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.

Brad Pitt, Sunglasses Trendsetter

While some celebrities prefer dark shades to fight off the glare of paparazzi flashes, a new trend among male actors is transparent fashion sunglasses. After all celebrities put so much effort into looking good, why hide it all behind tinted shades.

At the forefront of this trend are Hollywood hunks Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, and Jude Law. The actors were first spotted rocking their stylish eyewear at the Cannes Film Festival. Each of these leading men sports the see-through look in their own way.

Brad Pitt, who was on the press circuit for his film Tree of Life wore tortoise shell frames with a cinnamon-colored fade. The style was inspired by Colin Firth’s character in A Single Man. Tom Ford, who directed that Oscar-nominated film, also designed the glasses.

Depp was seen wearing the “Lemtosh” style which has been worn by iconic figures of the past including Buddy Holly and Truman Capote. Unlike Pitt’s look, Depp brings the see-through lenses to life with light purple lenses, silver accents accents on the sides of the frames, and rounder frames to fit the shape of his head.

Finally, Jude Law went for blocky frames with rounded edges and big chunky earpieces, and a darker gradient to his shades that either of the other two actors. Whether these fashions will catch on with the common man remains to be seen, but it seems that for now, the see-through trend is not going anywhere.

X-Men: First Class Stars Sport Summer Shades

It’s no secret that this summer is already shaping to be a big one for Hollywood, and the next movie that studio execs are hoping will make a big splash is X-Men: First Class, which opens June 3rd.

Two of the stars of the movie, Michael Fassbender and Zoe Kravitz, have recently gone public with their off-screen relationship. The couple was snapped together in New York City wearing distinct, but equally chic fashion sunglasses.

Zoe Kravitz, the daughter of the musician Lenny Kravitz and the actress Lisa Bonet, is wearing round-framed John Lennon-style sunglasses, with a thickened bridge, and Michael Fassbender a classic pair of large aviator sunglasses with gold-colored frames.

In the upcoming X-Men movie, which delves into the origins of the Marvel superheroes, Zoe Kravitz plays Angel Salvadore, a new character in the hugely popular X-Men movie franchise; this is already the fourth film this decade. Salvadore’s character is a go-go dancer whose mutation is a pair of insect-like wings sprouting out of her back. Fassbender plays Magneto, the Holocaust survivor and ultimate cynic who has the ability to control metal with his mind.

Whether the movie will outstrip it’s competitors at the box office, including The Hangover 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean, remains to be seen, but with so many fans eager to experience the origin story of their favorite heroes and villains on the big screen and now a real life celebrity romance added to the drama, it certainly has a good shot.

The Passing of Dr. Jack Kevorkian

Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the controversial assisted suicide doctor, dubbed “Doctor Death” by some, passed away today in a Michigan hospital, reportedly from kidney and respiratory problems. Not long before his death, the 83-year-old medical pathologist was the inspiration for an HBO movie titled You Don’t Know Jack, in which Kevorkian was portrayed by Al Pacino.

In the poster for the film, Pacino is wearing reddish, thick-framed tortoise shell prescription glasses, with a keystone bridge, much like the ones Kevorkian wore in real life. Pacino also sports a knowing smirk, emblematic of the real Kevorkian’s love of making controversial statements to the media while advocating for legal euthanasia.

In the New York Times’ obituary, the author claims that even Kevorkian’s harshest critics should give him credit for one positive change in our country. “As a result of his stubborn and often intemperate advocacy for the right of the terminally ill to choose how they die, hospice care has boomed in the United States, and physicians have become more sympathetic to their pain and more willing to prescribe medication to relieve it,” the articles states.

After many assisted suicides in which the patients administered lethal substances to themselves, Kevorkian himself gave the fatal injection to a patient in 1998. He spent 8 years in prison for this before being paroled on good behavior four years ago.

Justin Bieber and Beyonce’s Beach Sunglasses

This Memorial Day weekend, many people will be lounging out in the sun and keeping cool with the help of a cold drink and a pair of fashion sunglasses. Just like your Average Joe or Jane, celebrities love to go to the beach for a swim and a tan. Though with the paparazzi hounding them year-round, not to mention that many movie stars live in sunny California, celebrities have more occasions to wear sunglasses than you and I.

Still, when summer rolls around, they tend to kick their fashion eyegear into high gear. Which of these celebrities do you think looks the best in their summer shades? Share your thoughts in the comments. 

Hot Sunglasses: Summer Eyewear Trends 2011

As the weather gets warmer and the beaches start filling up with sunscreened bodies, it’s time to consider one of the most important fashion choices of the summer: what fashion sunglasses will keep you looking good all summer long. Fortunately, we at Cohen’s Fashion Optical have some tips on the hottest trends in colors, styles, and shapes for your shades.

Throwback is the new black this summer, as a lot of retro looks are floating around. John Lennon-style glasses having a second turn in the spotlight, and this time many folks are sporting them with a twist such as clear frames, or plastic frames as opposed to the classic wire frames. This look is a summer hit for both men and women.

When considering the color of your summer sunglasses, the same rule applies as in real estate, it’s all about location, location, location. Are you wearing them for a weekend getaway to the beach? A white pair of frames will be very classy and understated. How about heading out for brunch with friends? You might want to try a snazzier color to accentuate your summer dress. Purple and red are big this year.

Continuing in the retro vein, cat-eye sunglasses are also selling very well. Brands like Prada, Tom Ford, Ray-Ban, and Dior are helping the look that had its last heyday in the 50s and 60s make a strong comeback. Aviators are also making a strong showing, particularly in men’s fashion eyewear.

Finally, polarized lenses are becoming more and more common. If you’re not the type you wants a pair of shades to go with your every ensemble, upgrading your everyday glasses to transition lenses can help you fight off the glare and look good this summer, without having to break the bank.

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.

Ashley Greene’s Paul Frank Sunglasses

Ashley Greene recently finished filming Breaking Dawn, the final installment of the Twilight series, in which she plays Alice Cullen, the vampire adopted sister of Robert Pattinson’s Edward Cullen. Offscreen however, Greene certainly doesn’t need to fear the light of the sun, and she was recently seen at the Coachella music festival in sunny Indio, California sporting some Paul Frank fashion sunglasses.

This is a pivotal moment in Greene’s career, as she will be making her first major screen appearance in a non-Twilight related role. Skateland, which opened in the United States this past weekend, features Greene as the love interest of a roller rink rat in early 1980’s Texas. The coming of age tale will likely give Greene a chance to show some more serious acting chops.

The tabloids have also been buzzing about Greene, formerly an item with Joe Jonas, and since their split, the gossip media has gotten a kick out of chronicling the young men of Hollywood with whom she’s been spotted around town.

But returning to Greene’s choice of eyewear, tune in later this week for our help decoding what a celebrity’s eyewear choices say about the image they’re trying to project and how you can mimic their allure if you simply master the symbolism of different sunglasses.

Justin Bieber Donates His Glasses and So Should You

We often engage in some gentle ribbing of our neighbors to the North, sometimes not so gentle as in the case of the South Park song “Blame Canada,” but when it comes to helping a good cause, Canadian celebrities are quick to step up to the plate.

Musicians such as Justin Bieber and Sarah McLachlan are taking part in The Canadian National Institute for the Blind’s annual fundraising effort by donating their fashion sunglasses to be auctioned off for the cause. Even if people don’t have the capital to snap up the autographed celebrity sunglasses, they can still wear their sunglasses on May 26th, designated Shades of Fun day, to raise funds for the cause.

One of the first celebs to lend their support was musician and producer David Foster, who is perhaps best known for discovering Celine Dion, Josh Groban, and Michael Bublé. “Please wear your shades to shield yourself from the sun’s UV rays – or the paparazzi,” Foster implored.

The event is also designed to help raise awareness about over-exposure to ultraviolet radiation and the importance of protecting not just your skin, but your eyes. All the money is going to help people who are blind or partially sighted. If you’re interested, the auction kicked off on Ebay today, May 13th.