I’m going to share with you some of the top key trends in eyewear for 2022 and most importantly, who can wear them!
The great thing at the moment both in fashion design and eye wear design is that finally designers are designing with the individual in mind and there are so many shapes, styles and colours out there. Whether you want something bold, bright and dramatic or more luxury and understated, there is something out there for you.
So I’m going to outline for you now some of the key eyewear trends for 2022.
The Cat Eye
I’m going to begin with one of my own personal favourites and that is the cat eye and this is the huge trend for 2022. Nothing new really as this has been adorning the faces of glamorous screen icons and everyday women who love a bit of glamour for the last century. Designed in the 1920’s and inspired by Venetian and harlequin masks, the idea behind them were to finally have a design that was extremely flattering for women. A timeless classic, each decade has seen its own distinct style of cat eye.
Right now, it’s back in all of its forms from the really edgy oversized cat eye to the softer more modified cat eye. It’s a really flattering shape for most women with the lift at the top of the frame adding width which can be quite slimming and it also really enhances the eye area as well as defining the cheekbone. Bear in mind your face shape and your personal style when selecting your cat eye frame. Deeper cat eye shapes are better for those with longer faces in the same way more shallow cat eye work for better for smaller faces. If your face is equal length to width, then the micro cat eye will be most complimentary for you, opening up your cheek area and giving the illusion of length.
If you have quite a dramatic, edgy kind of personality, really angular cat eyes can really pull out your angles or even give you angles if you’ve got a softer face shape.
If you are someone with a more romantic style and prefer a more elegant understated vibe, softer cat eyes are going to work for you.
I can’t talk about the cat eye without mentioning the glitzy adornment which is my favourite type of cat eye. Adornments are going to be big in both eyewear and clothing in 2022.
Chunky Acetate
Chunky acetates also continue to be a big trend for this year. Favoured by lots of Hollywood celebrities, the so called geek chic trend is also favoured by people with creative personalities and really makes a bold statement. When going for this look be mindful of your natural scale. This style typically looks fabulous on someone with a larger scale. Larger eyes, larger nose, larger features and someone generally with a longer face will really carry this look as it’s more balanced with those types of features. If you are someone who is more petite in scale and fine boned then this look can really overwhelm you so it’s important to take that into account when choosing your new eyewear.
Fine Metal
The next key trend I’m going to tell you about is the Fine Metal.
We are seeing a lot of really fine, wirey metals and they come in all shapes and sizes and all different colours. These frames can be great if you have petite features, are more fine boned and this type of frame can allow you to showcase your unique style but without becoming a dominant feature. We are seeing a lot of round, and double bridges but, featuring more this year are the geometric shapes. If you’re larger in scale with larger features, it may be best to avoid this finer style and go for a thicker, more defined metals or acetates.
Also these fine delicate looks can work really well for a summer pair of glasses, particularly if you like to wear more lightweight floaty materials as the looks really compliment one another.
Transparent Acetate
The next trend is the Transparent Acetate. This trend has really been gathering pace over the last few years. We’ll be seeing a lot more completely clear acetates this year but also icy blues, mint, buttermilk, merlots and smokey greys are all key colours for this season. It’s a really great look for those with lighter skin, lighter hair who typically struggle with frames on the high street as they can be too dark for them or too bright. For those of you that love this trend but have really dark hair or skin, there are transparent ones available in deeper shades like merlot which would be more complimentary for your colouring.
Round Frames
Now I’m going to talk about Round. The round has been around for ever it feels! I often find though, that those that love a round frame will often adopt it as a signature look. The round is around in all forms at the moment so we are seeing very small round, micro-round, chunky rounds and fine wirey rounds. Whatever kind of round you want, there is something out there for you! Now if you have a very round face I would avoid a very round frame, maybe try something a little more oval. If you have a longer face, a deeper round would work better and if you have a shorter face a shallow round will be more flattering. Most people can wear a round frame or a modified version despite popular belief!
Geometric shapes
This is another style that’s been gathering momentum over the last few years and we’re seeing lots of independent eyewear designers bringing these shapes to life in both acetate and metal, oversized and undersized and in an array of colours. This particular style of geometric shape tends to be preferred by those that have a more creative or dramatic style and if you are someone with an angular face, this style can really help to enhance those angles. If you have a rounder or softer face, this shape can help to give you more definition, creating angles. Like all of the other shapes, be mindful of your scale. If you have a larger scale, go for thicker acetates and if you are smaller scale the finer acetates are most complimentary.
Don’t forget with any of these trends, there is always something out there for you! It’s important though to take into account your personal style, your personal colour preferences, what you feel good in. Don’t wear something because it’s a trend, wear it because it makes you feel fabulous.
We’re so lucky that there is so much choice out there and so many designs to choose from to help you look and feel good and of course if you need any help, you can always come and visit me and my team for an eyewear styling consultation! We’d be delighted to help!