Thursday 27 June 2019

Framed! Contemporary Eyewear in Fashion Review

Note: An article I wrote for Good Looking Optics about the Framed! exhibition at London College of Fashion.


When you think of glasses, what are your immediate thoughts? Intellectual? Nerdy? At best, a necessity – not a fashion accessory?

Well think it no longer! For Framed! Contemporary Eyewear in Fashion has unleashed a new series of events and exhibitions at the Fashion Space Gallery. One of its first events, ‘Elements of Fashion’, has lasted from 12th September until 3rd November 2012, and through it, has explored how culture and time have come to shape contemporary eyewear and how it’s been presented in fashion and advertising.

This exhibition showcased 200 frames ranging from the sleek and stylish to the downright outlandish, featuring designers and companies from all over the world: Prada, FK-Brainwear, Givenchy, the Kirks Brothers, Sol Amor… The list is endless! Through an illustrated timeline, Framed! charts the history of eyewear from the 1950s right up until the present day, featuring iconic glasses-wearers such as Elton John and the likes of such celebrated fashion labels as Versace.

Not only did it demonstrate the evolution of glasses in fashion, style and popular culture, but Framed! also examined new innovations in eyewear technology, from Studio Swine’s ‘Hair Glasses’, crafted straight from real hair combined with acetate, to Edward Gucewicz’s horn-carved spectacles.

All in all, Framed! presents an extensive and fascinating examination of one of fashion’s most overlooked accessories, and at long last, celebrates it in the manner it truly deserves.

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