For Your Eyes Only

The saying goes - 'the future's so bright, i gotta wear shades'. But Anupama p Shenoy wonders if it wouldn't be brighter with rose-tinted glasses set in a pair of Swarovski-studded Christian Dior frames…

It was the very first time I fell in love at first sight. And as with other things in my life, it happened when I least expected it. Yet, I'd say it seemed perfect at the time because the object of my affection was certainly covet-worthy. A silky smooth pair of Christian Dior glasses cast in a delicate, pale pink, cat-eye-shaped frame. My heart fluttered the moment I set my eyes on it. Daintily, I picked it up and rested it on the bridge of my nose. It was as perfect as the first glimpse of the sun on a dark, cloudy morning. And then I looked at the price tag. A gulp later, I left the store.

A couple of weeks later, I walked back into Lawrence & Mayo just to feel the touch of that delicate frame on my skin again. And this time with a resolve to hear sweet strains of the credit card swipe. Only it was gone.

But such is life. Beautiful things are expensive…

I scoured through several shopping malls to figure out why their pricing of international brands ranges from expensive to even more expensive. But didn't find out why one would choose a particular brand over the other. At most I was told - 'It's a great product internationally,' or 'It looks better on you than the others'. But the fall back sales pitch spelt 'exclusive'.

And high-end models truly are. Take for example the High Jewellery Collection from Cartier. It comprises 16 models created by - as the brochure reads - 'the world's greatest craftsmen, producing frames of exquisite artistry and optical perfection.' A jewellery-studded pair of frames with two panthers on the rim is priced, as are the others, in the prohibitive range of Rs 55,000 approx. And they've even explained why.

Cartier can easily flaunt the most expensive frames available in the country, and among its clientele are the chosen few crème de la crème.

A good pair of frames are as much a fashion statement as a pair of Prada shoes or a Chihuahua. Armani and Gucci sunglasses are popular choices among the globally recognised brands. Other than their great designs, they're also worth the investment if you want to rely on labels to spice up a drab wardrobe. (Or if you're a Christmas tree of designer labels!)

But good old Rayban can't be far behind. Even with the easy availability of Bulgari, Dolce Gabbana and Salvatore Ferragamo, Rayban still has a stronghold in the market. Even connoisseurs opt for popular designs, such as the Aviators. And the higher end of their range is comparable to the average price of a DKNY.

Trend-meter

As with other aspects of Indian living, trends in eyewear are fuelled by Bollywood. Karan Johar and his brigade of new directors and designers have sworn to pull the Indian film buff (which makes about 90 per cent of the populace) out of their shells and dish out a spread of fashion ideas they'd hardly ever imagine. Most young women want to emulate beauty queens turned actresses, like Aishwarya Rai, Sushmita Sen and Lara Dutta, who don't hesitate to wear colour contacts on screen or when they shoot for ad campaigns.

Like Manish Malhotra revamped the public image of Karisma Kapoor by draping her with a saree and Urmila Matondkar by having her don a sexy leather mini-skirt, Johar supplemented the rectangular frames trend by offsetting them with Preity Zinta's classic London look in Kal Ho Na Ho thereby creating a distinct style.

Now most young people who walk into Lawrence & Mayo are checking them out, whether or not they have Preity's chubby face. Fortunately, 20:20 is no deterrent to making a style statement with glasses these days. And opticians will gladly lay out a neat spread of reasonably priced pairs for you. Doesn't hurt to try 'em on.

If you don't have a prescription but work extensively on the computer, you could go for the plain UV protected lenses that shield your eyes not from the sun but your monitor.

Regular spectacle frames are best preferred in rimless frames though. Held together by a mere couple of screws, they allow a choice of any shape, thereby eliminating the limitation of full-rimmed glasses. The most popular in the rimless is the Silhouette, priced at around Rs 3,000.

'Glares-which?’ project

There's actually a large segment this season opting for vibrant shades in blues and oranges. And to set them in are brown or gunmetal frames - both colours that complement Indian skin. But the big trend is back to the past, the bigger, old-fashioned, '40s style frames, according to Vivek Nandodkar, who heads the sales team at Lawrence & Mayo. He has also noticed the increasing use of the sutra type of glasses, which means no frames. Smaller towns, he says, are more trend conscious than the big cities. Not surprising. I can imagine anyone walking down the road in orange glasses…unless they're the sporty Nikes. (Spotted a lovely orange pair of flexon-powered unbreakables for Rs 13,200.)

It's interesting to note that the more conservative Chennai market is still large on large gold frames while other cities like Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi prefer gunmetal and bronze when they purchase metal frames. (A traditional Indian's love for yellow gold never fades.)

Big spenders can revel in the Rs 20,000 Bulgari, the Rs 15,000 Christian Dior, the Rs 11,000 Gucci or Armani, the Rs 10,000 Salvatore Ferragamo or the Rs 12,600 D&G.

The average spend for a pair of sunglasses among yuppies is in the range of a thousand rupees. Because every segment needs to be catered to, two Korean brands, Scott and Sprint, priced at Rs 680, and a bunch of other nameless ones, in the range Rs 500 to Rs 1,199, are perfect for conservative spenders.

Also priced conservatively are colour contact lenses. The market for disposable soft lenses is on the rise with teenagers and young adults picking between grey and green or aquamarine and honey brown to go with their dress code. These are available with three brands - J&J, Bausch & Lomb, CIBA - and would cost less than Rs 1,000. The difference between them is that CIBA is better geared with an excellent range of colours that complement Indian skin.

But seriously, the best way to pick up the perfect pair of eyewear is to (1) Pick one that appeals to your aesthetic sense, (2) Wear them for a few minutes so you can judge how it will feel on your skin, and (3) Check your credit card balance if it's expensive. But the basic idea, as with everything else, is that if you like it you pick it. And if your friends laugh at you, you stick your tongue out at them.

Money-wise

Bulgari: Rs 20,000 Christian Dior: Rs 16,000 Gucci: Rs 12,900 Versace: Rs 8,900 Calvin Klein: Rs 8,360 Salvatore Ferragamo: Rs 10,000 D&G: Rs 12,600 DKNY: Rs 7,700 Nike Sports: Rs 13,200 Tag Heuer: Rs 30,000