Well the summer appears more or less gone and thoughts are now turning to autumn and winter which I am certain will not be as wishy washy as the UK summer and I sure will land us with the cold and grey days as well as the odd spot of rain.

Generally many of us will settle down to quieter nights in before the mad rush of December and Christmas / New Years parties amongst other things. I find that this is a great time in which to look into getting an eye test or to purchase new glasses. Often reading or viewing TV in the dimmer light puts quite a strain on your eyes as much as anything but sometimes just the acquisition of new glasses can give you just that little bit of a lift. It is often the case that we get in patients to the practice that leave in complete satisifaction with new eyewear as it allows them almost a change of image much as a suit or new dress will do for them.

Over the next few weeks I am going to write about some of the key features in choosing a new pair of glasses. Often I am asked how do you choose the colour of frames that are right for you so today I thought I would focus on that element. Firstly I would say it comes down to the patient themselves. If they are happy with their choice in the first place then that to me is paramount. Most people will have an idea of what they want already whether it be to stick to the tried and trusted, a subtle change of image or to go out on a limb to the completely different from a previous pair of glasses, in terms of colour. There is necessarily no hard and fast rules out there. In actual fact if you pay heed to the style advisors you may end up more confused than ever. However I though I would pass on some generally good tips in choosing that I have found.

Generally is the most important basis in choosing a colour that works for you is as follows

*Skin tone
*Eye colour
*Hair colour

Using this guide should help you determine what is the best for you, the wearer. You will want to match your skin tone with your glasses. Ideally eyewear should compliment your personal colour not clash with it.

For those of a fair complexion be looking at colours such as lighter browns, golds, silvers, pastel shades and milder autumnal colours which will generally complement well. Some people with blond hair can go for a black frame and this can work well if you are looking at making a bolder statement with your glasses. Generally of course rimless and light frames will make for a better match and the subtlety of these will not overpower your face. Bright colours which can take away the attention from your face often will not suit your skin tone.

If you have a medium skin tone, then look at choosing rich, solid colored glasses. These will work very nicely with your complexion and add that spice of colour that will compliment your face and features. Dark purples, pinks, blues, reds and greens go really well.

If you have darker hair or complexion you can choose most colours and find that they will work for you. You may want to try a lighter coloured frame in order for them to stand out even further against your skin tone.

In addition with all complexions it can be a dramatic and exciting to idea to try coloured frames matching to your own eye colour. It does not always work, but when it does the effect is really striking to see.

Hair colours also are considered warm or cool. Strawberry blond, platinum, blue-black, white, salt-and-pepper and brown are cool. Warm hair colours include golden blond, flat black, brown-gold, “carrot” and “dirty” gray. And the effect of your frame colour with these should be taken into consideraion as well.

In the end though, as I have already stated it really comes down to what the wearer is happiest with. Keep an open mind in the opticans, be prepared to experiment and try what you like.You maybe surprised at what you discover The optician is there to assist you so don’t see the process of choosing as a chore, but as a fun exercise in which the end objective is something that will compliment and enhance your appearance. Always be prepared to ask for an opinion or suggestions. Whether you agree with it is of course another thing, but it is always worth asking just in case. In the practice we have taken to often photographing with the digital camera the patient with glasses so they can get ta different view or angle to a mirror and often found that this helps in the choices of frame made.

Of course colour is just one of the considerations to be made in choosing spectacles and over the weeks to come I will add to the blog with some further thoughts and advice with regards to shape and otherwise. At eyeform we have a wide and varied range of frames from renowned eye companies such as Rodenstock Carrera, Ray Ban, Prada, Mont Blanc & Roberto Cavalli amongst others. For more frequent updates from the staff at eyeform please view our facebook and twitter accounts and feel free to contact us directly through this website or on the phone at +44 207 4874267.

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