St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri · Page 132

I f St. Charles Post STYLE 2SC WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1991 hady ISaosDiniess . Sunglass Makers Cruise Into 1990s With Style, Assisted By Letting The Eyes Have It In Movies By Lucyann Boston Photos by Wayne Crosslin Of the Post-Dispatch Staff B; i ACK IN 1982, Bausch & Lomb .was considering elimination of 'its classic line of wayfarer sunglasses. ' Sales in 1981 of the style, introduced in 1952, had slipped to 18,000 pairs. The next year, a prop man slipped a pair of Wayfarers to a young movie star named Tom Cruise, who wore . them in the movie "Risky Business." The movie was released in August of 1983. In the last five months of that year Bausch & Lomb sold 320,000 pairs of Wayfarers. Last year, 4 million pairs were sold worldwide. " " Sales of Ray-Ban's aviators, ' developed for military use in the late 1930s, were growing at a modest 4 percent per year in 1986. At that time, ,Cruise donned a pair to play a hot shot pilot in "Top Gun." Sales jumped 40 percent immediately and finished the ' year 25 percent ahead of 1985. Currently, sales of aviators are approximately o mmiuii pans jjci J year worldwide. . , . , It wasn't by accident that such stars as Cruise, Don Johnson, Jim Belushi and Bruce Willis suddenly began reaching for their Ray-Bans. In the early 1980s, Normal Salik, Bausch & Lomb's vice president for publicity and promotion, was contacted by a California firm that supplies props to movie studios. The company works , with prop men to ensure that, whether a scene is shot at a breakfast table or in a barroom, they are provided with ' details they need to make a scene 1 realistic. The company, in turn, makes its clients happy by seeing their brand prominently displayed. " Salik decided that he had little to lose by taking Ray-Bans to the , movies. His gamble paid off. "We've paid ; much less than $100,000 per year to do about 170 movies andor television shows," he said. "Two movies alone, ...'Risky Business' and 'Top Gun,' have .paid for this program for the next hundred years." ' The bet paid off for the entire ' sunglass industry. Sunglasses have publicly graced the brow of stars ranging from Steve Martin to Mariel Hemingway, who have made shades a part of the stylish lifestyle, the perfect complement to short skirts, pasta and mineral water. '. Ray-Ban and Salik, in fact, in 1985 ; received an award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America for ', "the increasing presence of l sunglasses in contemporary fashion." In 1989, the company won a . Woolmark Award for its "continued ; influence in men's fashion." L- But style alone wouldn't be selling sunglasses in a recession. Like eating healthy and exercising, sunglasses are Glass Menagerie Confronts Buyers THE PROLIFERATION of sunglasses and options in styling and protection can be confusing. Here's a sunglass primer, designed to help you see the light without harming your eyes: UV protection is designed to screen out the ultraviolet rays of the sun that can damage eyes. "Ultraviolet light is divided into A, B and C light by wavelength," said Jay Pepose, associate professor of opthalmology at Washington University School of Medicine. He said that 97 percent of the UV light ' that reaches the eye is A light, that , only about 3 percent was B light, and that most C light was filtered by the ozone layer. IR protection means that the lens also screens out infrared light, which is believed to cause eye strain. Pepose said 80 percent of infrared light goes directly to the cornea, "but because it is invisible, most of us are unaware of the exposure." Polycarbonate lenses are made of plastic. They can be found on expensive and inexpensive glasses but ; are of varying quality. They are more likely to scratch than glass lenses, and the less expensive one can distort images. Their advantages are that they weigh less than glass. Gradient lenses are shaded on the top and bottom, lighter in the middle. They are designed to cut glare from the sky, road, water or snow while not darkening the center of the field of vision. DhnfnohrAmlii Ar ntintrt canciHua lenses contain chemicals that cause them to lighten or darken in proportion to the level of ultraviolet rays. Once available only in glass, ; photochrome lenses now are made of plastic. Polarized lenses screen out ; reflected light. They have been especially popular with fishermen, ' who look down into water. Gray lenses give the truest sense of color and are probably the most I neutral to the skin, Frisch said. : "Brown lenses are becoming Increasingly popular because they ! eliminate glare and highlight objects, ! such as tennis balls and golf balls, making them easier to see." "t.Both colors filter out more light ; than green, Pepose said, rtrr '' ' r Lucyann Boston good for you. "The ozone layer is thinning, which means that the amount of ultraviolet rays our eyes are exposed to is getting , worse every year," said Dr. Larry J. ' Davis, instructor of ophthalmology at St. Louis University's Bethesda Eye Institute. He said ultraviolet rays damage the cornea and conjunctiva, the outer protective layer of the eye and are believed to be a factor in age-related cataracts. Knowing that, the public sees sunglasses as "more and more of a necessity," says Karen Doll, fashion director of Saks Fifth Avenue, which carries sunglasses year round. In malls throughout the country, chains specializing in sunglasses, such as SunGear and Sunglass Hut, endure a sales cycle that rises and falls much the same as other retail stores. "We do big business in December because sunglasses are great to stuff in stockings," said Morgan Doyle, who manages the SunGear shop in the Galleria. Average price for a pair of sunglasses in his store is "between $50 and $100." Late this summer, his company plans to open an additional eyewear store called Le Visage in the Galleria. The store will specialize in upscale . eyewear-sunglasses, retailing for more than $100. Recently, former French ski champion Jean-Claude Killy helped develop a line of patented sunglasses with a nose piece, brow bar and side springs designed to prevent injury and keep the glasses in place during physical activity. Locally, the glasse retail for about $300 at Eyewear Loft, 9644 Olive Street Road in Olivette. Though those figures may seem high for a possession that many people break or lose with regularity, owning a good pair of sunglasses is a trend. More than half the business in the $2.1 billion sunglass industry is transacted in purchases of $30 or more. "There's not much resistance as long as people find something they think is nice looking and fits their requirements," said Lew English, buyer for Outdoors Inc., 9755 Clayton Road in Ladue. The sunglass business has grown from being part of the ski equipment department to part of the water sports department to being a year-round free-standing department at the store. English added that the top-selling brands are Oakley, Vuarnet and Ray-Ban. Sales of a particular style to a particular person or a certain sex aren't predictable, he said. "Ray-Ban's metal aviators are most popular with young women," he said. "I've had affluent men in the mid-30s to early-40s buying Oakley Frog Skins for $35 to $50 and young men in their late teens pay ing $ 1 75 for Revos." WE'VE GOT YOU Jrom When customers come in to look at sunglasses at the Alpine Shop Ltd., 601 East Lockwood in Webster Groves, "the No. 1 thing they want to know is 'How does it look on me?' " said Bill McConnell, who has sold sunglasses for seven years. "Then, they'll ask about the protection, and if it doesn't have what they want, they'll move on to something else." Prices at The Alpine Shop range from $8 to $210, with the bulk of the glasses between $40 and $85. Business is booming, McConnell said. "It's never surprising when we look around and suddenly realize the sunglass display is empty." At local department stores, average prices are lower about $25 at Famous-Barr and $30 at Dillard's. Sunglasses aimed at the teen-age market retail for about $12 to $15, but the interest in fashion frames is higher. "Anything with a bold shape is important, whether it's really small or really large," noted a spokeswoman for Dillard's. "We're selling a lot of the small round John Lennon looks and the big bold styles associated with movie stars like Marilyn Monroe. Our top silhouette is shaped like the nerd glasses from the 1950s and 1960s." Susan Tierney, creative merchandising director for Famous- 0 OM) 0 00f?&700 0 0 r0yQ 0 0 Services A GOOD HABIT FOR GOOD HEALTH FRIDAY, APRIL 26 ST. JOHN'S HEALTH CENTER -ST. CHARLES BANK CENTRE ONE HWY 94-1 MILE SOUTH OF HWY 70 ST. JOHN'S MERCY MOBILE MAMMOGRAPHY UNIT IS ACCREDITED BY: AMERICAN COLLEGE OF RADIOLOGY (ACR) 1-800-446-3742 569-6300 Between 9 A.M.-5 P.M. to schedule an appointmentor other locations. FROM HEAD w ft V jj L. V 1 immmmh 1 head to toe and everything in - St. Joseph's got you covered with the finest physicians around. Our staff of 400 doctors, ranging from family practitioners to medical specialists, uses the resources of the area's most complete medical facilities to make sure your body gets the attention it deserves. Call us. A registered nurse will help you select a doctor who best meets your needs. r j.,l.,,j.:ni1M..W,.)M.JJ N--Uj.nniiij.N i.l in. .i.iii.i.i. JW,imi V, . , -". .I'M.. J. i . .J .n.iJMiiiiM.uii.,1 nui ... ...i ... in JJ'.U"J iifll.iiJJiCTiJBniB.ii.MiBi .111 ,.m u. J. ...... . II I All I llfllllWWWMMlftt it rfcM.rmTitllll lilliJ i ' v,) "' ABOVE: Trendy for the '90s are retro looks, be they John Lennon style ($46.95 at The Alpine Shop) or cat's eyes by Camp Beverly Hills ($15 at Dillard's). Barr, said: "There's a real return to the 1960s, specifically the big round Jackie O. style. We're seeing a lot of white frames and silver and white combinations. In addition, there's a return to the classics. Styles like Ray-Ban's Wayfarers continue to be important." for Ifomen $55.00 1 between, St. Joseph Health Center St. Charles, Missouri 947-5000 nr-ii i j inininini 11 Orabec DECORATING CONSULTANTS ON STAFF (Zomfocf, Side (ZanfieU cutct iHtentyib 4141 Mexico Road 928-1699 St. Charles, M0 63303 CO TO TOE A - lr V '"" j V . : I ) W St. Joseph Physician Referral Service Call 441-2000 or toll-free 1-800-835-1212. J Skilled. Close To You. 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