Jaine Blackman makes a spectacle of herself taking a look at new trends for eyewear and trying some designers’ latest lines in glasses

Don't you want to take a look in the mirror,” says my style advisor after picking me out a pair of glasses ready for a selfie.

“No, I trust you,” I say. And why wouldn’t I? He’s Gok Wan.

If you can’t rely on the fashion consultant and TV presenter, probably best known for persuading women to strip off for How To Look Good Naked, to find you a decent pair of specs, who can you?

Gok was one of the designers at a press event hosted by Specsavers, which has branches in the Westgate Shopping Centre and Cowley in Oxford, and I lost no time taking the opportunity to get some expert advice from them and finding out about their new lines.

First off was the very charming Henley resident, fashion designer Jeff Banks who has a range of men’s eyewear for the company.

“My glasses are inspired by my era, the 1970s,” he says. “I love the retro feel of the plastics. They’ve got an engineering quality and are very masculine. Wearing them is like driving a Porsche, except not as expensive.”

Jeff has in recent years been known for his menswear and explains that when he sold Warehouse, which he founded, part of the agreement was he didn’t design women’s clothes for 10 years.

That may change, but for now he picks me a pair of tortoiseshell glasses from his range which I rather like. Why should the men have all the benefits of his talent.

Danish fashion designer Jorgen Simonsen is next on the list. The Paris-based fashion impresario has a CV which lists A-list clientele including Nicole Kidman, Sarah Jessica Parker and Naomi Campbell and is presenting his second instalment of Osiris eyewear.

“The new styles fuse bright hues, drawn from pop art, movie icons and modern life, with nature-influenced textures like reptile skin, leather and tortoiseshell,” he says.

“We’ve used innovative techniques such as two-tone laminates, colour gradients and semi-translucent acetates with retro styles from 1950s through to the 1990s.”

The range is great for coloured frames.

I stop by the Karl Lagerfeld stand. He’s not actually there but if the cardboard cut-out is anything to go by it’s just as well... he doesn’t look very friendly.

He’s been quoted saying his glasses “make beautiful faces more beautiful”. Unfortunately I don’t really have one of those but as he’s not there I try on a few pairs anyway. A bargain at two pairs for £125.

Then it’s off to meet the much more approachable Gok Wan, style ambassador for Specsavers and the #LOVEGLASSES campaign.

“Do you know Oxford,” I ask.

“Yes, I’ve been drunk there many times, when I visited my best friend and goddaughter,” he says with a grin. “And I’ve been punting.”

He picks out a pair of glasses from his current range and despite trying on others we both agree the first choice was the best for me.

My favourites of the day... and I didn’t even have to take my clothes off.

See specsavers.co.uk to see the designers’ full ranges

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