Geek chic: Bookworms bring their A-game to eye wear at LLF 2015
Okay fine, I admit it: I usually wear contact lenses but on the days I want to up my intelligence quotient, like on presentation days, I break out my glasses. Gone are the days when wearing glasses would mean you were going to be bullied!
Spectacles have long been a trendy fashion accessory ever since they appeared on runways in 2012. Models walked the ramps wearing thick-rimmed glasses for Marc Jacobs, Ashish Gupta and Sabyasachi Mukherjee among others. Soon after, celebrities such as David and Victoria Beckham, Kim Kardashian and Anne Hathaway hopped on to the bandwagon and it seems like the trend never died down.
Even local celebrities have been seen sporting stylish eyewear, particularly models.
We spotted some bibliophiles at Lahore Literary Festival this year donning some interesting eyewear, further proving that you should embrace your inner geek!
Glasses can help you to elongate a round face or add curves to an otherwise angular face. Wayfarers seem to be a popular choice as they suit almost every face shape.
You can stick to the basics. Right before heading into his session, 'The Trials of Writing a First Novel', Bilal Tanweer was spotted wearing a plain chunky black frame.
If you want to take the route less travelled and stand out, wear a bright coloured pair of glasses. These ladies seem to love red.
Or if you're feeling adventurous, two colours work too! Sheherzade Alam wears retro yet simple white and black wayfarers with a funky beaded chain. Salima Hashmi takes it a level further with her cool teal and purple frames!
Big round glasses are also a contemporary approach to a classic style immortalized by John Lennon. Judging from the pictures, the boys are sticking to sleeker frames whereas the women are being far more daring!
While Ali here goes the minimalist route and wears a steel, half-rimmed frame, Maryam channels her inner dork chic with oversized wayfarers. Also loving her subtle red lip and other accessories such as the chunky gold watch and gray scarf.
Or maybe I spoke too soon.
I should give Lahori fashion savvy men more credit.
The bold glasses trend gives casual attire a luxe finish and people attending LLF are owning this game.
Speaking to the staff at Lifestyle Collection, the salesperson informs me that guys and girls both are deviating away from metal rims and mostly demand to see black or brown chunky wayfarers when they come in to buy eyewear.
He adds, "Girls these days are particularly requesting cat eye frames. Even the people who don't suffer from poor vision come to get these glasses. It's the same as someone coming to get a watch or sunglasses - it's become a fashion accessory."
For people who are visually impaired, their glasses now automatically make them more hip. And for those who aren't, know that if you prefer subdued accessories, eye wear is a simple way to add depth to your ensembles. Buy a statement pair that works well with your personal style and be fashion forward.
All photographs have been taken by Hira Nabi.