The beat of the Geek Chic drummer is getting louder, and more and more designers are marching to its beat. One of the latest design lines to bring out a host of new designs is Banana Republic. My favorites (so far) are fraternal twins Anissa and Channing.
Both are solid retro fashions, built of heavy gauge hand-made acetate, then carved to maximize appearance and durability. The Anissa flaunts an upswept modified cat-eye design; combined with the dark horn-rim acetate, it effortlessly crosses borders of power, fashion and femininity. A pair of faux rivets in the front complete the retro look, as well as lighten the top of the frame, which has been beefed up to ensure it will maintain a good adjustment.
The temples are clean and simple, with only an understated set of “BR” logo initials on the left temple (hate logos on glasses? Just present the right side of your face to others, and they’ll never see it!). The temples have a great little spring hinge to keep those everyday bumps from getting your glasses out of alignment.
Channing goes a bit in another direction. No upsweep here, it has a very slightly softened square shape, emphasizing vintage Geek Chic design. The no-nonsense shape, unadorned by faux-anything, twists things in a more subtle fashion, through color. The bottom of the frame has a very traditional light demi-amber tone, which becomes darker and solid as it moves to the top of the frame – solid PURPLE, that is! What makes the color especially interesting is that the very front of the frame has about a 1mm thick portion of the light demi-amber over the purple. This provides a greater depth of color, and an ambiguity of tone than the purple alone would have done.
Speaking of the temples, they are a solid grape purple, adding zest and a bit of playfulness to the frames. In an unusual move, the very thin, top edges of the temples have a small, silver plaque with “Banana Republic” in black letters. Again, for those who hate logos (you know who you are), this is so discreet as to be invisible. Enjoy flaunting it? Just tip your head down a smidge, and flash that subliminal message to your peers. See who’s paying attention, and who’s not.
So what are you waiting for? Jump on the Geek Chic bandwagon, and drum up a bit of interest in your eyes with these mysterious, intriguing designs.
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