Tortoise Shell and Gold Wire Among the Trends in Eyewear

Glamorous. Sexy. It’s a new world for glasses.

More than 60% of Americans wear prescription eyewear. They are led by celebrities who are known as much by their distinctive eyewear as their faces.

There is no one look for glasses, but currently, the trendiest specs are rimmed with tortoise shell, gold wire or kitschy black plastic--materials of the past, when glasses were considered unglamorous.

“Toward the end of a century, clothing gets very retrospective, and glasses follow,” Lenscrafter spokeswoman Cindy Piccoli says. “But starting around 1998, glasses should get more modern again.”

Wire Rims Popular

Ben Franklin wire-rim glasses are very popular with college students and young executives, some of whom wear “planos,” glasses with non-prescription lenses, simply because they like the effect.

“College graduates are the types to wear planos, and men are more likely to wear them than women,” Piccoli says. “People wear them as an accessory they think makes them look smarter and richer.”

Actors who have tried wire-rim glasses include William Hurt, Michael J. Fox and Don Johnson.

For women, the power look is definitely oversize glasses with frames in bright colors such as turquoise or red. Talk show host Sally Jessy Raphael wears notable power glasses, as does designer Donna Karan.

To maximize fashion potential, eyewear professionals suggest investing in a few pairs to have a wardrobe of glasses for serious to formal to sporty times.

“It’s like shoes,” Piccoli says. “How many pairs of shoes do you have--and do you wear each pair as often as your glasses?”

When buying frames, Piccoli suggests seeking assistance from trained sales consultants or friends. Here are some general guidelines:

--Think in opposites. If you have a square face, choose slightly rounded lenses. If you have a round face, try glasses with straight or angular lines, or with frames that turn up at the outside corners to accentuate the cheekbones.

--For a long, narrow face, frames should cover as much of the center of the face as possible to reduce length. Colored frames with rounded lines are flattering.

--Scale the size of your frames to your face size in general.

Color Matches Clothes

--Choose a color that will go with all your clothes, and suit your life style; sporty, dressy or businesslike.

--If you have a large nose, avoid a single or a very thick bridge. A double bridge reduces the size of the nose, and large, oversize frames balance out features.

--For a long nose, frames with high side bars draw attention up to the temples. A double bridge also helps the nose look shorter.

--Try to find a balance between the trendy and something that suits your features.