There are some old sayings that are just that – old. Take, for instance, Dorothy Parker’s famous 1937 saying, “Men don’t make passes at girls in glasses.” That is all history as the coolest ones are proudly sporting the four-eyed look. Yes wearing specs is not geeky anymore, for the much-despised “plain glass” spectacles have now become a “must have” fashion accessory. Think of the divinely delicious Johnny Depp trotting the red carpet and you know for sure the nerd has just turned into a fashion icon.

Also, the new groups of wearers are being dubbed “suspecs”. A study by YouGov for Vision Express found that almost one in ten 18-24 year-olds had admitted buying them. The celebs responsible for the revolution are Julia Roberts, Scarlett Johanssen, Nicole Kidman and Daniel Radcliffe’s portrayal of Harry Potter, the bespectacled boy wizard.

In fact guys are more open to accessorizing these days be it watches, shoes, jewelry or belts. “Eyewear is an easy way to accessorize and it really changes your look. The most faddish look in young (and not so young) professionals eyewear right now is retro ’60s style: bold, heavy-rimmed and plastic,” says accessory designer and sales manager, Deepika Verma, working at an optometrist store in Dundas.  

“It is encouraging to see that the introduction of style has had a huge and positive impact on people’s perceptions. There is a real sense that eyewear can boost your confidence and your desirability today – both to potential partners and to potential employers. The world has turned on its head in the last ten years and the message is that rather than being a hindrance, glasses are in fact a clear advantage,” she added. A study showed that 53 per cent of glasses-wearing women aged 18 to 44 had received amorous approaches from men.

Here’s how to match frames with different face shapes:

Oval: The oval face is considered the ideal shape because of its balanced proportions and because it’s the standard of beauty. Therefore it is perhaps the easiest to choose frames for. To keep the oval’s natural balance, look for spectacle frames / glasses that are as wide as the broadest part of the face or walnut-shaped spectacle frames that are not too deep or too narrow. Almost any style is suitable; round, oval or angular.

Round: A round face has curvilinear lines with the width and length in the same proportions and no angles. To make the face appear thinner and longer, try angular narrow spectacle frames / glasses to lengthen the face. Choose spectacle frames / glasses that are distinctive, square with designs that accentuate the upper part of face. Look for frames with high temples.

Square: A square face has a strong jawline and a broad forehead. The width and length are in the same proportions. To make the square face look longer and soften the angles, try narrow, soft round or large ovals spectacle frames / glasses styles, spectacle frames / glasses that have more width than depth and narrow ovals.

Long face: A long face is characterised by high cheek-bones, a deep forehead and a strongly defined sharp chin line. This shape can benefit from enhancing the width of the face so try wide, large framed glasses in oval or round styles.

So be it big, dark, oval, hexagonal or rimless, glasses are here to stay. And with funky designs hitting the market, pick up a pair and sport them in style.

Author: Ramya Bajaj Maheshwary

What do tights and churidar have in common? Everything! They are fitted, versatile and fashionable.  Even though tights were extremely popular in the 80’s and early 90’s but they have made a come back- this time bigger and better than before in style, colors and patterns.

In the 80’s, the tights were mainly considered work-out attire or dancing ensemble.  But Peggy Bundy from the sartorial sitcom ‘Married with Children’ was famously known for her tights with tunic and high heel pumps, not to mention her two story nest hairdo, but let’s keep that aside for now and focus on the tights.

Churidar on the other hand, were merely worn by Mughal dynasties and Nawabs of the time prior to becoming main stream.  A definition of a Churidar is: the pants are cut longer than person’s height so the extra fabric creates folds or bangle like affect at the ankle, hence the name Churi (bangle) dar (like).  Contrary to western tights, Churidar are unisex.  Churidar can be paired with a Kurta, Kameez, Anarkali, Frock, Tent or A-line tops.

Personally, Churidar or Tang Pajama (another name) is one of my favorite traditional outfits.  It gives elegance and height to the wearer.  Churidar were strictly cut in cotton, silk or other expensive fabrics back in the days but this has changed recently and now are offered in knits or jersey fabric utilizing the full characteristics of the fabric.  One advantage of knit Churidar is that it gives stretch when in motion around and fits snugly to the person’s body.

Same rules apply to tights.  It is a very versatile piece of clothing and can be paired with mini-skirts, tunics, long sweaters and T-shirts, dresses, boyfriend blazer and even shorts.  The trend for the past summer season were to pair shorts and mini-skirts with tights for less skin exposure and never having to give up micro-minis at all.

Tights have taken many forms but the most rampant ones are the mid calf length in opaque and black, delicate lace accents the cuff and peaking out from underneath a short skirt is the most seen.  Nonetheless, the tights have become focal point of an outfit.

As one of the website source points out that, ‘Tights or leggings, unlike some other hot fads, offer lots of aesthetic bonuses to those that wear them in addition to trendiness.  They have a slimming effect on even the stoutest leg.  The longer leggings accentuate the ankle, and when worn with high heeled pumps, they make the wearer’s leg appear longer and more tapered.  They also give the wearer the ability to be more daring with the length of the outer layers of their outfits.  Everyone feels freer to show a little more leg by wearing shorts or mini skirts if there are leggings under it’.

By Aysha Ibtasam

Ayaz Sethi is a young handsome South Asian on the verge of completing his business degree at York University. Ayaz hopes to become a financial consultant in the near future since he said “that’s where the big bucks are at”. We sat together with him and asked him a few general questions as well as some tips to improve your sense of fashion.

What’s your favourite color?
Green, because it is bright and noticeable.

What does your typical everyday outfit consist of?
Jeans and a polo shirt any brands American eagle, Abercrombie and gap anything that looks nice and presentable

Who is your favourite designer?
K-swiss, Parasuco, Ralph Lauren – Polo, and La coste

Your most comfortable outfit consists of being…?
Jeans and a t-shirt and a hoodie

Your favorite clothing in your closet?
Scooby doo boxers because I always wear them

What do you own most of?
T-shirts and Polo shirts and hoodies

Clothing you would recommend youth your age to wear?
Salwar Kameez because it is traditional

Favorite accessory to wear to bring spice to your outfit?
Hat and sunglasses, the days where I feel lazy and don’t want to make my hair I just throw on my hat

Role model?
Richard Branson because he has it all, and is working on his first commercial flight to space which I find pretty impressive.

I am freaked out by?
Bats because they will suck your blood

I need?
A better car and a job

I want to be?
A financial consultant

In a perfect world?
I will be handsome and rich.

Author: Kiran Takrani
Photography: Johnny Jii

Allia Akhtar describes fashion as something that is creative, couture, inspiring and exciting. A student of Communication at University of Wilfred Laurier, she feels that we have ended up going back in time to the same old fashion of wearing the little black dress or pencil skirts. For herself she tries to be unique in her outfits and colours she wears. Her advice is “always have black in your closet, you always need black just in case because it is just so classy! Lastly, you need to have accessories.”

Her favourite fashion designer is Marciano because it is couture stuff so it is just in fashion, or Hollister because it is casual but still not bummy casual.

Audrey Hepburn is her best woman as she was the first women on TV to bring back the feminine look when at the time females tended to wear clothing that was more male oriented.

To Allia beauty is being able to stand in front of the mirror and be happy with what you see not what anyone else sees or says. She believes people don’t think gothic fashion is very beautiful. While on the other hand people who do wear these clothing find it beautiful. I really think fashion is someone’s perception of beauty, and people who agree or do like the clothing will follow suit in wearing these particular articles. She is still searching for someone who she feels would be the prettiest soul on the planet.

Environmentally conscious, she feels having garbage around can change the very environment you live in to a place of filth, so we have to ensure that the place we live at helps the environment.

There is still a stigma associated with South Asian girls who aspire for careers in modelling. But Allia encourages the youth by saying “Go For It. Being a model doesn’t mean you have to compromise your morals at all. If you know wearing something is going to make you uncomfortable improvise, if a certain posture doesn’t feel right compromise. I really think that South Asian parents just stereotype modeling as something beshram or like wrong when it really doesn’t have to be. Just know when to say no and if you think its worth fighting for than you should.”

Article by: Kiran Takrani
Photographs by: Jonny Jii