Nerissa 080

So far, Nerissa was younger than any of the glasses she was posing in. But here we see her wearing a pair of progressives about her own age. Time to tell a bit more about the evolution of frame design. The years between 1988 and 2008 were the so called retro era. Two decades of rather dull, tiny frames. Call it the Dark Age of eyewear. I suppose this was a reaction on the two preceding decades (1967 - 1987) in which large frames dominated the streets. The retro style itself was swept away in 2009 with the arrival of the first black hipster frames. A style that dominated everything for almost a decade. Not much variation in it but at least the style brought back the visibility of glasses in the streets. The past two years brought a variety of newish styles but it's too soon to give the present era a name. My impression is that frame design has not converged yet into a new hype followed by the crowds. Transparent glasses, round frames, large thin metal frames.... Hard to tell what comes next. But those are the whims of fashion.

The streets of Germany were not quite as dull during the retro era as the streets in the Netherlands. Some German brands and opticians came up with playful frames. The Morie glasses shown here by cheerful Nerissa could be called a flower in the desert.