100% Union Jack

All eyes are literally on London this summer as the world’s top eyewear designers gear up for the 2012 Olympic Games.  Paying homage to British heritage, Gucci’s sporty City Series shade, artfully adorned with UK colored lenses and an inside London cityscape, is sure to tie your britches in a bunch.  If you prefer to go 100% Union Jack, than Jimmy Choo’s 80’s inspired ALEX sunglass is your new best friend.  The square-shaped acetate sunny is available in four bold colors, all featuring different lenses:  red frame with smoke lenses, blue frame with blue mirrored lenses, white frames with blue mirrored lenses, and black frames with smoke lenses.  To top it off, Jimmy Choo appeases the history buff by inscribing the meaning of the Union Jack on the inside of the frame and side arms of the shade.

I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether you prefer Gucci’s sporty City Series shade or Jimmy Choo’s 100% Union Jack wayfarer.  Either way, the world is about to become a bit more beautiful as the patriotic glamour once reserved for UK’s Kate’s (Middleton and Moss) is bestowed to the fashionable commoner.

 Gucci                  

Frame Your Face for Spring and Eyecessorize!

 

Frame your face for spring and eyecessorize!  This season is all about standing out and having fun.  Whether you prefer comfort or drama, there is a shape or style sure to brighten up your Spring wardrobe.  So how do you make sure you’re picking the perfect pair?  Easy!  The fashion experts at Cohen’s Fashion Optical have scoured the Spring 2012 runways and pulled the hottest trends for males and females.   What are you waiting for?  See the world in style!

 

Spring 2012’s Top Trends for Women

 

1.  Cat Eye

Meeeeeeeeoooow!  Move over Kourtney Kardashian, this fierce shape has been spotted all over the runways.  Whether you’re searching for new reading glasses or sunnies, springs most fashion forward shade is sure to make you purr. 

2.  Ladylike Details

Embrace your demur side and opt for shades rich in delicate pastels, lace, and floral motifs.  Pretty in pink is no longer for little girls, as rose-tinted lenses inject new life into your spring wardrobe and add a playful element of femininity to your style.  Pair with a big sunhat and you’ll be ready for the races!

3.  Perfect Circle

These glasses are no longer just for Jackie O.  Oversized, retro, circle frames are the perfect balance of sophistication and fun.  Opt for a bold color-block frame and these peepers might just become your go-to pair.

 

Spring 2012’s Top Trends for Men

 

1.  Sporty

Gentlemen, embrace your inner athlete.  Fashion has entered the eyewear arena!  Take your classic aviators and wayfarers up a notch by donning a pair in bright colors or with mirrored lenses.

2.  Retro Styles

What makes hipsters such trend setters?  Obviously, their eyewear!  The retro look is back and this spec is reserved for the coolest kids on the block.  Chunky, plastic frames are for men looking to standout, while the Dan Humphries of the world may prefer the understated elegance of a rimless frame.  

3.  Rustic Sophistication

Manly men and sophisticated gents unite with these timeless specs.  Heavily influenced by leather and wood accents, these honey and amber tone frames bellow luxury only known to Ralph Lauren himself.  Grab a tortoise frame and pair with a polo and jeans for a warm Hamptons evening.

How to Choose Sunglasses

Aside from the numerous fashion considerations, which we covered in our post on summer eyewear trends for 2011, when you’re looking for a pair of designer sunglasses this summer, you also want to make sure they will keep you safe. Here are a few factors to consider:

1)      Polarization – Polarized sunglasses are good for driving, skiing, fishing, any scenario where you have a lot of light bouncing off of flat surfaces like water or snow.

2)      Tint – You can get sunglasses tinted in any color that you prefer, it doesn’t have to be a dark, gloomy hue, in order to offer you protection from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

3)      Photochromic – These lenses get lighter and darker depending on how much sunlight you’re being exposed to. The advantage of going with this option is that your everyday wear glasses can double as your sunglasses, but for those who love to accessorize, that might be more limiting than refreshing.

4)      Impact resistance – The Food and Drug Administration requires that all sunglasses be able to survive at least some minimal impact. But if you want to shield your eyes from the sun while playing sports, you’ll need special protective sunglasses with greater impact resistance.

Sunglasses help protect against cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, so it’s imperative that you consider the factors listed above and think beyond the fashion implications of your eyewear. And in case you were wondering, even with the best sunglasses, looking directly at the sun can scorch your corneas so don’t give in to your curiosity. Happy Fourth of July and happy sunglasses shopping!

Polaroid Kicks Off Sunglasses Design Contest

It used to be that you had to be Lady Gaga to get a sweet gig crafting designer sunglasses for a company like Polaroid. Recently, however, the company opened up that opportunity to anyone who thinks they have the fashion sense or design experience to give it a try.

Polaroid is hoping to spur their consumers to design some sunglasses inspired by decades past or decades yet to come (in a press release, the company cheekily encouraged designers to find their muse from any point in time between 1930 and 2020).

As many as 10 of the top designs will be chosen for inclusion in Polaroid Eyewear’s “Best Under The Sun” Signature Sunglass Collection, which will be made available in the spring of 2013. An earlier installment in that collection debuted this spring featuring reproductions of sunglasses worn by celebrities and icons over the past few decades.

In addition to getting their name in the product description of the glasses, the winning designers will rake in the royalties for each pair of shades that’s sold. As the cherry on top, they will get to unveil their handiwork in fashion-forward Milan.

The contest is open until September 30^th of this year, and the sunglasses designs will be judged not only by a panel of experts but by the votes of average Joes and Janes on Polaroid’s Facebook page. For more information about how to enter the contest, go to Polaroid’s website.