Some of the most vivid memories from my elementary school years involve returning to stores, eateries, and doctor's offices I'd visited hours earlier with my mom as part of a real-life scavenger hunt for her sunglasses. Ever the scatterbrain, my mom would leave her shades everywhere: at restaurant tables, at booths in mall food courts, at makeup counters in department stores, at side tables in dentists' waiting rooms... Though, on rare occasions, we encountered a good Samaritan who set her sunglasses aside, most times, they were snatched by someone before we discovered their exact whereabouts. Needless to say, after enough of these expeditions, the sense of adventure began to fade, and I started suggesting my mom invest in a necklace eyewear holder. Of course, the styles available at the time, would have left her looking like a crotchety old librarian, so she adamantly refused. Looking back, I wish La LOOP had been around in those days — it certainly would've saved us a lot of time and gas money!
Founded in 1999, La LOOP is a line specializing in fashion-forward necklaces with loops through which customers can hang their eyeglasses or sunglasses, preventing them from ever misplacing their optical pieces. Though eyeglass necklace holders get a bad rep, often referenced with as much derision as pocket protectors, La LOOP has steadily been reinventing their image. Using such materials as braided and stitched leather, clustered smokey quartz beads, square wooden pegs, oversize acetate links in various animal prints and glossy finishes, and sterling silver and gold-plated chain links, designer Elizabeth Faraut creates pieces you'll want to wear around your neck — even in you have 20/20 vision. The embellished loop at each necklace's center, then, can work as an eye-catching accent or as a functional device for specs-wearing specimens — just look at the Eloise necklace pictured at top, with its cream and caramel links, and the braided white leather number with its Swarovski crystal-encrusted loop.
To find a retailer near you, visit LaLOOP.com
