Optical Prism April 2019 | Page 30

The Retro Comeback By Denis Langlois Retro trends are inspiring many of today’s popular optical styles. Eyewear designers, manufacturers and marketers, along with eye care professionals, say demand is continuing to rise for looks that throw back to the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s and even ’90s. “There seems to be a variety of creative twists and clever takes on many classic looks, freshening things up for the next while,” says optician Ryan Horne, owner of SPEX by Ryan in Regina, Sask. One hot trend are “overly thick, rich and smooth acetates, oozing with old-time flare,” he says. “The ’70s and ’80s are still the rage.” And there’s no doubt, in this era of biopics on music and fashion icons like Queen and Elton John, that demand for classic, bold looks will keep on rising. Here are some frames that eyewear to retro looks. 30 Optical Prism | April 2019 companies say owe their inspiration