This year’s colour palette is full of standout hues: Pantone’s Mocha Mousse, the colour of the year, is just one of many soft and flattering hues that are trending; bright colours have also been of great interest in 2024, with saturated bright tones, colour combinations and translucent ‘crystal’ colours doing particularly well. Here we identify six colour stories present in the collections that are important at the start of 2025….
1. Blue tones inspired by nature
Many of the blue tones featured in contemporary eyewear are informed by nature and variations of natural blue tones in the sea or the sky. The new collections arriving this month feature tones of dark blue, Mediterranean blue, powder blue, lapis and Cerulean blue. Above: the colour blue has been successful in 2024; for the new season, SALT. Optics is featuring the attractive Matte Indigo tone across its collection, pictured here, SALT. Optics’ model Turner in matte indigo with a brown tinted sun lens – www.saltoptics.com
Model ‘Skips the queue’ from Suzy Glam has a fine organic shape and comes in the ‘bluebird matte’ colourway pictured, lightly patterned with an effect that looks like it has been painted delicately with a brush, with blue tones inspired by natural bluebird feathers. For more inspiration, visit www.suzyglam.com
2. Warm brown hues and the light ‘Mocha Mousse’, Pantone’s Colour of the Year
Brown has been a highlight of the eyewear collections in Autumn/Winter 2024, and Pantone’s soft and mellow Mocha Mousse is billed to “nurture us with with its suggestion of the delectable qualities of chocolate and coffee.”
Model JF 1563 from J.F. Rey is a a geometric optical shape for women. The colourway above fuses several brown tones including a hue similar to Mocha Mousse for the frame front.
For the model JF1571, the J.F. Rey design team has created a colour mix featuring a dark brown, a light translucent brown close to Mocha Mousse with patterned acetate temples featuring flecks of light powder blue. Mocha Mousse is a soft and easy-to-wear colour for the face, and is particularly attractive when paired with other colours. For more details: www.jfrey.fr
3. Nature’s greens and aqua tones
Over the last few years, green has had a much more important role to play in eyewear. Some of the most artistic frames proposed in recent collections translate vibrant and muted natural green colours in acetate patterns. Greens that have been particularly sought after include olive, emerald, teal and mint.
The green version of model Sacha by henau eyewear plays with a spectacular mix of natural green hues with a vibrant fresh infusion on the front and single tone natural green temples to match. Find out more at www.henau-eyewear.com
The latest collection from OGI Eyewear features intriguing colours across the line for men and women. The Wayzata style is available in this Aqua Turquoise Tortoise. The frame also features pops of colour at the brow and the end pieces of the front, an original placement of colour that is achieved with particular expertise during the making of the frame. www.ogieyewear.com
4. Tortoise variations
Tortoise-toned acetate remains a staple choice for many eyewear enthusiasts. Designers are incorporating many different sophisticated interpretations of this classic colourway, ensuring that its appeal remains contemporary and fresh. Particularly attractive are the tortoise patterns featuring flecks of other tones, coloured tortoise tones which feature a wash of another colour such as red or blue to create variety and combinations of tortoise-coloured acetates with other more saturated tones.
Model Rubis from Lafont Paris is an example of a combination where striking tortoise patterned acetate has been paired with a deep dark tone of black. www.lafont.com
The men’s model Bastian by Spanish label Jisco Eyewear is available in a rich tortoise pattern with a touch of blue that runs through the acetate material. See more colour ways at www.jiscoeyewear.com
5. Light-toned neutrals and mineral-inspired hues
Tones inspired by natural pigments or spices like cinnabar, umber, turmeric and cinnamon offer elegant and flattering colour ideas in eyewear. These tones have an enduring presence thanks to their versatility and beauty when explored with different intensities and effects of transparency or brightness.
The new square model Rose by Lafont Paris is available in this acetate combination, where a translucent brown not dissimilar to a burnt sienna is paired with a light smokey crystal temple tone. For more innovative colour combinations on this theme visit www.lafont.com
MYKITA has several examples of this colour palette. The Acetate Rings frame Halvar features in a shiny graphite / taupe /clear combo – a sophisticated mix of natural tones which complement the pure construction of the sleek stainless steel + acetate. www.mykita.com
6. Purple and lilac
In the women’s collection purple tones are well represented, from deep and mysterious shades of indigo and aubergine to bright pops of lavender, fuchsia and amethyst.
The thick-framed model Looper by Italian eyewear brand {rewind} comes in an original striated acetate pattern in an eye-catching Marsala purple infused tortoise. See more of {rewind}’s original acetate colour proposals at www.rewindeyewear.com
Suitto Eyewear’s quirky round model Vlaai comes in this fresh lilac crystal tone for 2025. The colour appears throughout this collection from Barcelona. “The subtle transparency permits the light to reflect and play with the lines of the design, creating an elegant and sophisticated look…” www.suittoeyewear.com
This feature was written by Clodagh Norton, www.eyestylist.com. All rights reserved.
