CFO’s Kentucky Derby Best Dressed List

This past weekend marked the 138th Annual Kentucky Derby.  The greatest two minutes in sports drew a world class crowd clad in seersucker, pastel prints, and festive hats to the famed Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.  The billionaires, millionaires, celebrities, socialites, and fashionable sports fans definitely dressed to impress and as always, the “hat” was the esteemed topic of conversation. However, it was the wearers of sunglasses who really stole the show.  Eliciting the help of a proper stylist and a couple of mint juleps will undoubtedly assure that one will be derby chic.  But, in order to look “Run for the Roses Ready,” one must sport a pair of stylish sunglasses among the shadows of carefully quaffed hats in order to reach the pinnacle of preppy elegance.

As a result, eye nominate the following individuals to the Cohen’s Fashion Optical 2012 Kentucky Derby Best Dressed List.

                    

   Sharni Vinson, with boyfriend Kellan Lutz                    Ashton Kutcher                                        Tom Brady

  

Stephanie Harris                                              Sara Boucher

Marcel Reece

In Iran, Fashion Contact Lenses Scream Rebellion

For some, colored fashion contact lenses are an easy way to change their look and startle their friends, or a spooky accessory to a Halloween costume, but for Shirin Aliabadi, they’re a powerful symbol of rebellion.

Along with plastic surgery, facial piercings, and the ever-controversial veil, colorful contact lenses are part of an evolving body of fashion statements that young people, women in particular, can use to push the envelope of what the Iranian government deems acceptable modes of dress in a Muslim society.

Aliabadi, who graduated from the University of Paris with a degree in art history and archaeology, lives and works in Tehran. Her most recent series of photographs, titled Miss Hybrid, shows young women flouting the moors of the powers that be, and exploring the boundary zones of Western and Middle Eastern standards of beauty.

Aliabadi began taking these photos back in 2006, and she finds her subjects in the streets or local stores of her hometown. She approaches the subject of religion, and the role of women in her country with a touch of irreverence both in her work and in interviews. Her photographs were on display for much of June at the Gallery Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris and some of her work, such as the portrait above, can still be viewed online.

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.

What Your Fashion Sunglasses Say About You

Slate has an interesting article on how famous musicians, actors, and politicians rock particular fashion sunglasses to communicate a very specific message about the image they’d like to project, but there’s no reason you can’t use those tips as a guide to crafting your own style.

The article says that at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, sunglasses have become a crucial accessory, even more so than at other celebrity-studded events. If stars want to evoke the icons that have gone before them such as Grace Kelly or Steve McQueen, more and more they’re using their shades as the way to do that.

Sometimes, especially in the summer, you might want shades that showcase your aloofness and cool. Esquire magazine’s senior fashion editor, Gareth Scourfield, purchased a pair of Ray-Ban Clubmaster classics after being inspired by a fashion story the magazine ran about JFK.

However, in more conservative lines of work, you want to give an entirely different impression. Peter Stevenson, a London barrister, that’s a lawyer to you Yanks, says, “On a sunny day you could probably get away with a pair of Ray-Bans but mirrored lenses are out of the question. Barristers need at least to give the impression of being trustworthy; concealing your eyes is not the best way to achieve that.”

Similarly, it might make sense for a musician to wear shades outdoors where they don’t wanted to get spotted or need to deflect the glare of paparazzi flashes but if they wore shades to a concert, it keeps them from making a personal connection with fans, which is part of the point of the concert going experience.

So whether you want to show your classy side or get casual by the poolside, there’s a pair of frames to help you accomplish that.

Justin Bieber’s Purple Glasses (in 3D)

Justin Bieber’s publicist deserves a pat on the back. Maybe two. While the Canadian pop singer garnered the adoration of YouTube users all on his own, he has since been surrounded with some brilliant marketing minds. Take as Exhibit A the one-two PR punch of his appearances at the Critic’s Choice Awards and the Golden Globes this past weekend, sporting a novelty moustache and some purple glasses respectively.

At Friday’s Critic’s Choice Awards, Bieber was wearing black, thick rimmed fashion frames and a black stick-on handlebar moustache to match. Since sideline commentators and members of the press often take serious stock of the fashion faux pas and trend setting new styles of various celebrities, Bieber’s stache stood out all the more.

This sparked a curiosity in his fans about whether he would flout the stuffy powers that be by wearing the moustache, or an even kookier get up, at the higher profile Golden Globes later in the weekend.

Instead, Bieber hit the red carpet in a pair of 3D purple glasses to plug Never Say Never, the upcoming biopic about his rise to fame, which will arrive in theaters in 3D. He managed to garner critical approval for bringing a puckish air to the usual formality surrounding such Hollywood shindigs and promote his movie at the same time. Whatever you think of Justin Bieber’s music, his marketing strategy is pure brilliance.

New Year’s Glasses 2011

Now that they’ve been around for nearly two decades, New Year’s novelty fashion frames have become as integral a part of the annual December 31^st festivities as watching the Times Square ball drop.

The New Year’s glasses date back to 1991 when two Seattle musicians conceived of and patented the idea and began selling the frames in Times Square each year on the big night. Since then, there has been an explosion of copycats, making slight tweaks to the entrepreneurs’ original idea, but the year 2011 presented a daunting challenge to all of them. For the first time, the numbers in the year, 2011, don’t present two obvious places for eyeholes.

The robust novelty eyewear industry isn’t dominated by one company and it doesn’t have any design standardization, so each company selling the glasses tackled the challenge of the lack of loopy letters in its own way. Throughout the 90’s and the 00’s, revelers around the world sipped champagne while peering through the double 9’s and 0’s of their new years glasses. Even 2010 had two zeroes, though they were not as optimally spaced.

This year, some designers have stuck the eyehole in the center of one of the ones, while others have nestled it between the ones, or between the zero and the first one. Some of these efforts are far less aesthetically appealing, but there seems to be an unspoken consensus that moving the numbers of the year above the eyeholes completely would wreck the appeal of the glasses.

The Wall Street Journal chronicled the ways that folks in the new years glasses industry have been dealing with the problem and Pat Shea, the general manager of an online novelty sunglasses store, told the paper she thinks the design challenge of the year 2011 is more blessing than curse. It could infuse the industry with some creativity and inspire people celebrating New Year’s Eve to choose some funkier eyewear.

Celebrating Fashion’s Night Out!

Fashion’s Night Out marks a time of the year when you can submit to your guilty vices guilt-free and with style! Sip on martinis, pamper yourself with makeovers and manicures, mingle with A-listers and fashion royalty, and – of course- shop.

The pre-Fashion Week shopping extravaganza, which will take place this Friday, September 10, has grown into a global initiative, reaching places like Australia, India and South Korea since its debut in New York last year. On Friday, a whopping 1,000 stores will keep their doors open late for customers to shop and celebrate the festivities with their favorite brands.

To help you plan your very own Fashion’s Night Out in the Big Apple, we’ve highlighted some of our top favorite picks.

Victoria’s Secret
Where: Soho, 591 Broadway
The Scoop: Makeup artists will give makeovers, and you can meet VS supermodel Adriana Lima!

Bloomingdale’s
Where: 59th Street and Lexington Avenue
The Scoop: Michael Kors will make an appearance in the handbag department on the first floor. Meanwhile, actors from HBO’s new series “Boardwalk Empire” will be on the lower level, which will be transformed into a pop-up casino by Harrah’s. Catch live-action windows along the Third Avenue side of the store, which will imitate Atlantic City’s Boardwalk circa the 1920s.

Chanel
Where:139 Spring Street
The Scoop: Makeup Nail the Coolest Shades at the CHANEL Nail Bar. Be the first to get your hands on the newest CHANEL Nail Colour Collection, LES KHAKIS DE CHANEL – created exclusively for Fashion’s Night Out by Peter Philips, Global Creative Director of CHANEL Makeup. These limited-edition shades are sure to become a cult favorite this Fall! Stop by for a complimentary mini manicure featuring these exclusive hues.

Macy’s
Where: 151 W. 34th Street
The Scoop: Meet Joss Stone at the fifth floor shoe department, and receive an autographed CD from the British songstress when you buy any pair of Nine West shoes. Tommy Hilfiger will host a stylish tailgate on Broadway, and at the fragrance area on the main floor you can meet Oscar de la Renta. Rachel Roy will be on the second floor as customers get outfitted in her designs and participate in a photo shoot for a chance to appear in the fall 2010 look book. Then, head up to the fourth floor for a meet-and-greet with Jessica Simpson.

Saks Fifth Avenue
Where: 611 Fifth Avenue
The Scoop: Native New Yorker Donna Karan (below) will be celebrating her 25th anniversary as a designer, and Dior Beauty DJ Harley Viera-Newton will spin while customers get ready to rock ’n’ roll for the department store’s rock-themed bash. Complete the look with tips from Frederic Fekkai, who will give advice on how to get rock-star hair. Meet Viktor & Rolf’s Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, and check out their art installations — or meet the Black Eyed Peas’ Taboo, and get a peek at the latest from his Taboo/Jump sneaker collaboration.

Sephora
Where: 555 Broadway b/w Prince and Spring Street
The Scoop: Meet Gwen Stefani – Sephora & Harajuku Lovers Fragrances are teaming up to give you an exclusive sneak peek at HL’s newest fragrance collection, Wicked Style. Be one of the first 100 people to buy HL’s special Fashion’s Night Out fragrance package at Sephora Soho & Gwen will personally sign the Wicked Style bottle! In addition, guests can enter to win tickets to the L.A.M.B. fashion show during NYFW! While in store, get Harajuku makeup and hair looks by Make Up For Ever and T3.