As you know, I’ve had an ongoing relationship with Specsavers since last summer. They’re a brand that I particularly like to support because of all of the quiet behind the scenes work that they do, giving back to both their local communities and the anti-bullying charity Kidscape which I discussed in my post about their fundraising awards.

This season they have asked me to look at two of their spectacle ranges in more depth. The Twiggy for Aurora collection which I talked about last month, followed by the new range that has been developed by Kylie Minogue. I confess that I hadn’t looked at the Kylie collection before because I assumed that the frames would have overt branding on them but they don’t. There is just a subtle ‘K’ at the very tip of the arm where it tucks behind your ear. Most of the frames are priced at £99 and are part of the 2 for 1 offer, making them incredible value given the design consideration and detail that goes into them.

So, Specsavers asked me to look through the range and pick out my two favourite pairs to show you. I know I’m very lucky to have the chance of more new glasses, especially when I’ve just been given my Twiggy ones but my prescription has changed quite dramatically since last July so I’m almost starting from scratch.

A note about 2018 spectacle trends

Before I show you what I decided on, I just want to talk about current shapes and 2018 spectacle trends. Because specs are something you usually only replace on a ‘have to’ basis, it’s easy to forget that they can quickly outdate your whole look. Fortunately I find that glasses trends have a slower turnover than apparel but every so often there is a shift and recently, like the rest of fashion’s silhouette, they’ve moved on.

We had a bit of a wait for our flight when we were coming home from Marrakech last October and I always find airports good places for people watching. As always, a lot of people were swapping contact lenses for glasses before boarding and I noticed that the most stylish were wearing frames that were quite large. In fact in the queue for the Paris flight there was a lot of ‘geek chic’ going on and it looked really good. Since then of course I’ve noticed bigger frames everywhere (apart from sunglasses, the street stylers are going micro on those). So, with that in mind, you’ll see that the frames I’ve gone for are slightly larger and rounder than the ones I usually wear.

As I am now having to update the prescription for all of my lenses, I thought I’d start with tortoiseshell. This is the colour that I wear most because it goes with everything and is kinder when my complexion is pale and sunless.

Fever glasses; Hush coat gAW17; Hush cashmere scarf AW17; Hush jumper gAW17; Reiss jeans AW17; Autograph boots AW16; Red handsfree clutch; Gold earrings

I particularly like these frames because although they are tortoiseshell, they also have flecks of blue in them. In my world this makes them beyond versatile. And that is the thing that really stands out about the Kylie range – there is always a subtle twist that elevates the style above the ordinary.

Fever Glasses

‘Night Out’ Glasses

Whenever we go out now, I have to take glasses or there is no chance of me reading menus or wine lists so it was great to see styles that will look the part when I’m dressed up. Kylie describes this range as having ‘subtle bling’ and I was inspired by this picture of her although she is wearing solid black frames which would probably be a bit too heavy for my colouring.

2018 spectacle trends

Spinning Around Glasses

The pair that I chose have a lovely grey marbled effect to the frame which makes them a great neutral that will go with everything. I wore them when we went to a birthday party last weekend.

2 Hearts Glasses; Necklace; Earrings gSS17; Handsfree Clutch

As you can see, they have diamanté along the arms and so they feel like an additional piece of jewellery when you’re dressed for the evening. Of course as he was taking the photos, Mr MC queried whether I really needed an extra pair of glasses for nights out. I suggested that they should be viewed as an accessory just like shoes and that one wouldn’t wear everyday shoes for a special event. And (you’re there before me)… he raised a sardonic eyebrow as I looked down and saw that he was at the party wearing his usual trainers…

I’d thought that he might understand because he’s just started wearing glasses too. He’s at the stage where he forgets to take them with him whenever we go out so of course he uses mine and looked particularly fabulous when he borrowed these to read the guest beer list last weekend…

2 Hearts Glasses

Rose tinted specs

2018 spectacle trends

Love At First Sight Glasses

There was an extra surprise inside the box that Specsavers sent me. After I’d raved about the gold Twiggy aviators, they’d thoughtfully included Kylie’s silver version too. Of course Kylie has developed them to a new  level. They have leather arms (which make them very comfortable to wear), marble effect tips and you can have them glazed as ordinary glasses, dark tinted sunglasses or with lenses like these that add a rose tinted glow to life, even when the sun isn’t shining.

As someone who doesn’t like mixing gold and silver jewellery, I’m really pleased to have two pairs of aviators to choose from so thank you Specsavers. It’s been good to explore the Kylie range.

Love At First Sight Glasses; Baukjen striped top (AW17); ‘The world’s your oyster’ necklace (gAW15); silver hoops (gSS17)

The last thing that I want to mention because I know it will please so many of you is that Kylie insists on extending her range to petites. You know I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t mean it – I think this is a brilliant range of glasses. Now that I know there is no flashy branding, I can see that the shapes are stylish and very flattering. Kylie says that when she is designing, she likes to focus on the most wearable shapes which she divides into ‘modern classics’ and ‘reinvented vintage’. That, along with the subtle detail that has been added to each style, probably makes them my favourite range of glasses at Specsavers so far.

You can see more styles and read Kylie’s thoughts about the collection here.

Midlife lately

I’ll tell you all about my trip to London and the UK Blog Awards in my post on Tuesday. Now that the excitement is over we can get back to a normal posting schedule. As we start to cast off layers, it’s finally time to think about our spring and summer wardrobes. Hurray!

Disclosure: ‘2018 spectacle trends’ is part of my ongoing collaboration with Specsavers. However all thoughts and interpretations are my own.

Don’t forget that there is 25% off everything at Boden here until midnight on Thursday (26th April). Use code G8F8 at checkout.

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2018 posts you may have missed

Spotlight on John Lewis – a virtual shopping trip

Inspiring thoughts from a style icon

Spring home updates

A great weekend break and a new drop from Hush

Trying on my Boden order – keepers and returns

A Spring Smorgasbord – gelato colours

Reasons to be cheerful and outfits of the week

Casual basics – jeans

What I’ve been wearing – and how I carved out an extra day in my week

Thoughts on Mother’s Day as your children grow older

Spring pick-me-ups

5 things to do in the Lake District when the weather’s bad

The Boots No7 Face Study

Spotlight on Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo

Midlife adventures – Transylvania review

Some thoughts about our midlife Valentines

How to keep your complexion glowing in midlife