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Who:
Kate Spade’s kitschy print, fashions from mass retailers like Roxy, Modcloth and ASOS, my mother who used to wear her regular plano sunglasses over her glasses (I put a stop to that as soon as I got this job).

What: Eyeglass prints have been a novelty in fashion for a few seasons. It has now gotten very Meta as eyewear designers have begun outlining a frame on an actual frame. This season frames are giving us double vision thanks to these “frame-in-frame” constructions that give the appearance of dual frames all in one.

Wear:
(Top to bottom) The Mykita + Maison Martin Margiela MMDUAL002 acetate frames have the appearance of a frame within a frame thanks to the use of different colors, finishes and a raised “rim” that outlines the interior “frame.” The Theo Brigitte, part of their “Like a Diva” collection, literally embeds one dainty ophthalmic frame in a blockier sheet of contrasting acetate. The Vera Wang Ondra 2 sunglasses from Kenmark clearly delineates two frames one in white and one in a high contrast black that even includes its own keyhole bridge detail. The Balenciaga BA0004 from Marcolin USA is more lens-in-lens than frame-in-frame but still plays nicely into this duality trend with its contrasting lenses set in a single shield. The house of Fendi is known for its plays on proportion and construction and its eyewear is no different; here the FF0029/S showcase a smaller, vibrant blue, classically shaped frame “floating” in an oversized angular crystal sunglass.

Why:
Fashion has long been rife with optical illusions, trompe l’oeil and tricks to deceive the eye. Pair that with a “two is better than one” philosophy and this trend makes selling your customers a new pair of frames twice as nice. Besides who doesn’t like the feeling of getting two of something for the price of one?

dcarroll@jobson.com