The Logo Paris runway show featured the latest trends in eyewear.

It is a place where trends are made. And this year's SILMO optical trade fair in Paris was no exception. A variety of new collections debuted, and a bevy of new trends in eyewear design could be spotted among the aisles of fashion-forward exhibitors.

The show took place in the Porte Versailles exhibition center October 22-25. The two-floor exhibit hall boasted 906 international exhibitors from 30 countries. A total of 26,064 visitors from 120 countries, including 392 from the United States, attended the show. The number of visitors in 1999 represents an 8 percent increase in attendance over 1998.

In addition to the exhibit hall sights and sounds, SILMO also featured its 6th annual International Grand Prix for Technology and Fashion.

The exhibit hall also contained the 1999 SILMO Forum, a 400-square-meter trend and product information area with a plethora of new ideas and design technology. SILMO is known for new introductions of fashion and technology, and there were several things creating a buzz at this year's show.

Top Trends

New frame fashion was everywhere at this year's SILMO show. From fanciful and bejeweled to cool, sleek, and futuristic, there was literally something for everyone.

On the more whimsical side, one trend that really stood out was the incorporation of rhinestones on frames. Some lines featured rhinestones or cubic zirconia (such as Sama) in a delicate way as simple accents on temples or frame fronts. Some lines went the more brazen route with temples and frame fronts emblazoned with many stones (i.e. Selima and Lafont), sometimes in multicolors (such as Vivienne Westwood).

The Chloe line also featured a sunglass with rhinestones in the shape of a heart on the lens. In this same fanciful theme, Chloe continued to carry the torch with a sunglass that had an Asian dragon-like print on the lens.

Also making a continued and even larger splash were tinted lenses for sunglasses as well as light tints for ophthalmic frames. There is a larger color palette now than ever for lens tints, and most frame companies had sample cards of all the lens options they offer. Some of the newer colors included light coral, deep blue, light lavender, and light orange.

Rimless and semi-rimless frames also showed off new and uniquely shaped lenses. And following this trend were frames in plastic that had cutouts on the frame themselves. Many of these details were meant to highlight the lens, which is fast becoming the focus of frame fashion.

Additionally, the sunglass clip-on trend continued at the show and expanded in new directions. Guess? Convertibles, a new line introduced at the show by Viva, features styles with a sleek plastic sunglass clip-on that converts metal eyewear to sunwear.

And of course sleek and futuristic frames were a strong trend at the show. From ic! berlin's new smaller shapes featuring their award-winning screwless hinge system to clean-lined styles from the new HUGO Hugo Boss collection, the effect of the new millennium was apparent.

In addition to new styles, there was a variety of new frame collections introduced at the show, including Prada from Oliver Peoples, Chanel from Luxottica, and HUGO Hugo Boss by CXD (an exclusive division of Charmant).

Certainly, the plethora of new collections and new fashions introduced at this year's SILMO kept optical professionals from all countries busy searching the aisles for the product that was right for their dispensary and their customers. EB