -- Complaints about opthalmologists may be sent to the State Department of Health, Medical Quality Assurance Commission, P.O. Box 47866, Olympia 98504-7866, phone (206) 664-8691.

Glossary

Myopia: nearsightedness

Hyperopia: farsightedness

Presbyopia: loss of ability to focus on close objects due to stiffening of eye's internal parts after age 40. Usually means person will need reading glasses or bifocals.

Ophthalmologist: a medical doctor specializing in functions and diseases of the eye; can perform eye surgery and can fit eyeglasses and contacts.

Optician: Dispenses and fits eyeglasses and contact lenses. Must be licensed in Washington state. Call the state Department of Health, (206) 753-4614, to verify licensing.

Optometrist: Holds a doctor of optometry degree. Can examine eyes, diagnose and treat eye disease; prescribe glasses and contact lenses. Must be licensed in Washington state. Call the state Department of Health, (206) 753-4614, to verify licensing. ----------------------------------------------------------------- The cost of eyeglasses

Glasses, contact lenses and solutions are a $13 billion annual business in the U.S. Here is a list of the top 10 markets for eyewear by sales volume and the average price consumers paid for a pair of eyeglasses. The Seattle area ranked 17th in market size.

Market Average price

1. Los Angeles-Long Beach $147.00.

2. New York City $137.61.

3. Chicago $158.17.

4. Philadelphia $149.99.

5. Washington, D.C. $165.80.

6. Detroit $143.40.

7. Boston/area $155.84.

8. Houston $150.97.

9. Atlanta $151.44. 10. Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y. $169.61.

17. Seattle, Bellevue, Everett $162.43.

Source: 20/20 Optical Group Database, 1993 figures.