Mido 2004: trends for next season

In search of a highly individual dimension, almost custom-made styling, the new collections fluctuate between a theatrical desire to appear and the reassuring feel of familiar materials and shapes. Vintage is the main story line, highlighted by decorations and treatments that give the impression of handcrafted workmanship, such as embroidery with raffia or hand-stitched leather detailing. Out of a renewed sense of volume come softness, rounded edges, sculpted effects, emphasized by pastel colors or bold ones, in a newly discovered harmony of contrasts.

Shapes

Sunglasses go from small, intellectual-looking shapes that surround only the eye to medium or significant ones, sculpted, rounded or softened with standout dimensions that are clearly reminiscent of the past. The 70s are still in vogue, with wrap-arounds or tear drop shapes used even for feminine eyewear. References to the 50s and 60s are not lacking, either, with forays even into the 30s and 40s. The operative word here is consistently the layering of styles and periods. The mood is decidedly vintage, déja-vu but with modern updates, akin to impressions that are reminders of the past. Even designs that refer to specific periods, identifiable with modern antiquing, become a favored source of inspiration, thanks to their fluid, comfortable and familiar lines, and to the sophisticated aesthetics and materials. Prescription eyewear relies on narrow rectangles, sometimes unisex, with wide, noticeable sidepieces. The strictly women's styles make use of acetate and metal, and go to extremes with elaborate treatments and decorations. A vision of lightness and the essential prevails in the rimless styles or barely-there frames made of extremely thin metal.

Colors

Color, like the decorative detailing, takes center stage in the coming collections that follow the influence of fashion, in some cases even transferring the texture of fabrics like lace and silk inside the acetate for a very sensual lingerie effect. From classic, natural shades like beige, tortoise shell, horn, the palette expands to bold and primary colors like white, black, red, blue, and brown, further emboldened by shiny finishing touches in a vast range of warm, comfortable shades of pink or mother of pearl, or delicate, spiritual hues like mauve, gold and silver, or deep shades of gray, violet, burgundy and various greens. The colors are divided into two categories: on one hand they are indefinite, dusty, chameleon-like and mellow, on the other, they are decisive, extreme, excessive. At times, the two categories co-exist in a strange harmony of contradictions to underline sculpted effects or to lighten striking shapes with flame effects and soft shading. Pure, cool white rules, while the two-tone combinations are timeless, especially optical white and black, or combinations of warm and cool, sober and wild tones that highlight the relationship between the inside and the outside of the eyeglasses, playing up the lining. Even the pairing of two different materials aims to create a subtle chromatic contrast. Color is evocative and becomes emotion, energy, with extreme interventions of orange and shocking pink, venturing onto the wild side with graphic motifs like stripes or checks. Lens colors are in contrast with or complement frame colors, in keeping with a decidedly humorous approach to choosing one's eyewear.

Materials

Alongside the increasingly popular acetate that is easily molded into fantastic sculptural effects, are injected materials and metals, from aluminum to steel, titanium, and magnesium in an extreme quest for light weight. Very often different materials work together in the same frame, bound perhaps by a single common color. In keeping with a general philosophy of life that favors comfortable home furnishing solutions, materials try to be 'compatible', to have a 'soft' look, following lines that fit the face, playing around with treatments that highlight the transformational capabilities of multi-layering or the flexibility and the malleability of metal. Contamination between materials occurs with increasing frequency, not only to create a sophisticated aesthetic effect, but also to allow greater wearability of the eyewear, especially in the area of sports. In fact, this sector has seen the top signature lines offer glamorous styles for up and coming sports like golf. The expression 'eye-couture' would not be amiss, with the search for solutions that confer a 'hand-crafted' aspect to eyewear, like hand-stitched leather details and decorations in raffia.

Decorations

Increasingly important, in keeping with the philosophy that more is less, decorations appear only on certain elements of eyewear, in an attempt to create a strange balance that tends not to weigh down the overall image. For example, the juxtaposition of a clean front part and perhaps laser-decorated side pieces that become true works of sculpture while the metal is elaborately embroidered. Logos change from one collection to another with studs, rhinestones or gothic characters, divesting themselves of their original meaning to become a truly decorative element, spread out over the entire surface of the sidepiece with outspoken messages, always on the forefront of exploration of other paths of expression of communication. The 80s concept of opulence is translated into more sophisticated shapes, where decoration takes a seductive, complicit and sensual tack and appearance coexists with essence. In this context, rhinestones outshine all others in decorating lenses, frames, sidepieces, end pieces, and front parts. The dark mythic transgressive 70s rock star image moves away from clothing onto eyewear, with purposely dramatic effects, emphasized by symbols, some of which are removable, that can be found on the temples, end pieces or on the sides of the lenses, and which are often brightened by the use of rhinestones. The most frequent ones are the heart, the butterfly and the serpent, but also flowers—hand made in raffia as well (a decorative element that is enjoying new-found favor in home furnishings and in clothing), as well as rhinestone-studded anchors. Of course, it is only thanks to technology that it is possible to obtain special aesthetic effects like faceting on the sidepieces and front parts, milling that softens shapes, bringing out the multicolored heart of the acetate.

Lenses

Lenses become an integral part of the aesthetics of eyewear, not only in terms of color, but also thanks to the evolution of their relationship with frames, thanks to increasingly sophisticated application technology. When they do not overlay the frames, they are freed in some spots, creating a feeling of lightness. And they are truly light, even when made of glass, a material that has gained in thinness and durability. In addition to treatments, research is focused on materials which have made surprising strides in terms of strength, light weight and safety—the three key words, especially when speaking of sports. And here the subject ventures into a series of numbers or letters that define the new lenses, a reflection of the state of the art of a sector that is ever more willing to meet the needs of a highly demanding consumer niche market. In fact, the tendency is to create lenses that offer not only specific features for each sport, but that are also suited to various atmospheric and light conditions, amplifying the concept of interchangeable lenses. Concepts are transferred from other contexts, most importantly from the space program. Thus, curvature becomes a very important issue, especially as related to protection, the revival of goggles and optimum peripheral vision.

Accessories

Cases follow the trends set by fashion and design, making use of the same materials, colors, and decorative elements like flowers and textures. Choices range from cloth to skin, plastic, colors, and a fondness for rigid structures. Frivolous departures are not altogether missing, with cases that can be turned into bracelets. In sports eyewear, the discussion of materials branches out to include technical fabrics with waterproof capacity, while the inside of the cases offers spaces for the lenses and other interchangeable parts, or the elastic band that fills in for the side pieces. In many cases, there was an effort to create a way to carry the case on a belt for greater convenience when practicing a sport.