Following on from looking at eyewear trends for 2022, I thought for this blog I’d update you on the key colour and pattern trends for this year.
The colours out there that are really key are your daffodil yellows, tangerine oranges, teals, pinks - from soft pinks right through to hot pink. We are seeing periwinkle blue which is a big colour for this year as well as green. Any kind of green from emerald green to khaki green. My favourite this year has to be Kelly Green!
We’re also seeing on the high street a lot of mixing of patterns, so you may see an animal print mixed with a floral and we’re seeing that coming through on eyewear designs too. Stripes are also big so you’ll also see stripes appearing on eyewear. We just love this daffodil yellow striped frame from Dutz!
Animal print has been around for ages and there’s no sign of that going anywhere anytime soon! Lafont have captured the essence of style and sophistication with this fantastic model GIRL (code 0100).
For those that love bling, we are also going to see adornments on everything this year, particularly eyewear and the bolder the better. For us, Francis Klein is the perfect frame if you’re looking for bling.
But when it comes to colour, what should you be looking for so that a trend becomes a staple piece in your eyewear collection?
As you look to build your on your eyewear wardrobe, you'll want to find frames to match your skin tones. To clear up any confusion, your skin's surface tone, or what you'd generally describe yourself as having, is not the same as the undertone. When you're looking for glasses to match your skin tone, you're actually looking for frames that complement your skin's undertone rather than the surface tone.
Even though people have a variety of skin colours, there are only three different categories of skin undertones — warm, cool and neutral. Warmer complexions consist of yellow undertones, while cool complexions consist of pink undertones. A neutral complexion has a mix of both warm and cool undertones.
Though your skin's surface might change its colour depending on how tanned you are, your skin undertone will not change. And if you don't know what your skin undertone or how you can determine if you're warm or cool, read on and you can find out using the following steps:
1. EXAMINE YOUR VEINS
To determine what your skin tone is, start with your veins. The blood vessels on your elbows, temples and wrists are often close to the surface due to the skin being thinner. With light skin, you can often see the veins through the skin, making it easier to determine what colour the veins are.
As you look at your veins, check to see if you have blue or green veins. Blue veins signal that you have a cool skin tone, whereas green shows that you have a warm skin tone. If you can't tell if you have green or blue, it's likely that you have a neutral skin tone.
2. USE THE PAPER TEST
If you can't see your veins or want more confirmation, the next step to determining your skin tone is to do a white paper test on yourself. Place a white piece of paper against your skin to help you identify the colours that jump out to you. These colours then inform your skin tone.
Instead of placing a piece of paper next to your face, you'll want to place it near your chest or neck. The face can have reddish tones for a variety of reasons, such as sun exposure, and can give you a false reading for your tone.
Hold the white piece of paper up to your chest or neck, looking for the colours that become more obvious compared to the white paper. If you notice pink and blue colours, your skin tone is cool, and if you noticed gold and green colours, your skin tone is warm. A neutral skin tone likely has fluctuating skin colours depending on the amount of sun exposure and the time of year.
3. THINK ABOUT HOW YOUR SKIN REACTS TO SUN
If you easily burn when in the sun, you're likely to have cool-toned skin. In contrast, those with warm skin often tan instead of burning. Additionally, if you rarely ever get burned, but you also don't tan, you may have a neutral tone. Another indication of a neutral tone is if your sunburn often heals quickly and turns into a tan.
To test this, whatever you do, don't go out and expose yourself to the sun to see if you burn or not! Instead, think about how your skin has reacted in the past. If sunburn is rare, you should have your answer.
COLOURS FOR COOL SKIN TONES
The best colours for cool skin tones are on the cooler end of the colour spectrum. The top colours to wear include emerald green, deep purples, lavender, pink, ice blue and bright blues. All perfect matches for this seasons trends. If you want to incorporate a warmer colour into your eyewear, you can use extremely pale yellows, rose reds and rubies. More neutral colours that work include bright white, gray and navy.
The reason to choose these colours comes down to creating an attractive contrast with your fair skin. As a cool skin tone often means your skin is pale or has light features, you'll want to use darker colours. If you have pale skin, we’d look to choose frames for you in colours like emerald green, navy and bold shades of blue.
You'll also want to avoid wearing orange, strong yellow and tomato red. These colours will clash with your skin and keep you from looking your best.
If you’re looking to embrace the metal eyewear trend for 2022, or indeed you want to add pieces of jewellery into your outfit, choose cool metals like platinum or silver rather than gold or copper.
COLOURS FOR WARM SKIN TONES
If you are wondering what colours to wear with a warm skin tone, earth tones are an excellent choice. The best colours for warm skin tones include colours like green, brown, mustard yellow and warm reds. Other warm skin tone colours that you can work with are peach, coral, amber and gold. If you want to wear a cooler colour within your frame, choose ones that are warmer side of cool, such as olive, orchid, violet-red and moss.
You can also work with some neutral colours. Transparent acetate frames in softer neutral colours like cream, beige, taupe, mushroom grey and cappuccino all can pair nicely with a warm skin tone. Natural, warm colours generally work well with warmer skin tones.
If you’re looking to embrace the metal eyewear trend, select warm metals such as gold and copper, rather than silver or platinum. While this doesn't mean that you can never wear platinum or silver, gold is going to be your go-to choice as it pairs nicely with your undertone. Additionally, try not to wear colours with icy blues or jewel tones in them. These colours often wash out your skin tone and cause your skin to appear grey.
COLOURS FOR NEUTRAL SKIN TONES
If you don't have a clear warm or cool skin tone, the eyewear world is your oyster! Colours for both warm and cool skin tones will work great for you. Pulling from both sides of the colour spectrum, you'll have the widest variety in colour choices that will make you shine.
Despite most colours working for those with neutral skin tones, the best frames for dark skin use colours that fall right in the middle of the colour spectrum, such as jade green or light pink, again perfect for this seasons eyewear trends.
Avoid brown shades that make your specs look like they're blending into your skin. As neutral skin tones are usually darker, brown frames simply don't provide enough contrast.
Other colours that you might avoid include black and navy. Though these colours will still look good on you, they won't make the most of your flexible skin tone. Different colours will make you stand out for your skin tone but also because most people wear glasses that are black or brown.
By keeping these colours to a minimum, you'll separate yourself from everyone else, showing off your own unique style.
Of course whether a colour suits you or not is really irrelevant if wearing that piece makes you feel good. If you’re feeling good, you’ll glow and carry whichever colour you’re wearing. If you feel you need some help with knowing what colours suit you we would be more than happy to help advise.
Call us now for a colour styling consultation with one of our style experts.
* Frames shown in this blog are inspired by our Francis Klein, LaFont, Dutz and VANNI collection.