Eyewear Diaries… a Europtics blog

Archive for the ‘Sunglasses’ Category

I wanted to let everyone know Europtics is having a Lafont Trunk show at our Greenwood Village store on Saturday, August 21st, 2010, from 10am to 5pm. Lafont will also be at our Park Meadows location Sunday, August 22nd, 2o1o between 12pm and 5pm. The entire line will be on display, with all the colors, as well. Come out and see these beautiful eyeglasses for yourself!

Lafont is an independent company based in France. They make both sunglasses and eyeglasses, and do both exquisitely. The quality is exceptional, and the styles and colors are stunning, as well. Lafont uses some of the best  acetate for their plastic frames, so the material stands up to the rigors of life in Colorado, and doesn’t discolor from use. They also use titanium for many of their metal frames. As you know, titanium is both lightweight and extremely durable. The detailing they do on the metal-work of the frames has to be seen to be believed. When they use crystals, they are genuine Swarovski. Nothing else has that particular shine and brilliance. Their sunglasses are no less marvelous, and give great protection with tons of fashion! The styles are definitely chic, and perfect for back to school, or just a new look!

Check them out, or see many of their styles online here!

Since I just wrote about Maui Jim’s other Reading Sunglasses, the Ho’okipa, I felt it only fair that I should talk about the smaller Reading Sunglasses, the Makaha sunglasses. The Maui Jim Makaha reading sunglasses fit smaller faces, and work well on more petite women. They still have full polarization and are fully UVA and UVB protected, as are all Maui Jim sunglasses. They also have the bifocal in the bottom of the lenses, so you can read outside, and perform all  of the other daily duties you forget you need bifocals for. You know how it goes: Your regular sunglasses are great…until you need to read something.

Like the Maui Jim Ho’okipa, the Makaha sunglasses come in 3 different lens colors: HCL Bronze, which is a high contrast lens, good in any light; Neutral Grey, which is great in very bright light, and a new color: HT. This is Maui Jim’s newest color, and it is a medium green. It’s very high contrast, and beautiful on overcast days with flat light. Maui Jim is using the HT in a few of their frames, and it’s definitely something to check out.

Since summer is still here in Colorado, and probably will be for a while, and it’s still awfully bright out, I thought it would be a good time to talk about Maui Jim’s line of reading sunglasses. The Ho’okipa is the larger of the 2 styles Maui Jim uses for their reading sunglasses. They’re also (of course) polarized, as is everything in Maui Jim’s line-up. The Ho’okipa is now available in 3 colors: HCL Brown, Neutral Grey and Maui Jim’s newest HT, which is a lighter green lens, great for contrast and days with more flat light. It comes in 3 powers: +1.50, +2.00 and +2.50, and these will fit most needs. They’re great for reading by the pool, hiking, golfing, or even driving in your car. The small bifocal towards the bottom of the frame doesn’t interfere with your distance vision, but comes in quite handy. You can read books and maps, and write on your golf scorecard, all without having to remove your glasses.

The polarization is essential if you’re on or near the water, and it’s pretty helpful everywhere else, as well. It really cuts down on the surface glare, and makes things more comfortable for your eyes. These glasses are wonderful, and everyone who needs reading glasses should have a pair of these Maui Jim sunglasses, too.

One of my favorite fashion sunglasses is the Lafont Jamaique. These sunglasses are super chic, and they do a great job of protection, too. The lenses are large enough to protect your eyes and give a wide angle of vision. They’ll fit a progressive with ease. The sculpted temples are exquisite, and give good protection from the side, as well; without being overpowering. The shape of the Jamaique is very stylish and modern-retro. You can imagine Marilyn Monroe in a pair of these. Jackie O would have enjoyed them, as well. They’re great for being seen around town, and at the coolest restaurants, and they’re great for the pool or beach, too. They also come in many colors, with my favorite being Lafont’s signature Panther. This color is perfect for sunglasses and works great with blondes, brunettes and redheads! It stands out, and gets so many compliments. It’s so fun! The acetate is great for sunglasses, because it tends to be thicker, and better for protection. Acetate sunglasses also usually sit a little closer to your eyes, so they leave less room for the sunlight and UV to get through. Check them out in our stores!

I’ve been speaking about sunglasses with Dan Westmoreland at our Europtics Greenwood Village store, and his favorites for the summer are the Oakley Flak Jacket XLJ sports sunglasses. He likes the snug fit and loves Oakley’s lenses. Dan says the Flak Jacket XLJ offers great coverage and he enjoys the lightweight feel. They’re great for most sports, from hiking and biking in the warmer months, to skiing in the winter. He likes the lenses in the Flak Jacket XLJ, because they’re deeper than the regular lenses, and give even more protection. They come down just over your cheeks, and block sun bouncing up from the ground.

Oakley has long been known for high quality materials in their frames. They started as a sports company, and their glasses and sunglasses reflect that. Durability is the name of the game, for Oakley. The acetate they use is quite flexible, and really takes a beating. They only use polycarbonate lenses in their sunglasses, and only top of the line, at that. They have some of the clearest optics in polycarbonate sunglasses. Oakley opted for polycarbonate, because it’s one of the safest materials for lenses. It’s one of the most shatter resistant materials out there, and will protect your eyes from just about anything that comes at them (don’t aim for objects, though!).

As you know, Oakley sponsors Lance Armstrong, and they have a few frames designed with him, in the Livestrong Line. The colors are black and the same yellow as his wristbands.

If you’re interested in the Flak Jackets, or any of Oakley’s other products, all of our stores carry them, and you can always contact us for more information.