May

29

Top Five Biggest Eyewear Fashion Trends

Filed Under Brands Wave, Designer Eyeglasses, Designer Sunglasses, Eyewear Knowledge, Fun with Eyewear | View Comments

au0529.jpgIn recent months several trends have emerged which are likely to be prevalent throughout 2009 and well into 2010. Police, Prada and Ray-Ban have stolen the show and are likely to remain popular.

For men, Police sunglasses have reached epic heights, in the fashion world, and surprisingly, in Hollywood. It is not a common thing to see several hot celebrity men dressing in similar fashion. In Hollywood, for a man the name of the game is standing out. Yet men across Hollywood are donning Police sunglasses and proudly wearing them in public, as well as sponsoring the brand. Antonio Bandaras and George Clooney are already spokesmen; that’s two of the world’s hottest men. Perhaps Brad Pitt will be next seasons model?

Meanwhile, Prada is making a near Olympic comeback from their recent dud season in 2008. Having revived their accessories department and ushered new creative fervor into the designs the 2009 release was a breath of fresh air compared to the dull and unimaginative release of the previous season. In addition to killer eyewear, Prada has rocked the women’s shoes segment this year.

Ray Ban Wayfarers have made a colorful and lasting come back with the recent re-release of the Ray Ban Clubmaster series as well as the color-your-own Wayfarer set. Because these re-released are a bit more difficult to come back, the Wayfarer has surged to the front of the fashion race in recent months among young women. Some say it is more fun being blonde, and many a friendly and chipper blonde has donned the colorful red, blue and green Wayfarers to show the pep in their step.

May

25

Best Eyewear for the Would-Be Model

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au0525.JPGFor the aspiring model, there are very few things more important than how you present yourself on your first introductory meetings with fashion houses. Do you wear Dior or Paul Smith? Here are a few tips on how to accessorize for your introductory meeting, what to expect, and more importantly, what to wear.

Arrive exactly ten minutes early. More than that and you are putting your host in an uncomfortable position of having to shift his or her schedule for you. Less than ten minutes early and if there is paperwork or preliminary photos to do you will keep your host waiting. Neither is acceptable.

Ensure that you are wearing at least one item from the fashion house if it is a larger house. Do some homework to discover who their competitors are and avoid wearing their clothing. For the rest of your clothing go either vintage or mid-level designers.

The best way to show that you are up on the latest trends is through accessories. You’ll want to express your sense of style with a few key items: shoes, sunglasses, purse and watch. Leave off everything else. Keep in mind that designers want to imagine you wearing their clothing, so wear simple designs and plain colors (no patterns) to your introduction so they can easily view you as a canvas on which their clothing will hang. Simple but stylish accessories are the best way to compliment your canvas wardrobe. Make sure you are wearing heels, ladies, so you can show off your runway walk. Men, be prepared to show your walk in a variety of shoes or barefoot, and always wear lace up Dockers or other plain but stylish shoes.

For your other accessories, go mainstream vague, meaning a mid-level designer. This shows that you are in-tune with the up and coming group of designers and that you really know your industry. For sunglasses, you should make sure they accentuate your natural features and skin and hair tones. Make sure you pick an up-and-coming or creative designer like Alain Mikli or Alexander McQueen.

May

19

Eyewear For Redheads

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Many a redhead wonders what to do about their wardrobe, should one accessorize with Versace, like a blonde, or with Prada, like brunettes? With bright hair, there are several colors that are not as appealing on a redhead. Yellows, reds and oranges make a redhead look washed out and sickly. For redhead women, fashion can be a frustrating and challenging hurdle. Here are a few tips to optimize your looks and make fashion less intimidating.

First of all, don’t shy away from the red. Red hair is feisty, powerful and bold. You can embrace these traits by accessorizing to meet the boldness head on. Dark colors, especially black, blue, grey and brown, make the red really stand out. When choosing accessories for a bold redhead, go dark and defined; the designs of Gucci, Dior and Ralph Lauren work well for this. For Sunglasses, the bolder the better, jump past simple designs and try Persol, Police and Miu Miu sunglasses to really bring out the feisty. 

Another method of selection fashion accessories for redheads is to find muted and simple designs so as not to detract from your natural boldness. Accessorizing with fragile and delicate designs helps to even out the bold nature of the red hair and gives a gentle and nurturing look. Try frameless eyewear by Hugo Boss or Paul Smith and the classic designs of Tom Ford sunglasses.

A third tactic is to use the tone of your hair as a personality trait. Many redheads find accessorizing in natural-looking or natural tones helps to make the red more natural and thus subdued. Dressing in khaki, cotton and simple floral or tie-died prints helps to create this look. For eyewear, anything simple but natural works best, for sunglasses try classic Ray Ban aviators while for eyewear try the classic designs of Oliver Peoples.

May

7

Eyewear for Extreme Sporting

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Depending on your sport of choice, there is a specific sunglasses brand designed just for you. Adidas, Nike, Oakley, Bolle and others are perfect for the dedicated athlete. From snowboarding to surfing, biking to hang gliding, there is something for every adrenaline junkie to increase performance and look stylish while doing so.

For biking sports, we recommended Oakley, as even the great Lance Armstrong wears these to complete his races in style. Not only do they enhance performance by increasing contrast so you can detect changes in the road before you, but their polarization and anti-rain coatings make them impervious to changes in weather. Oakley also provides high-quality, performance enhancing goggles for snow and water sports.

For traditional sports like basketball and baseball we recommend Adidas eyewear, which is stylish, sporty and sure to perform at the highest levels of perfection and enhancement. For the sports addict who isn’t into high fashion, Adidas is a great choice. Adidas also has goggles for snow sports, or when slippage isn’t an option.

For running and aviation sports, Nike is the best because their temple bars are designed to keep eyewear firmly in place. With comfortable nose bridges, light weight frames and minimalist obstruction, these glasses are perfect for higher impact sports, or any activity where shifting would occur with normal frames.

Bolle eyewear is perfect for outdoor sports that are medium impact and high profile, like hiking, climbing or volleyball. They will keep firmly in place, are lightweight and reliable, but have the added benefit of being fashionable and classy.