Of all the seasons, people seem to like winter the least. They complain about the cold and biting wind, the snow and ice, and the fact that the sun only rears its face for a tad over nine hours each day.
In New York, our winters aren’t terrible. Sure, there are usually a few days when the thermometer drops into the single digits and people yearn for the opportunity to eat dinner at 4:30 with the snowbirds in Florida. But, for the most part, we hover around the 40 degree mark, which in fashion terms means you can choose outerwear that delivers in both the form and function categories.
I have to admit that unless I’m going to be outside for an extended period of time (e.g. shoveling snow or waiting for the dog to do what he does best), I typically don’t wear a coat in the winter. I do this because of three things: A) I feel confined while driving with a coat; B) I overheat easily when I wear a coat indoors; and C) I don’t want to carry around my coat around when trying to avoid reason B.
Regardless, I do appreciate (albeit, from a distance) the styles that some winter coats bring—and some great designer glasses that can complement these looks.
Shearling Coats are popular this year, especially the styles that are reminiscent of WWII fighter pilots. While many would automatically pair a shearling with trendy eyeglasses like aviators, I prefer the less-obvious navigator frame. Navigators are similar to aviators, but are squared off on the bottom. Ray-Ban’s “Caravan” is a great choice.
Ray-Ban “Caravan”
Another look that harkens back to the military is the timeless Peacoat. For more than 100 years these 100% wool coats have been keeping sailors warm in the waters of the North Atlantic. You can dress them up or down, as they look great with a pair of jeans or a suit (and of course, with designer eyeglass frames). Persol’s PO0649 eyeglasses in either tortoise (Fuoco e Ardesia) or clear brown acetate (Resina e Sale) would be a great match for a peacoat, as would Lacoste’s L2776 in black.
Persol PO0649
When I do wear a coat for shoveling or outdoor work, I generally don’t care how I look—I just want to be warm. For me, this can mean wearing one of those “3-in-1” layered jackets from LL Bean or Columbia, a puffer coat, or even a lined flannel shirt jacket. It’s those times when I appreciate wearing acetate fashion glasses, because they won’t freeze my head like metal frames would.
LaFont’s RUSH 3054 is a lightweight acetate frame that comes in wintery colors like two tone navy/light blue. Nike’s 4258 is another great frame that will suit you well outdoors, as it features rubberized temples that won’t chill the sizes of your (or shatter when one of your kids pummels you with a snowball).
Nike 4258
A great option for any frame you choose for the winter (and the other seasons, for that matter) is photochromic lenses. These are the lenses that change from light to dark when you go out into the sun (and back again when you’re indoors). All of the designer eyewear mentioned here would look great as regular optical glasses, and as suns.
Cohen’s Fashion Optical can fit just about any fashion eyeglasses with these lenses, saving you from the blinding effects of the bright, white snow—and from looking unprepared to take on the wilds of a Northeast shopping mall.
