One of the key trends for Spring 2018 is colour. That is neither unusual nor groundbreaking; Spring fashion has ALWAYS delivered colour. Many of us crave something vibrant and uplifting after the post-Christmas greyness. But this year it’s different. Scarlet, cobalt blue and green have stolen the show, putting ubiquitous spring pastels in the shade. Mustard and tangerine also feature, along with ultra-violet, the Pantone colour of the year.

It seems that in 2018, we have a desire to express ourselves in a way that is braver and more confident than ever before. We’re not afraid to experiment and we’re no longer bound by season or gender when it comes to wearing colour.

The trend for bright(er) colour is apparent in eyewear too. While there are no hard and fast rules, a spectacle frame needs to flatter and suit. If wearing coloured spectacle frames is something new, and you want to dip a toe, my advice is to try, try and try some more.

How To Choose Coloured Spectacle Frames

As a new spectacle wearer, I’m looking forward to building up a wardrobe of frames. I’ve never shied away from wearing colour and I’m keen to choose a frame to work with spring clothes.

In the blog post about my first reading glasses I said that I am working with the spectacle frame company Stepper this year. This post is part of that paid partnership with them and all frames in this post are from Stepper.  But of course, the follwoing guidelines when choosing coloured spectacle frames are equally applicable to coloured spectacle frames from any brand.

Start by selecting a frame in a colour that you’d wear normally. A colour that you’re usually drawn to and that’s a friend in your wardrobe. See how it looks with your hair and skin tones. As a guideline, (and it doesn’t matter what colour the skin), cooler skintones with pink undertones suit shades of blue and purple, and bright green. Warmer skintones with yellow undertones suit orange, scarlet and olive greens. Once you have found a few that suit, be brave and experiment. Try some frames in colours you wouldn’t initially choose. The brighter the better. A spectacle frame can change the whole look of the wearer. You might be surprised and end up with something unexpected and totally fabulous! Of course, if you are already colour confident, then the world, (and the frame bar), is your oyster!

Trying On Coloured Spectacle Frames

I tried on three coloured frames. Two which are understated and one which is less so.

I have strawberry blonde hair and fair skin with warm, yellow undertones. I know that a frame with warm tones will suit. This beautiful frame (SI-30086, colour F620), in subtle shades of dark green complements my colouring and brings out the grey-green colour of my eyes. The camera hasn’t quite picked up how green it is but I think you can see that the tones are right. I have had my reading prescription put into this frame because I like it so much.

This is the identical frame in purple (colour F850). I love this just as much but, it wouldn’t go with as many of my outfits as the green one above.

This striking red and black frame, (SI-45002), is much less understated and can’t help but make a statement. It’d brighten a simple black or grey corporate look while still looking professional and would add chic style detail to an LBD. It’d look equally stylish with jeans and a t-shirt too. I wear a lot of red so I teamed it with red lace for a confident monotone look. This is not a look for shrinking violets!

All three of these frames have a simple design and, if wearing coloured spectacle frames is a new thing, I think that’s the key. When I was at 100% Optical in January I noticed that the trends are moving away from the thick, heavy-looking Buddy Holly style plastic frames that have been popular for several seasons, towards a more delicate silhouette. I think these Stepper frames give a subtle nod to this, while remaining almost timeless.

And Finally…

You might remember that this red lace blouse was a recent purchase in the Boden clearance. I wore it with jeans and red kitten heel boots a few weeks ago. Well, I love it so much that I also got it in cream. At the time of writing, it is still available in both colours, in the mid sizes for £27. The original price was £90.

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