U.S house-hold clothing empire, GAP haven’t exactly been setting the world alight with their fashion-focused collections of late, so it’s nice to see that they’ve gone back to what they do so well, and that’s the classics. Once the go-to brand for your true blue denims, and everyday chinos GAP ruled the all-American roost with its casual classics.

Gap's New Classics

And bring back the classics, we say! The GAP Pure line consists of an array of scoop necks, race backs and v-neck t-shirts that will frequent your everyday ensembles. Styling their models with black and tortoiseshell rimmed glasses, GAP illustrate why they’re a household name in the art of dressing preppy. At Glasses Direct we’ve got a whole host of classic frames to get you in the mood for prepping your wardrobe up and adding an extinguished touch to your everyday prescription. From eco-fabulous Element, to the leaders in vintage attire, London Retro, Glasses Direct’s selection is unrivalled when it comes to online eyewear. If you’re looking for a purse friendly option then shop from our own range of classic frames where you can shop from a wide range of acetates and metals, colours and prints.

What do you think about GAP’s new Pure line?

Geek or chic?

Element's Caprio in tortoiseshell

London Retro Carnaby in Red

Glasses Direct's Mai Tai in Black

Glasses Direct's Harold in Black

Corden and Jagger channel Sellers and Ekland

Its official, Peter Sellers-style specs are in Vogue. Well, Harpers Bazaar actually, but either way the thick rimmed classics are having a fashion moment this month with funnyman James Corden sporting a pair whilst he and model Georgia May Jagger pay tribute to the  iconic duo of the swinging 60s, Peter Sellers and Bond Girl Britt Ekland.

Posing with Mick Jagger’s model-daughter Georgia May Jagger, the former Gavin and Stacey star was snapped by Harpers Bazaar reclining on a chair wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses similar to the ones sported by Sellers, as Jagger cuddles him from behind, looking sexy in a sixties-inspired cream patterned dress. An admirer of Sellers and his notoriety in having the ability to laugh some of the most attractive women into bed, James, who has achieved huge success of late with his run in West End play ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ said he’s been inspired by the comedian from the beginning of his comedy career.

Eco brand Element's Hopper

He said: ‘I worked out pretty early on that if you look like I do then you sure as sh!t had better make the girls laugh if you wanted to get anywhere.

The newly slimed down actor has apparently gone down from 21 to 16 stone, aiming for another 2Ib loss before he hits New York with his critically acclaimed production. The 33-year-old actor is believed to have gone from 21 stone to 16 stone, and is thought to be aiming to shed another 21lbs before hitting New York with his critically-acclaimed production.

Channel the funnyman’s look. A sure fired hit with the ladies:

The Oscar frame

The New Year has bought many unsightly things to our attention: Diets, boring resolutions, no money, living in endless days of darkness, willing the joys of spring to hurry along. But however grim this time of year seems, there is always the planning of your summer holidays to focus on. And yes, it might seem like a lifetime away, but it’ll be here before you can say ‘suncream’, we promise.  In the meantime, those forward thinking, ultra stylish types at The Independent on Sunday Magazine have  shed some light on the matter, with their Travel Special issue this Sunday just gone. From Cornwall to Sri Lanka you can divulge into the delights of travel. In the style department, The Independent’s style team showcase their favorite specs.

*Enter Glasses Direct*.

For those of you who didn’t manage to nab a copy, you wouldn’t have spotted us in the ‘Style_Fashion_Food & Drink_Homes & Interiors’ section, so we thought we’d show you:

No.2 London Retro's Fitzovia in Dark Tortoiseshell. No.5 Element's Norton in Light Tortoiseshell

For the style-savvy sister, The Independent fashion team have picked out their favourite frames. This included London Retro’s Fitzrovia in dark tortoise and our newest recruit, Element showcasing the Norton in Light tortoiseshell. Both personal favourites of the style team at GD, we’re really excited that our brands had made the cut.

Take a closer look, below:

The Norton in Light Tortoiseshell

View Element’s debut collection, here.

View London Retro’s range, here.

The Harold. Bold, oversized and holding its own in the style stakes: A modern day hero of the eyewear world.

The GD Harold

When I first joined GD I assumed that this bold aviator frame had been created in homage to King Harold… Of Ramsey St that is. But although the triple chinned busy body did rock this shape, I’m told that the Harold stands on its own 2 feet, tempting all those with a partiality for gentlemanly attire and retro apparel.

On the more practical side of things- (we’re not all about vanity here you know!) The Harold is the ideal frame for a plethora of prescriptions which includes Vari- vocal and Bi-focals. Learn more about lenses, here. Formed out of lightweight acetate the Harold has a strong brow bar, complimenting those with rounder faces and soft jaw lines.

Its silhouette is also ideal for those who are planning for the sun to shine, with its large lens capacity being perfect for prescription sunglasses or transitional lenses. Learn more about transitional lenses, here: http://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/transitions-benefits/

Oldman: Hoping to replace the Berlin Bear with an Oscar this year?

Reported in today’s London Metro, British actor Gary Oldman has been nominated for an Oscar. We actually find it quite surprising that the massively talented and respected actor hasn’t won as Oscar yetm let alone receive a nomination.
Oldman said he was ‘shocked’ to learn he was up for an Oscar after he failed to win a Golden Globe or Screen Actors Guild nomination for his role as spymaster George Smiley in ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’.

‘It is extremely humbling, gratifying and delightful to have your work recognised by the Academy,’ he said.
The British actor will battle Demian Bichir, George Clooney, Jean Dujardin and Brad Pitt for the prize.
While Clooney is predicted to win, there was no doubt in the minds of film fans on Twitter who deserved the award the most – Oldman, who bagged his first Academy Award nomination today for his role as George Smiley in the spy thriller; ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’.

Oldman: Spec-idol for many a distinguished gent:

Shop using our style finder, here: http://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/retro-glasses/

Above: She wears ‘Miller’.

With disposable consumerism seemingly reaching an all-time high, we felt compelled to look into a way of keeping our carbon footprint’s mileage down, so when we came across eclectic eyewear brand Element we were pretty chuffed. Not only does this brand and its bunch of eco-warriors recycle acetate and metal to make their 10-strong-and-growing collection of specs, they also make their designs contemporary and wearable, too.

Norton; our personal Element favs:

Norton

Now, don’t get us wrong, we love a bit of doing good and therefore feeling good, but sometimes it’s tough finding eco-conscious products that won’t compromise on style, so the fact that ’Team Element’ have cracked the common ’Eco V’s Stylish’ dilemma with such brilliance, makes us love the collection even more.

Shop The Collection Here: http://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/element-glasses/

We caught up with Element designer; Olivia Steel to get the 411 on what makes the designer and her team tick when it comes to creating eco-friendly glasses:

GD: So what made you decide to take up the challenge of designing recyclable frames? Not that we’re complaining, of course!

OS: We noticed that there wasn’t anything out there that offered stylish, affordable and eco-conscious glasses. So we decided to do something about it.

GD: So how do you do it?

OS: Well, when a frame is cut out of acetate, there are always off-cuts left over. We collect all of these up, merge them together (all colours and prints together) to make more Element acetate and therefore create Element frames. Our metal frames are made from all manner of recyclable metals, too and each frame comes with a case that is made from a mixture of recycled iron, recycled plastic bottles and 50% recycled blister material (we’re working on the other 50%).

GD: So what about the styles? Where do you guys get your inspiration from?

OS: Our trend analysts keep their highly trained fingers on the fashion pulse to ensure that we’re creating stylish and wearable frames. We also take inspiration from renowned scientists specialising in the effects of climate change as well as silver screen stars who’ve become role models for environmentally conscious living.

GD: Ah yes, we’ve spotted a few frames who’s names ring a bell!

OS: Yeah, we had tons of fun coming up with those names….We’re also really intent on our frames being affordable without compromising on durability and quality, and  features such as sprung hinges and hypoallergenic acetate are included in our design processes.

GD: And your personal favourite?

OS: I’ve a soft spot for Caprio, but I think that the Natalie is gorgeous too- the red is my favourite.

GD: Thanks Oliva! we’ve ordered our favourite (the Norton, fyi) already!

Caprio

Natalie

Shop the collection here: http://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/element-glasses/

We’ve always got our ear to the ground when it comes to whats new and great. So when we first heard East London band; Native Tongue we knew that we stumbled across a good thing. We had a quick catch up with the band on their love for London Retro specs and touring with Kaiser Chiefs this year. Here, take a read!

Read all about it!!!

Shop the entire London Retro collection, here : http://londonretro.com/

Like what you see? Don’t be shy and come and say hello and request your FREE (yes, FREE!) magazine where the interview with Native Tongue is featured, today: http://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/order-catalogue/

Aside the spot light hitting Jenna Lyons’ marital status, rather than her undeniable talent, the J Crew creative director still remains one of the most influential women in fashion.

Now, in a newly-released interview, the spec-wearing genius of dress-down chic, reveals the secrets to her distinctive personal style.

Speaking during her label’s debut presentation at New York Fashion Week in September, she described how important it was to have a degree of imperfection in an outfit- A girl, quite frankly after our own heart. She told PopSugar TV:

‘I think to me there’s always got to be something that sort of turns it off – meaning, if everything’s shiny, there has to be something that feels a little casual, or something has to be a little messy. Things can’t always be perfect, not everything can be buttoned, you know, there’s got to be something that turns it on its head.’

Chic, understated : Jenna Lyons in tortoiseshell specs

 

And lest we forget her impeccable taste in glasses, as the 42 year old fashion designer dons tortoiseshell specs with effortless panache whilst showcasing this Spring Summer 12 collection at New York Fashion Week. Teaming her soft brown wayfarers with an understated cream shirt dress, a Parisian inspired chignon and a slash of red lippy, Jenna Lyons showed how to channel imperfect perfection. Maybe she’ll extend her Midus touch to specs… watch this space people! We live in hope!

Get the look with Mai Tai in tortoiseshell:

As the festive season is well and truly upon us, it’s a long standing tradition for us all to be bombarded with films and TV shows aimed squarely at the kids. This is probably a) to try to keep the occupied for more than 15 seconds and b) for them all to pipe up to the chorus of “Daddy, can I have one of those?” (of which the standard reply is always “ask your mother”).

So to help celebrate Christmas and all this lovely time we get to spend with the little ones, here is the Glasses Direct top 10 spectacle wearing cartoon characters (in no particular order of popularity!)

1. Hans Moleman (The Simpsons)

The oldest nerd on the planet, Hans is basically a magnet for any mishap that could and would happen to anyone anywhere, let alone in Springfield where the laws of Homer apply!

2. Peter Griffin (Family Guy)

Yes he does actually wear specs! They just happen to be very thin and exactly the same lens shape as his eyes.  Although not the ideal role model for young children (let alone his own), we salute Peter’s slightly distorted view of the world.

3. Penfold (Dangermouse)

Ernest Penfold, half battling side kick to Dangermouse and half bumbling fool who always needed rescuing from the clutches of Baron Greenback. Either way, Mr P is a spec wearing legend who deserves recognition in our top 10 list.

4. Velma (Scooby Doo)

Or “The brainy one of the bunch”. Ms Dinkley was a total nerd but somehow cool at the same time and with specs that big wasn’t afraid to flaunt her short sightedness.

Grab a pair of black Mai Tai’s and a VW camper van and you’re a one man sleuthing machine!

Velma's choice

5. Spongebob Squarepants

Rather than use his specs for reading, Spongebob uses them for catching jellyfish, not something that most of us use our specs for but a crucial skill non the less. Subtly cleverly than the average cartoon series, SBSP is smarter than the average sponge.

6. Professor Frink (The Simpsons)

Epitomising the classic “too clever for his own good” spec wearing science nerd, professor  John I Q Nerdelbaum Frink Jnr is a genius beyond compare. Named after one of the writers on the show and based on Jerry Lewis’s character in The Nutty Professor, he slips between conversations Einstein would struggle to understand and complete gibberish.

Nerd it up Frink style with the JL260F

Neat classics from John Lennon

9. Chuckie (Rugrats)

This flame haired 2 year old almost made it respectable for kids to wear….lose…..and wear again big, thick rimmed specs. Well almost.

Lose the nappy but gain the look with our very own GD Classique 6

Over-sized and on-trend

10. Johnny Bravo

Somewhere between a stand in for a West Side Story extra and a one man Elvis tribute, Johnny B was dumb, vein but ultimately the coolest dude on the telly sporting a rather small but chic pair of black sunglasses.

London Retro Kings

Be as cool as JB with the London Retro Kings with matching dark tint.

To celebrate men, moustaches and the month of Movember, I have decided to pen a little piece celebrating the art of the double facial appendage. I mean, why hide your features behind one clever disguise when you can completely bamboozle the enemy with two! So let’s all get out our moustache combs, brush the dust off the Ray Bans and embrace the month of Movember as if it were our last!

Ned Flanders:

No other programme captures modern life like The Simpsons and no other man carries the old push broom as well as Ned Flanders. Clearly designed around the Magnum PI ‘tache, Ned epitomises the suburban nerd and captured the moustache/specs combo perfectly…….okely dokely?

Ned works specs AND a tache. Genius.

Say “hello Ned-erino” with the JL260F and matching jumper.Hercule Poirot:

Although, probably the most famous creation from the mind of Agatha Christie and brought to life so perfectly by David Suchet in the TV adaptations, his keen mind and sleuthing skills have been well hidden behind his little twirly moustache and glasses. Although not as unkempt as the “Flanders”, what it lacks in volume it more than makes up for in “Artistic Polish”

Ali G:

As part of the “West Staines Massiv” but actually living with his grand mother at 36 Cherry Blossom Close, Ali G has come to represent all that is well wicked in W London and his sporting of the full on face fungus and bright yellow lensed sunglasses is, in our books,  proper booyakasha and deserves much respek.

'Is you Madonna?'

Join in wit da crew with the Nueu 06 with yellow tinited lenses

Groucho Marx:

Born in a room above a butcher’s shop means too things. A) you’ll never run out of sausages and B) there’s a good chance you’ll grow up to be a very famous film star.

Groucho achieved both of these with a razor sharp wit, a trademark cigar and a truly awesome ‘tache. It started off as being grease painted on but proved so popular Groucho decided to grow his own and kept it for the rest of his life showing you can never keep a good moustache down!