Do you wear glasses? Are they a discreet frame or something that stands out? Are your specs a signature style accessory?
Would you like them to be?
In this podcast episode, Jill Chivers of 16 Style Types and I discuss glasses as a possible signature style accessory.
What Makes a Signature Style Accessory?
I don't consider my glasses to be a signature style accessory as the two pairs of glasses I wear most frequently are quite different from each other in shape and style and colour. They are not particularly identifiable as a pair of "Imogen Glasses". I also expect that my next frames will be a different shape/style/colour again too, depending on which frames I like best.
For me, glasses are like a piece of jewellery. They go with my outfits but are not the feature. As I like more dramatic and bold jewellery, I do also like a frame that is noticeable (I figure if I've got to wear glasses, then I may as well make them a feature), but I'd not call them a signature accessory.
Unlike Iris Apfel, whose round glasses are iconic and are part of her signature style as she's been wearing the same style of frames for many years - you can identify her from those glasses, mine are not the same.
Part of a signature style element is that they are identified as an element of your signature style.
Vogue Editor Anna Wintour is another example of someone who is identifiable by her glasses. For Anna, it's a pair of sunglasses (and she's frequently seen wearing them inside in the front row of a fashion show.
And if you want to know why Anna Wintour wears sunglasses indoors - you can find out here.
Jill's Signature Style Glasses
Jill's glasses are a signature style accessory as they are usually an element of her leopard (which is her signature print).
They are all identifiable as an element of her signature style as they are all leopard and in a tortoiseshell colour too.
When Jill claimed her signature style of leopard print with her frames, she made the investment in her frames that worked as part of that whole. She now has a number of pairs of leopard frames that may be different in shape, but have the leopard print in common.
Do You Want To Make Your Glasses a Signature Style Accessory?
If you are thinking about making your glasses part of your signature style, particularly if you have to wear glasses all the time anyway, it's worth considering if you want to do this.
What makes it a signature style accessory?
Colour - Choosing a colour that is always the same. You may become the woman in the red glasses (or purple or green or whatever is your pleasing).
Pattern - Maybe you love leopards like Jill, or some other pattern that you will look for on all your frames.
Shape - Be like Iris with her round glasses, or you may love an aviator, or a rectangular or a hexagon - and then no matter how the fashions change you stick with your frame shape of choice.
Linking Up to: Not Dressed as Lamb, Style with a Smile, Thursday Fashion Files, Ageless Style, Visible Monday