By Deirdre Carroll: Senior Editor

 
SHERBERT POSTER
WHO: Katy Perry, Hello Kitty, southern belles, the Easter Bunny, blue hairs, Kelly Osbourne’s hair and the feminine fripperies that made up the bulk of the Spring 2012 collections from Versace, Jill Stuart, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton and Elie Saab Couture.

WHAT: Bubblegum pinks, cornflower blues, lemony yellows and aqua greens are no longer just for infants, pre-teen girls and retirement homes. What seems to be a softening of the neon trend that started emerging three seasons ago, colors are becoming calmer, sweeter and more refined. This season eyewear has jumped fully on board the pastel merry-go-round with a plentiful selection of sherbet-hued confections.

WEAR: (Clockwise from top left) The color of this Candie’s C Abigail frame from Viva International conjures thoughts of raspberry sorbet while the color remains just on the right side of bold to save it from becoming too twee. Pastels rarely inspire the same kind of sex appeal that jewel tones command but in Tom Ford’s hands even the honeyed peach tones of the TF5141 from Marcolin seem sultry. The powdery blue of the 3102 from Ogi inspires thoughts of lazy days lounging in a hammock watching fluffy, fat clouds role by. Warmer weather means sunshine and frosty treats and the Ray-Ban Erika (RB4171) sunglasses in milky lavender are the perfect amount of pretty to shade the eyes while enjoying that cone. The fresh, light green of the Findlay from Claire Goldsmith Legacy in Minty easily brings to mind the cool, fresh feeling its namesake evokes.

WHY: Most women like to feel pretty (some men too) and nothing seems more appropriate after a long, desolate winter than a bit of delicate, cotton-candy color. The beauty is that many people look good in soft colors so they’re not a hard sell. After several years of bold, black hipster frames being in vogue, the rainbow sherbet-hues being introduced in this spring’s eyewear feel especially new.

dcarroll@jobson.com