I was helping a patient the other day who was new to presbyopia. He didn't want to look old. I then realized we had very few frames for the late 20's through 40's. Most of our patients tend to be older but we'd like to bring in a few pieces to try out. Looking for something a bit more modern and something we could put at a good price point. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I did not know that frames were suggested/labeled by manufacturer with absolute age or gender labels. I do know that industrial safety frames are labeled for purpose. Pray tell, where do the labels reside?
Eyes wide open
Inner left temple. Its written in invisible ink next to the hinge.
To deny that certain age groups gravitate towards certain designs seems silly. The same goes for suggesting companies do not have target demographics. We are all free to wear what we please but I have a difficult time getting the younger crowds to commit to the double bridge 59 eye frames.
Looking for a smaller frame manufacturer that is putting out some fun modern (somewhat conservative) frames.
I would look towards Sweden, Denmark, or German lines for this..........colorful, yet modern shaped materials.Originally Posted by theGross1
Double bar 59 eye size unwanted by the younger crowd, you say?.....better not visit the "build your own adidas site" then.
Seriously..............please help the newly presbyopic, that grace your practice by learning some basic eyewear fashion and cosmetic rules. Help a newbie by explaining which ones are casual, dress, trendy or obtuse........and then let them lead you to their preferences.
Yes, manufacturers/brands do aim at particular demographics, and genders.....but who knew that women of all ages were going to adopt the male rectangle shape as a "badge shape" for a decade, or more? Who knew that oval was going to be worn by all ages, and genders in it's heyday?
Eyes wide open
Uncut's top 10 frames for the "29 and holding":
1)Inface
2)Silhouette
3)Adidas
4)Marilyn Monroe
5)Versace
6)Helium
7)Caterpillar- for da guys
8)DKNY
9)All things retro that don't remind them of a funny relative or one that they hate.
10) And the top reasonable frame for the over the hill, over 40 crowd............anything that does not remind them of what their mom or dad wore!.
Eyes wide open
I'm suprised by Safilo's Claiborne for Men.
(OK, ducking for cover from Fezz/Johns. Can't wait for this one...)
Gross, first of all, go to one of the major shows like VEE, to see whats new, and forget about the negative remarks some of the optiboarders on here will say about vee. Second, make sure you are selling everything that your competition is not selling, as when you and the optical down the street are selling the exact same frame from the exact same manufacturer, it only becomes an issue of price. when your clientel comes in you want to be able to say mine is better, and show them the label made in Germany ,etc. There are thousands of frames out there every day. Also get these reps to visit you, after all you don,t have to buy everything they show you, but they will always have the latest ones. Also, go over to the mall, sit down and observe what you see people wearing, and categorize it, plastic,metal male, female , young old , teenage. this is the effort you have to put in, asking here is going to be of little help. when I had my own stores, I made a lot of money selling everything else , no one else dared to. Along with that get the help of someone who knows how to display, and also get free mailers from the frame companys and keep on mailing them out with some sort of a caveat if they bring in the ad
i find VEE very useful every year, even to just see the new styles and what is in style. we still wait to order trendier stuff because maine is typically 6 - 12 months behind the times (seriously, almost like clockwork)
even though it was a little boring this year, it was great for networking and seeing what the new cool thing was :)
"what i need is a strong drink and a peer group." ... Douglas Adams - Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy
I believe Oliver Peoples is great for that age group.
Check out the frame lines by Morel. Litetech and Oga` are the two that we recently put in our office, and they are pretty good quality. You might Teka as well.
Oga are very nice, albeit more expensive. Ditto John Varvatos.
Take a look at Clearvision's Marc Ecko and Cole Haan lines, as well as REM's Jones New York.
can't believe no one suggested Pro Design. Try the 1300 color brown with the hint of blue. It's like their #1 seller world wide for women, teens to presbyopes! I can't keep it on the shelf!
silmo. mido. vee. vew. opti-munich.
get out. travel. once a year, at least. go to a european show at least once, you'll be hooked. expense the trip. you will find amazing things you didn't know existed. your world view will change. you will learn. you will have a great experience. your business will benefit from it. guaranteed. sitting back and waiting for local yokel reps to call on you is not the way to go.
You raise a great point. If you want to differentiate yourself and go a little high end, it is amazing how many unique and amazing designs you can see at the Euro shows. I am always amazed at how many small boutiquee lines are out there. I try to make at least one of the Euro shows each year. If you want something nobody has skip Vision Expo and go to either a Euro show or one of the Asian shows.
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