Sexy sunnies, Sunglasses not just for summer

Conspicuous logos and white frames a la Victoria Beckham are on the way out, but over-sized sunnies, aviators and mirror glasses are hot, hot, hot.

Any self-respecting fashionista can tell you sunglasses are about more than protecting your eyes against the sun.

Your sunnies can hide tired or red eyes while adding glamour, mystery, elegance and impact to any outfit.

And as Bono has shown, nothing screams “rock-star” more than a cool pair of sunglasses worn indoors, at night or when there isn’t a ray of sun around.

Here are a few upcoming trends in these perennial fashion faves.

BIG AND ROUND

Over-sized sunglasses are still very in, according to Dawn Klimaszewski, marketing director for Maui Jim sunglasses. “In fashion, the big thing is the big frames. But it’s evolving. More rounded, smaller.”

LOGOS ON THE OUT

Longtime luxury brand lovers are looking for a way to differentiate themselves from their flashier counterparts with understated elegance.

FLYING HIGH

Aviators are still big for men and women, says Melanie Martin, spokeswoman for the New York-based Sunglass Association of America.

Klimaszewski adds: “Oversized is fashion, but aviators are hot everywhere else.”

CLASSICS

Vintage-inspired remains hot, Martin says.

“Some of those vintage glasses used to have a flat lens. But new lenses can have a full wrap with details inspired by Jackie O, but wrapped a little more around your face, which gives you more protection.”

HAUTE HUES

Shiny black is No 1. From the vintage trend, tortoise shell remains popular and champagne shades are gaining fast.

White sunglasses are fading, while navy continues to be strong. Fluorescents are said to be on the ascent, including those from names like Dior.

SPARKLE

Jewellery lines like Tiffany and Bulgari are huge right now, says Barry Kay of Hollywood Eyes.

“They copy their jewellery designs on the sides of the frames. They sell well because of the uniqueness.”

These glasses can get pricey, though.

A limited-edition design from Fendi, loaded with hand-placed Swarovski crystals, goes for around $US1,000.

MIRROR, MIRROR

What goes best with your metallic dress or your foil-effect T-shirt?

Mirror-like materials are beginning to shine, especially with high-tech metals and colourful plastics from the likes of Jimmy Choo and Dior.

Palin's frames

The recent spate of press coverage and blog twitters about Sarah Palin's 704 series Kazuo Kawasaki designed titanium frames brings to mind an old saying, "The clothes make the man." So, does it also follow that that "The eyewear makes the woman?" Or we could expand our theory somewhat and ask if "The eyewear makes the woman qualified?"

As Palin and her supports labor to shore up the vice-presidential candidate's credentials for the job against what some say is significant evidence to the contrary, it is curious that so much attention is given to her choice of eyewear. It is hardly surprising for the press to analyze the sartorial selections of female politicians--we are just now recovering from the intense scrutiny of Hillary Clinton's pantsuits, and who could forget Condaleezza's "boot-gate"?--yet glasses, a small though arguably functional accessory, seem insignificant by comparison. However, their relative contribution to a larger "ensemble" belies the unique and transformative power of glasses on women. They have a semiotic charge that can simultaneously de-sex (remember Dorothy Parker's famous couplet, "Men don't make passes/at girls who wear glasses") and empower. If you buy into the vernacular of popular culture, then you will easily recognize that dowdy, intelligent woman wearing glasses in the classic Hollywood film, who will (before the credits roll) let her hair down, take off her glasses and transform into a sexy vixen who finds satisfaction and fulfillment in love (read: sex). If we follow that line of logic backwards, we can return the starlet to her un-sexy, intellectually respectable identity, by sweeping her hair back up and putting on the glasses.

So perhaps the 704 series Kawasaki frames are Palin's way of dethroning her old beauty queen persona and of adding a layer of studious authority to all those close-ups. Or maybe she just doesn't like contacts. Either way, like Clinton's pantsuits they are signifiers and not qualifiers, and we would much rather know about Palin's plans for bringing health care to the uninsured than how many pairs of glasses she owns.

Optometrists focus on giving

Charitable group provides eye care where needed
Destiny Dubois, Samuel Sauceda and Skylar Tufts jostled a bit for the right to take five tests.

It's not normal behavior for second-and third-graders, rushing to an unsure academic fate, but these weren't regular exams, either.
The youngsters were first in line this week at downtown San Diego's Monarch School to receive free eye care from a group of volunteers who help at health fairs and other events.

That didn't matter to Destiny, 8.

“We're doing math right now,” she said. “I don't want to go back to class.”

Then a scary realization sank in.

“Does he have to wear glasses?” Samuel asked as Skylar, the first patient, read from the eye chart. “Do I have to wear glasses?”

No, as it turned out. The optometrists, from the San Diego Optometric Society and the Veterans Affairs Hospital in La Jolla, found few problems among the 100 children and teens they examined – three of the first 30 were referred for more care. Free eyeglasses will be provided, if necessary.

Byron Newman, a semiretired optometrist from San Carlos who helped arrange the exams, tested the children's ability to follow a moving object, the final test. If it is limited, he said, their reading skills could be affected.

“That keeps them from being able to study or perform in school,” Newman said.

Evan Square, a shaggy-haired 11-year-old, told Newman that he has frequent headaches. Reading also bothers him. He was unsure how he would respond if he needed a fix for his vision.

“I'd be like, shocked,” the sixth-grader said. “It would be kind of, news, that I have to wear glasses.”

Marcus Coney, 12, recently lost his second pair of glasses. He didn't think he would be eligible for the exams.

“I already had glasses,” Marcus said. “I guess I get to do it because I got to get new ones.”

The Monarch School, which is marking its 20th anniversary, provides services for homeless and at-risk students. In addition to the vision clinic this week, nurses and dental professionals also are available for the children.

They aren't the only ones who can receive free eye care, said Sean South, of the California Optometric Association.

A charitable arm of the group offers about $3 million in care and in-kind services to disadvantaged families annually. Another program provides glasses to 1,300 military dependents.

There are many openings for aid in San Diego, an area that South said has not taken advantage of the opportunities.

“We have more doctors than we have patients,” he said.