By Deirdre Carroll:  Senior Editor

 
MODERN ARCHITECTURE POSTER 
Who: Men tired of the vintage trend; futurists; industrial engineers; modern architects; guys with an appreciation for the strong, minimal aesthetics of the 2011 men’s collections from Calvin Klein Collection, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Canali and Jil Sander; and those who just have an eye for the way things are constructed.

What: Clean, minimal lines, dimensional, a more sculptural feel; adjectives like these can just as easily describe a new midtown high-rise as they can the direction men’s eyewear is moving. Long saturated with heavy acetates in a slew of black and tortoise, men’s eyewear trends are finally starting to evolve. Where once wearing vintage-inspired frames made a man stand out, they are currently everywhere and the move toward more modern, architectural frames is what now feels more individual, like brand-new way of dressing.

Wear: (Clockwise from top left) The Converse Build frame from REM features actual cord stitching down each temple which gives the appearance of the gunmetal plaque being sewn to the yellow acetate temples. The new Marc Ecko Cut & Sew Collection from ClearVision is based on providing modern, contemporary looks; the Defender in smoke crystal (available in August) features clean architectural lines, an updated shape with a double bridge and wide temples that house an industrial feeling, perforated logo plaque. The Evatik 9029 from Wescan Optical uses industrial touches like gunmetal endpiece plaques and rivet details for modern take the bold black acetate frame. A modern man wears color; he also wears Tom Ford. The Tom Ford TF 5164 from Marcolin pairs a brown acetate frame front with a sky blue interior and pinstriped metal temples for the utmost in modernity. The Seraphin Collection from Ogi Eyewear is founded in neo-classism, modern takes on classic styles; the Jackson frame in a dark, matte federal blue does modern by way of minimalism, with a strong, faceted browline.

Why: Like all fashion even men’s trends mature, granted they just take a little longer. Vintage and retro-inspired eyewear has been so ubiquitous for the last several years that the market is ripe for something that feels fresher, newer and edgier. More modern and sculptural men’s eyewear is that thing and dispensaries that get in front of this trend have a lot to gain from customers who are bored looking like “Mad Men” throwbacks.

dcarroll@jobson.com