I’ve been wearing glasses since I was six. It’s easy to imagine how awkward a pair of glasses had looked, sitting loosely over the bridge of my miniature nose. Curious looks from other people and daily inconvenience were expected, but it was the fact that I had lost my visual acuity that was the most humiliating.
I have thus spent half my life going from rimless – and therefore relatively painless – eyeglasses to meticulous artisanship, experimenting with celluloid, delicate carvings, and seven-barrel hinges, among others. I have only just begun to reflect on the possibility of owning these shackles as part of my style.
For a while, shopping for eyewear has been a frustrating task, as eyeglasses are becoming increasingly reliant on the flux of fashion, sacrificing form for trend. Too often, I suffer the embarrassment of leaving behind a table spread of unwanted glasses that I have just tried. Design-wise, all glasses may look more or less the same, but just like faces, a slight tweak could make a massive difference to one’s look.
Over the last decade, though, every experience of trying eyewear has whittled down to Yellows Plus’s products. There’s more to mere coincidence.
Compared to designer brands, Yellows Plus’s eyewear may appear less assuming, but rather repetitive, even. Launched this year, “ReCOLLECTION” for instance is a slight reinterpretation of the brand’s established identity. This lack of innovation is probably the reason for my loyalty to Yellows Plus: a commitment to details often overlooked, such as lines, material, texture, and comfort. The result is a timeless look, reflecting the beauty of our ordinary yet also, extraordinary faces.
Given a second chance, I would probably still prefer wearing glasses, despite the cumbersome maintenance. I think for some people, like Bill Evans, eyewear is indispensable to their faces, never to be taken off; it’s the armour between one’s vulnerability and the world.
