By Christa Angel, Web Reporter – Forum Publishing Group

The Mido show held in Milan, Italy is the premier show for the eyewear industry. This year’s event featured at the new Rho-Pero Convention Center was both exciting and inventive as the newest fashions were displayed. Anfao in conjunction with the Foreign Trade Institute organized the first in-flight eyewear fashion show held on a chartered Eurofly jet from JFK Airport in New York. Flying over the Atlantic Ocean, over 30 journalists were treated to a lively fashion show hosted by Kristen Grove, model and MTV VJ. What better way to view next year’s collections? Colorful and trendy frames as well as funky styles were modeled, including many vintage and collectible frames.

That evening was kicked off with an elaborate fashion show Featuring all the styles from past era’s Andie Macdowell was one of the presenters for the event. After landing we were transported to the convention center where the opening night Mido fashion show was presented. The extravaganza featured American actress Andie MacDowell joined by Italian celebrity Luca Barbareschi. The show featured four decades of eyewear history and was lively, informative and beautiful. On Saturday we walked the convention floor which was abuzz. The record attendance of this year’s show was indicative of the excitement and turnaround of the fashion eyewear industry. The exhibitors pulled out all the stops with one display an presentation more gorgeous than the next.

Safilo found a unique way to highlight their lines by running continuous fashion shows right down their aisle. Featured were their top brands including Armani, Dior, Gucci, and Diesel.

The 2008 collections are going to excite buyers in the marketplace.

We viewed the hottest looks, with new bold colors and textures that are fun, flirty, and exciting. Some of the trends for the upcoming season are lightweight frames, flexible stems, bold patterns with bright colors & side shapes including swarovski crystals. and leather. Many designers have chosen to accessorize handbags by matching frames to them. Eyewear has become a fashion statement!

The Mido Show was an incredible gathering of eyewear’s finest designers, manufacturers and distributors. The upcoming season will prove to be a milestone in the industry with thousands of new styles in colors and textures that are new to the market. The future’s so bright… I’ve gotta wear shades! (Sorry, couldn’t resist!)