A few weeks ago I spent some time in London and my hyper-fashion-focused mind really honed in on what the Londoners were wearing. Similar to New York in many ways, the hip London style is reflective of its neighborhoods, like Soho, rocker-chic, and the Lower East Side, the land of trench coats. Observing the street style, I noticed one significant difference; most of the women were pairing their fashion forward looks with stylish prescription eyeglasses. Unless there is some statistic we haven’t yet uncovered about a large population of Londoners having poor vision, designer glasses play a crucial role in how to get the London Look. I couldn’t help but want to steal this style tip. Not to mention that designer glasses are the perfect way to show off that you’ve finally mastered Alexa Chung’s coveted cat-eye.
I spent most of my time in a trendier part of East London, and I found London style and New York style to be almost identical. Bustling cities tend to have a familiarity to them. I truly felt like I was in an undiscovered borough of New York with red double decker busses and English accents. Since this was my first trip to the UK, I wasn’t exactly sure what to pack, and had to look inward for my own fashion advice. I knew to expect cold, gloomy weather so I figured I would leave my designer sunglasses at home. When I started exploring the city I noticed nearly every fashionable woman was walking around with a stylish pair of designer eyeglass frames. I thought, why is this so popular in here? I realized that gloomy weather year around played a huge part in London Fashion and designer glasses. It’s not sunny enough to need shades, but the London Look relies heavily upon the concept of eyeglasses.
My favorite, and most common London Look consisted of a cable knit sweater, cropped skinny jeans, platform oxford or sneakers, an oversized wool coat and of course a pair of thick framed designer eyewear. This simple addition can bring a sense of sophistication or preppiness to an otherwise edgy look. You are left with an effortless style to an otherwise seemingly casual or generic ensemble. No one said you need a prescription to flaunt fashionable eyewear, cut to Lena Dunham, Jenni Konner and Jenna Lyons at this year’s Met Gala (OK, maybe Ms. Lyons has a prescription, but we’re talking fashion advice here!). So why not add a bit of intrigue or dimension to your wardrobe? My main London fashion tip: it’s time to throw out your ideas of reserving eyeglasses for outfits with collared shirts and pleated pants.
Need a little help getting into the eyeglass groove? You can get together with an eyestylist at the top eyewear spot in the city, Cohen’s Fashion Optical. They have the best selection of eyewear and there is a store in every neighborhood.
Gone are the days that wearing eyeglass frames have to equal the pencil-pushing nerd look. They are now the latest way to accessorize. I’ll have to agree with Elle Magazine, -“The fact is, the right eyewear doesn’t just frame the face, it can frame and finish a whole look.” You can mix it up and explore your own style with the multitude of designer eyeglass frames at . You can walk the streets of New York and see the same outfit on every corner, but if you know how to get the London Look, adding a pair of eyeglasses will turn some heads and set you apart from the crowd.
