Wearing glasses for fashion
Discussion
Following on from a conversation I was having earlier, I thought I'd canvas the opinion of my PHer peers on wearing glasses purely for fashion. I don't mean fashionable corrective glasses, but clear, plain, non-corrective glasses.
Many of the people I spoke to were of the opinion that it was purely for poseurs. My argument was that many men and women wear bracelets, rings, necklaces, ear rings and so on, purely for aesthetic reasons. Why not wear glasses for the same reason? Your face is the thing that people (generally) look at first, why not add a little jewelry to that?
So let's hear your opinions - good look or fashion faux-pas? Valid fashion accoutrement or ridiculous posing aid?
Kingr
Many of the people I spoke to were of the opinion that it was purely for poseurs. My argument was that many men and women wear bracelets, rings, necklaces, ear rings and so on, purely for aesthetic reasons. Why not wear glasses for the same reason? Your face is the thing that people (generally) look at first, why not add a little jewelry to that?
So let's hear your opinions - good look or fashion faux-pas? Valid fashion accoutrement or ridiculous posing aid?
Kingr
It has taken me over a year to find a pair of glasses that I actually enjoy wearing. I usually wear contact lenses, but since investing in a pir of frames by Prada I've hardly taken them off. I have been wearing glasses for about 23 years and this is the first time that I have ever had people commenting on how nice my glasse are. One girl actually said she wished she wore glasses because they were so cool!
I am suprised that people would want to wear them as a fashion accessory, but I imagine it enables them to create a different look quite easily. I remember it being a real trend amongst celebrities about five years ago. I think it was designed to make them appear 'intellectual'
>> Edited by EmmaP on Monday 6th December 23:34
I am suprised that people would want to wear them as a fashion accessory, but I imagine it enables them to create a different look quite easily. I remember it being a real trend amongst celebrities about five years ago. I think it was designed to make them appear 'intellectual'
>> Edited by EmmaP on Monday 6th December 23:34
rolex said:
I always fancied being kind of a war hero like Douglas Bader, would be great to have my legs cut off and have some smart artificial limbs fitted.
Rather sick, but I see (no pun intended) your point. I don't think this is parallel though - I certainly don't consider people who wear glasses as disabled. At one stage it would not have been consided strange for a man to walk with a stick, even if he didn't need it.
Kingr
I had to wear coke-bottle thick lenses for years. They were very heavy and I had no peripheral vision. As soon as I got contacts, my vision and depth perception were much, much better. I wouldn't go back to glasses, even as an accessory, just because it was such a nuisance having the edges of the frames interfering with, and limiting, my field of vision. I don't know how other people can stand that. Even wearing sunglasses, I feel like I'm looking down a tunnel because of the small lenses, and the frames get in the way so you have to turn your head more to look right or left.
seafarer said:
I had to wear coke-bottle thick lenses for years. They were very heavy and I had no peripheral vision. As soon as I got contacts, my vision and depth perception were much, much better. I wouldn't go back to glasses, even as an accessory, just because it was such a nuisance having the edges of the frames interfering with, and limiting, my field of vision. I don't know how other people can stand that. Even wearing sunglasses, I feel like I'm looking down a tunnel because of the small lenses, and the frames get in the way so you have to turn your head more to look right or left.
I know what you mean. I go for the extra thin lenses (very pricey). My prescription isn't as bad as yours though by the sounds of it! I do feel more comfortable driving with contact lenses instead of wearing glasses as I get better peripheral vision. My neck gets more excercise though when I wear glasses.
Bloody amazing. I wore specs out of necessity as a kid. Along with ginger hair, no limbs or a speech defect, there was just about no worse way to single yourself out to be bullied.
I even used to get bloody whacked if I didn't wear them (by some psycho teacher - a WOMAN) to avoid getting beaten up on the way home.
Now people want to wear them who don't bloody need to?
F***ing fashion victims, spare me.
EmmaP said:
My prescription isn't as bad as yours though by the sounds of it!
Probably not! I'm 20/500, far sighted, so I can't get it corrected with surgery. Lasik and laser surgery seems to work best with nearsightedness. And, my Rx on the glasses made my eyes appear enormous! (near sighted perscriptions make your eyes appear a little smaller) So I look a lot more normal now.
wedg1e said:
Bloody amazing. I wore specs out of necessity as a kid. Along with ginger hair, no limbs or a speech defect, there was just about no worse way to single yourself out to be bullied.
I even used to get bloody whacked if I didn't wear them (by some psycho teacher - a WOMAN) to avoid getting beaten up on the way home.
Now people want to wear them who don't bloody need to?
F***ing fashion victims, spare me.
I hear ya. There's always some complete SOB who wants to flick them off of your face. Then they think that you can't see anything (but you can). Bastards. Teachers never take that kind of harrassment seriously. I had to wear super heavy sports goggles when I played soccer, so I was the uber-geek of the team too. All the snickering, being the only one on the field with big friggin goggles. Nice.
EmmaP said:
EmmaP said:
My prescription isn't as bad as yours though by the sounds of it!
Probably not! I'm 20/500, far sighted, so I can't get it corrected with surgery.
Jeez! That's one hell of a prescription. Mine's 4.5/170. BTW I didn't intend to make a joke earlier.
No problem! I don't know what your numbers mean. Mine's 20/500 as opposed to 20/20 which would be perfect. I joke about it all the time. I mentioned I played soccer....well, in high school, I played for 3 years, but was basically on the bench for the first 2 because that was how long it took me to learn to see the ball (my eyes also cross a little when I focus, something having to do with straining from a very early age...so I don't have much depth perception because of that). So, um...tennis would not really be my sport.
The funny thing was, at the end of the last year, when the coach gives player-nominated awards (MVP, most improved, etc), he had a special award for me, just for having stuck with it for so long, and improving to a level of "competence". Not great, but no longer embarrassingly bad. Ha! I hear Elton John has a pair you can borrow 
Elton John and CNN said:
Wednesday, November 13, 2002 Posted: 10:45 AM EST (1545 GMT)
Sir Elton's glasses have become his trademark over the years
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LONDON, England -- British pop star Sir Elton John is to lose his trademark glasses and have corrective eye surgery instead.
The star, who owns around 4,000 pairs, said he was tired of never being able to find them.
He told a UK television interview on Tuesday that he planned to have laser eye surgery next year.
Recalling the first glasses he owned, Sir Elton, 55, said: "In those days you went to the opticians and you had two or three glasses to choose from -- tortoiseshell or the round ones John Lennon used to wear.
"But now you can get everything.
"In fact, I'm getting the operation soon. I'm going to have the laser operation in February."
He went on: "I'm so fed up with 'Where are they?' I can't see anything, so why wait?"
Sir Elton's outrageous spectacles are part of his image and he once admitted to having bought 20,000 pairs over the years.
They include glasses with windscreen wipers, flashing lights and sun visors, although these days they are a little less over the top.
There was even a West End comedy called "Elton John's Glasses," in which his beloved football team Watford lost the 1984 FA Cup Final when the goalkeeper was blinded by a flash of sunlight reflected on the star's specs.
The multi-millionaire singer, whose hits include "Candle in the Wind," "Rocket Man" and "I'm Still Standing," said he planned to auction off his soon-to-be redundant collection.
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