Types of Eyeglass Fashions

Just like other types of fashion, eyeglass styles change with the times and trends. There are really two main categories of eyeglass fashion and subcategories in both that change with current styles. Even though a survey by the Vision Council showed 88 percent of people chose their glasses based on comfort, fashion trends are still an important part of the overall decision when picking out new frames.

Dressy Eyeglasses

• Your glasses are one of the first indicators of your style because the frames are so prominent. Eyeglass frames are like shoes -- a frame can be very casual or very dressy or somewhere in between. Elegant, fancy frames look polished and or business-like. The website Allaboutvision describes a frame style trend for men as "industrial" that has clean and modern design detail. Frames made with gold or silver, either all metal or with metal embellishments tend to look more dressy.

Casual Eyeglasses

• A casual frame style is worn like a comfortable pair of jeans -- the glasses fit with a more relaxed style. Most casual eyeglasses are made from plastic. Casual frame styles tend to be much more trendy than traditional and dress glasses. The "nerd look" is a current fashion trend, at time of publication.

Size and Color

• Size is probably the most obvious trend in eyeglass styles. Just open any high school yearbook from the early 1970s and most of the frame styles are small. During the mid to late 1970s, the styles became much larger. Then the trend of smaller frames gradually returned. At time of publication, the style size of frames is again increasing.

  Frame colors can be bold or subtle. Pastel plastics are stylish for a less-obvious look and bright colors draw attention to your frames.

Material

• The material you choose for your frames helps define your style. Eyeglass frames are made from metal and plastic. Metal frames are comprised of monel, a material containing a variety of metals or from titanium, aluminum, stainless steel or other metals. Plastic frames are made from a material called "zyl," short for zylonite, or cellulose acetate, and are also made from other forms of plastics like blended nylon.