Geek Is Chic:
Glasses Dominate 2024’s Fashion Scene

In recent years, luxury fashionistas have become more inclusive with glasses, noting their remarkably high potential to frame the face, accessorize outfits, and make a bold statement.

2024 is the Year of Glasses

The transition from 2023 to 2024 marked a shift in fashion design, with glasses emerging as a pivotal element of trendsetting ensembles. With a plethora of colors, shapes, and styles available, navigating the trends can seem daunting. The prevailing trend eschews a one-size-fits-all approach: clear, thin frames are in vogue, offering a subtle yet versatile accessory that pairs well with any outfit. These frames, irrespective of color, project a minimalist aesthetic, appealing to those who favor understated elegance or a sophisticated palette, including shades like slate gray or natural brown.

From Medical Device to Geek Chic

Eyewear brand creator and French fashion designer Thierry Lasry recently commented that today’s appreciation for glasses extends beyond their practical use (vision correction) and have been adapted into the fashion world in a way that has “nothing to do” with sight. After all, he says, your face is a way to “send a message into the world.”

And like many top eyewear brands — like SALT., l.a.Eyeworks, or MASUNAGA — has reflected the industry’s evolving opinion of what is in. And what is that? Well…

Know the Eyewear Styles Trending in 2024

First and foremost, what was popular in the 1990s has become popular again, which means we’re seeing grunge-themed clothes, crop tops, cargo pants, ripped jeans, and slip dresses in public again. To a certain extent, eyewear fashion has followed these trends, but glasses and sunglasses have carved out their own unique space, too, with looks like:

• Light-tinted lenses. Every color of the rainbow is represented, including different shades of green, pink, blue, and yellow. Tinted glasses worn indoors pop, and work well with the colorful 1990s style reflective of the shopping mall era — think Elton John, Bono, or Tim Burton glasses that have now gone mainstream.
• Eco-Friendly Frames. With the carbon footprint on everyone’s minds, environmentalism has integrated into fashion, which has spurred sales for bamboo and wood frames. Clever-looking and sporting a professional edge, these frames work great in more formal spaces. As a result, notoriously sustainable brands like Rollo Horn are having their heyday.
• Cat-Eye and Flat-Top Glasses. With glitzy, colorful, and glamorous styles on the rise, it’s no surprise that the shape of your frames also matter — enter flat-top and cat-eye frames, which excel at accentuating your personality and highlighting the shape of your face. As the conventional wisdom goes: round faces benefit from square shapes and vice versa.
• Bold Colors. It isn’t just the lenses that are getting a color-driven glow up, it’s the frames themselves! Notable brands like Jean Philippe Joly and Theo Eyewear are known for experimenting with color and volume and are as beautiful as they are high quality.

In the End, It’s All About Confidence

Each person has their own tastes, facial structure, hair style, and preferences, and everyone looks better in whatever frames make them feel confident. Wear what makes you feel good about yourself, and when in doubt, consult the opticians at your eye care facility — they help dozens of people a week find their perfect fit, and they likely have some great advice that will help you leave in the glasses that suit you best!