Spring is just around the corner, in fact it feels like it has already bloomed in our native Sydney, and that in our world means one thing; it’s time to get shopping for Sunglasses. While you should really wear them all year around to protect your peepers, Spring brings the longer days, warmer weather, and that brings more time outside and under the sun. It’s the perfect and natural moment to start thinking about upping your Sunglass game for the season ahead….
Here’s what the team at Proper Goods see as the hot trends this eyewear season.
1. Big and Bold
Eyewear, both sunglasses and eyeglasses are having a moment right now. A great phase of maximalism. Whether thick cut acetate (plastics) with exquisite hardware, or brilliantly machined metal work made with the finesse of a great timepiece, it’s no time to be a wallflower!
And despite all the overtones, the general theme is bold build, rather than just plain old bold which for the gents means we can continue to keep it classy and cool.
Ahlem Bonaparte In Coffeelight & Akoni Skyracer Antique Gold
2. Classics with a Custom Lens Twist
If bold isn’t your style, don’t worry—classic frames are forever. Literally. That’s why they’re the classics. If this is more your game, think about mixing it up with an unusual custom tinted lens. Go for a Cabernet, Green, Blue or an Amber fade. Call it a café, Hollywood or celebrity tint, either way it’s a fresh way to level up your classics game, wear them indoors and out with pride.
Moscot Maydela Black w Amber & LGR Raffaello in Black w Yellow
3. Green is the New Black
In our eyes Eco-friendly shouldn’t be considered a trend. It should just ‘be’. The eyewear world is sharpening up on this quickly, with a number of new sustainable materials entering the market. Frames made out of recycled hard plastics saved from landfill, movement away from harsh petrochemicals when possible, and brands like MYKITA starting to close the manufacturing loop, sending waste offcuts back to their material manufacturers to form the base of the next production cycle!
Mykita Gia in Gold and Mykita x Monocle Lamin
4. Flexibility is Key
They say convenience is king. And in the eyewear game that means versatility between eyeglasses and sunglasses. Look for frames that can easily transition from day to night. Sun to shade. Clip-on sunglasses are the ultimate in this space, but another favourite of ours is the beloved 90’s notion of transition lenses. There is some amazing tech arriving on the scene that allow lenses to change super fast between tinted and clear. But if we are honest, we kind of love the original, slow-moving old-school tech that results in your lenses staying tinted for a while when you walk inside (see tip #2). PS your parents nailed this look long ago
GLCO Sherwood in Clay Crystal GLCO Sherwood in Clay Crystal with Clips
5. Someone get out the Protractor!
Geometry is so hot right now, with the inner nerd alive and well at many of the world’s best eyewear manufacturing facilities. We are not talking kooky shapes, or asymmetry, but beautiful or unusual lines that raise a point of difference, refined bevels, raw finishing and cutaways that soften the harsh lines of the big and bold, making your eyewear more comfortable to wear. And of course more interesting to look at.
Valentino V Hexagon and Thierry Lasry Cult Gaia Jazz in White