trends now
Mad for Mirrors
Erinn Morgan
This spring and summer, sunwear is awash with mirrored lenses in nearly every color of the spectrum. This ubiquitous eyewear trend is, without a doubt, driving new interest in the plano sunwear category.
Key mirror colors this season include vibrant oranges, electric blues, deep greens, luxe neutrals, opulent purples, and rich reds. Gradient mirrored lenses are a strong niche within this trend as well.
The mirrored lens trend also extends its reach to the sports performance arena, where mirrored looks that deliver function and fashion have been present for years but are becoming more prevalent today. It has also reached into the prescription sunwear market, and lens makers are busy expanding their offerings of mirrored lens color options.
MIRRORED BENEFITS
While mirrored lenses have a real aesthetic appeal, they also deliver some tangible benefits to wearers, especially those looking for outdoor performance on water or snow.
“Glare reduction is the main benefit,” says Robert T. Spirito, ABOM, NCLC, brand manager of coatings, stock lenses, and labs at Carl Zeiss Vision, Inc. “It really benefits wearers with an added level of comfort and glare protection in a situation where a polarized lens may not be enough.”
At clubs, casinos, and the poker table, mirrored lenses can be a boon to players looking to hide their eyes—and put on a true poker face. Opticote even makes and markets The Poker Mirror, a mirrored lens coating that is applied to a clear lens and hides the eyes while allowing maximum light transmission in low light conditions.
Still, while most mirror-coated lenses allow less light to come through the lens, they do not generally change the visual effects of the lens. In addition, the color of the mirror does not affect the visual perception of the wearer.
SOLID VS. FLASH
Both solid mirrors and flash mirrors are prevalent in sunwear today, but the aesthetic appeal of flash mirrors is shining bright this season. Flash mirrors are less intense aesthetically—they don’t have as strong a mirrored look—and they also allow a little more light in. EB
| The Science of Mirrors |
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How are mirror coatings made and applied? According to Robert T. Spirito, ABOM, NCLC, brand manager of coatings, stock lenses, and labs at Carl Zeiss Vision, Inc., mirror coatings are applied to Rx lenses in a vacuum chamber process that uses chemistry to create the mirror coating and its specific color. “After the mirror is applied to the front of the lens then, typically, an AR coating is put on the backside,” says Spirito. “Wearers also want to ward off the backside reflection.” In general, mirror coatings are applied at labs that specialize specifically in this lens add-on. |
1. Bollé style Speed; 2. Vera Wang style Alizia from Kenmark; 3. Smith style Lowdown; 4. Ray-Ban style 3025 from Luxottica; 5. Oakley style 009189; 6. Chloé style CE604S from Marchon; 7. Prada style 500 from Luxottica; 8. Rudy Project style Zyon; 9. Carrera style 5001 from Safilo; 10. ClearVision Optical’s Izod style 759; 11. Swarovski style Amazing Mirror by Marcolin; 12. Dragon’s Owen White model The Jam
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