TRENDS
London's Bridge to Optical
London International Optics debut show offers elegance and accessibility
By Amy MacMillan

The Brits admittedly aren't revered for forward fashion sense, but the first-ever London International Optics show served up a platter of tempting morsels that could--one imagines!--compare to the queen's own high tea delicacies.

"We can be a bit fuddy-duddy," conceded one British optician. "But, it's great to see something new here."

The show, which ran from Feb. 13-15, featured only high-end frame vendors from all over the world. Jason Kirk, who conceived the idea for the show more than two years ago, wanted a showcase just for frame designers in an intimate atmosphere separate from other facets of the industry.

London, which is once again becoming a fashion capital, was ready to embrace such a show.

"We've been really pleased," says Kirk, the owner of London-based Kirk Originals and the creative director of LIO. "The response from exhibitors has been superb, and the response from visitors has been even better."

Ninety-six exhibitors, representing 150 brands from 14 countries around the world displayed their frames at the Olympia 2 Convention Center. Although the show did not attract as many opticians from the United Kingdom as hoped for, the debut show garnered kudos from all sides.

"It is great to see something new," says Clare Helyar Thompson, a London-based optician. "Many of us don't get the opportunity to travel abroad."

The show was designed to stimulate the British optical industry. As Kirk puts it, "One of the ideas was not to take orders, but to educate the market. But, people were taking orders, because the atmosphere was so laid back."

Indeed, opticians and buyers were whisked into plush carpeted booths, sometimes softly lit by candles, where many of the upper echelon of the high-end market were ready to greet them.

"It's a very comfortable pace," says Peter Friedfeld, vice president of marketing at ClearVision Optical, which was showing the Kenneth Cole optical collection for the first time in Europe. "I like the idea that this show is dedicated to more exclusive and interesting frames rather than the mass market," adds Peter Hall, a dispensing optician for Gregory & Seeley Optometrists in London. "It's encouraging that London is the venue for such a show, and I would hope it would build."

SEEN AND BE SEEN

If there was one obvious trend at the show, it was that frames are becoming more visible, with one caveat: levity must not be sacrificed.

The look has been thin and light--almost invisible--frames for several years now, notes Annette Saust Esto, sales and marketing manager for Copenhagen Eyes, makers of the It's Titanium lines based in Denmark.

"I think frames will be more visible for now," she says. "I think people want to give a signal with their frames."

Titanium is making headway, yet plastics are still on the top of everyone's list.

"Plastics are becoming popular now," agrees Dr. Gerlinde Sixt, designer and owner of Sixt Eyewear in Austria, who only works in acetate plastics. "Plastic adds something to the face. Metal is cold and technical to me. You can bring out beautiful features of your face with a plastic frame."

Fr�d�ric Beausoleil, of Beausoleil Lunettes, points out that plastics are especially flattering for women. "For a woman, it's always important to bring the face up--especially after 40. Plastic is fabulous for that. It's much less severe than metal," he says.

RECTANGLE RISING

Nowhere was the plastic more obvious than in the rectangle shapes jutting out from faces and display cases all over the show.

"The rectangle shape is booming," says Beausoleil. "It's a trend coming from Scandinavia...Norway and Sweden."

The rectangle is a wonderful shape because it's unisex, and can be styled in both plastics and metals, although it's mostly seen in zyl, he notes.

Tim Webb, export agent for IDC in the U.K., says rectangles in heavy colors sell well with men. He notes that the heavier styles are becoming popular with celebrities, such as British media star Chris Evans.

Beausoleil also notes that cat-eyes are making a comeback. However, they are not the severe angular cat-eyes of the 1970s and '80s, but feature softer edges. "They're not too cat," he says.

Funky versions of the aviators are thriving, too, says Natalie Warren, sales manager at Cutler & Gross. The company's "Baby Aviator" model for women is selling extre-mely well. This style features a double bridge which women seem to love and brightly-colored pink, purple, and blue lenses.

NO MORE "JUST BLACK"

Laminated colors add a kick to plastic frames in a world where "just black" is becoming slightly pass�, says Alexandre Sauvageot, artistic director of New York City's Selima Optique. "Black on its own is so obvious. But, we can go a little forward with the laminates," he says. But, when black is paired with clear, blue, or orange, it's more hip.

Fr�d�ric Beausoleil notes that subtle iridescence in titanium and monel is a great look. He also listed tortoiseshell titanium, as well as gunmetal and bronze ("a super sell") as must-have colors for this year.

The matte finish reigns at Brendel, where the colors are soothing blues and silvers. "We're getting a little away from the antique--still a matte finish, but not so dark," says Ann-Kristin Brendel.

Trendwatchers hoping to see something different at the LIO were not disappointed. Beausoleil says, "It's important to organize a show like this. It's better for foreigners to come here, than to Birmingham (the site of another British optical show)."

Beausoleil stresses that independent opticians and O.D.s need to trot the globe to stay trendy. "The best thing to do is travel the world, and maybe find an exclusive collection that only you carry. You can't just sit at home in your store." Next year's LIO will be held from Feb. 12-14 in London. EB