Picture glamorous silver-screen movie stars lounging poolside, bodies swathed in ultra-feminine swimsuits and faces undercover in enormous, mysteriously fashionable sunglasses à la Jackie O.
The Return of Retro, Oversized Sunglasses
Oversized shades are no longer just for grannies and post-laser-eye surgery patents. Aside from the pastel-colored perms and elasticized trousers, it would seem that many of us could stand to take a cue from our grandmothers' fashion sense, as unabashed glamour continues to be all the rage.
Undercover Diva, Seeking Shades
Whether they're incognito dodging ruthless paparazzi or simply flaunting their fabulousness by flashing the eyewear equivalent of bling, celebrities like Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Ritchie, Paris Hilton, and even Kate Gosselin are taking cover behind the big ol' frames that are hot, hot, hot this season.
While West coast gals have always had an excuse to wear shades thanks to California's sun, the Chic Shades Club has exploded out of Hollywood, across the continent and seems to be recruiting anyone with the desire to stylishly see and not be seen seeing. Hordes of hip chicks are likely to be caught dipping into their grandmothers' stashes seeking the vintage, movie-star-style shades that have become the summer's most sought-after fashion accessory.
Big Sunglasses Come in All Shapes, Styles & Colors
Variety is the name of the game: Wide-temple aviator frames, saucer-size round wire rims, classically chic tortoiseshell frames, super-sized chunky vibrant plastic frames, futuristic wrap-around ray-bands, alien-eye specs, and even visor styles inspired by laser-eye surgery goggles - if you can imagine it, it's in.
Designer Sunglasses
Top designers such as Alexander McQueen, Prada, Gucci, Stella McCartney, Giorgio Armani, Marc Jacobs, and Chanel are ingeniously meeting the demand of high-rolling trendsetters, with designer sunglasses costing anywhere from a couple hundred dollars all the way up to 4G.
Fashionable Eyewear That's Chic & Cheap
On a budget? Fear not, if you absolutely cannot bear to splurge on an outlandish piece of seasonal eyewear eye candy, sporting a pair of shiny new knock-offs isn't totally blasphemous in the undying religion of fashion. Affordable retail stores like Le Château, Banana Republic and H&M are cranking out funky styles to keep you en vogue and in the black, with cool shades ringing in from under ten bucks.
Vintage Sunglasses
Bonus points for your pocket-book, style quotient and originality factor if you can get hold of a pair of genuine vintage spectacles at a thrift shop.
Go ahead, be a fashion diva. Slide on a set of gigantic shades and dig into old-school glam. You know you want to.
