Posts Tagged ‘sunglasses’

This Season’s Sunglasses

Sunday, July 17th, 2011

Summer is upon us, and with it comes a wave of new styles.  Perhaps the most fun about summer style is finding out which sunglasses will be hot this year.  The key to the hippest styles usually has nothing to do with what is brand new.  Most “new” style trends are simply spins off of formerly worn, beloved fads.  This summer’s sunglasses will be no exception to that theory.

For men and women’s sunglasses this year, bigger is definitely better.  Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie have flaunted their flair for the oversized frames for the past few years, and it looks like the trend has finally taken hold.  Oversized sunglasses, paying homage to the late, great Jackie O, appear to be here to stay.  However, fashion gurus will warn you not to go overboard with this idea.  If the sunglasses appear to be swallowing your face, you might want to take it down a notch.

Particularly in the moment of the oversized framed sunglasses, women appear to be having fun with their colors.  No longer is the Jackie O a plain black frame with dark black lenses.  Today’s are Onassis Glasses with an attitude.  Fashion icons can be seen sporting oversized frames in red, green, purple, and other bright colors.  However, white frames also seem to be a favorite.

One retroactive style of sunglasses that is back again is no longer exclusive to men.  While guys love this look too, Aviators are striking a feminine note this year.  These sunglasses are as versatile and fun as they are functional.  For the men, they can be found in dark colored or mirrored lenses, while women may favor purple or rose tints on these particular sunglasses.  Rhinestones and other gems are added to the sides of the lenses for a little flare.

Another particularly popular style of the moment for men and women is the wraparound.  Don’t be fooled by the name.  These are not your average snowboarder’s goggles turned sunglasses.  This year’s wraparounds are being designed by some of the most celebrated designers in Hollywood, New York, Milan and everywhere in between.  You will not be disappointed.

Particular varieties of wraparound sunglasses are geared toward either men or women by changing up the style, color, and size.  Women are leaning toward larger styles, as with the oversized craze discussed earlier.  For wraparound oversized sunglasses, stars like Beyonce have been of inspiration to designers.  One favorite is a square shape, and the lenses simply continue to the arms of the sunglasses and lay over the temples.  This style too has been dressed up with rhinestones for a little shine.

Men’s wraparound sunglasses this season are all about sleek and simple design.  Most designers have abandoned the flowing, rounded look of original wraparounds for a more box like effect.  As with women’s wraparounds, the lens continues to the sides of the head.  Black seems to be the most popular color in these men’s sunglasses, which completes the chic, classy look you want your man to have.

This summer welcomes old styles of sunglasses with new attitude.  Check the red carpets and runways for the latest developments and to make sure they style you’re sporting didn’t go out of style yesterday, how embarrassing!  Just remember that all the celebrities in the world can’t dictate what looks good on you, so pick your sunglasses based on what you like, not them.

William Stinger writes for Uniformhaven.com who sells cherokee scrubs, baby phat scrubs and lab coat as well as a host of additional items.

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Famous Faces Behind Famous Frames

Friday, July 15th, 2011

Who Made Sunglasses Popular?

We know by simply looking around that sunglasses are a pop culture phenomenon.  Have you ever stopped to wonder how they became this way?  Humans seem to have an obsession with sunglasses as more than protection for their eyes.  Sunglasses make a statement about the face they’re sitting on, and can add much needed style to an ensemble.  One has to wonder how sunglasses came to be what they are today.

Sunglasses have been worn and made infamous throughout the years by a variety of icons and legends.  Some of these iconic names have even been given to their chosen signature style.  Former First Lady and American Royalty Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis had a particular favorite style of sunglasses.  This oversized look was coined as “Onassis Glasses” or “The Jackie O” and will probably never be known by any other name.

Sir Elton John has paraded his courageous fashions on stage for the past four decades.  Known for his amazing way with Ivory keys, and his crazy fashion statements, Elton John has inspired stylistic insanity with his share of peculiar eyewear.  He has been seen on stage wearing some of the most imaginative and artistic sunglasses the world has ever known.

However wacky the designs have been, Sir Elton John’s trademark is not necessarily in the frames of the sunglasses he wore.  Lenses of all different shades have been this icon’s signature style.  Whether yellow, blue or purple, Sir Elton seems to like the way the world looks through these colorful shades.

James Dean helped make one particular style of sunglasses popular.  The 1950’s movie star could often be seen wearing the style known as the Wayfarer.  This simple design of sunglasses made famous by the “Rebel Without a Cause” is proof that even the most uncomplicated ideas can take off with a little bit of fame behind them.

Later, James Belushi and Dan Aykroyd put their own spin on the retro sunglasses.  The Blue Brothers movie of 1980 saw the two sporting the Wayfarer style in a more modern, sleek, black look.  The glasses came back in style briefly and made other appearances on the screen, such as Risky Business.  No girl can forget a young Tom Cruise in underwear, a dress shirt and his Wayfarers doing a sideways sock-slide to “Old Time Rock and Roll”.

Musicians are known for setting style trends, including sunglasses.  In reality, the reason so many musicians began wearing sunglasses while they performed is that the stage lights can be blinding.  Additionally, during the 1960’s and 1970’s, musicians like John Lennon, Ozzy Osbourne and Janice Joplin were said to have worn the sunglasses all the time as a way of disguising mysteriously bloodshot eyes.  This theory has not been proven, so we can all assume they wore them because they looked cool.

John Lennon and Ozzy Osbourne helped bring the Teashades into popular culture.  Other musicians such as Mick Jagger and Janice Joplin favored this style.  This style of sunglasses is still mostly associated with former Beatle John Lennon.  This is perhaps because not only were they his preferred shape for sunglasses, but his corrective lenses were this shape as well.

Movie and rock stars are not the only ones that have made sunglasses what they are today.  The United States Military has had a hand in coining what is possibly the most famous sunglasses style in history.  In the 1930’s, Ray Ban designed sunglasses that were sold to the U.S. Military to be issued to pilots.  Ladies and Gentlemen, the Aviators are born.  This is quite possibly the strangest fashion trend setter yet: the United States Government!

Another example of the average Joe popularizing a fashion trend is in the case of the “cop shades” or Mirror Shades.  Police officers favored this design and it quickly made its place in pop culture trivia books everywhere.  A popular theory for this preference is that police officers like the intimidating vibe they gave off.  It is somewhat unnerving to look into a one-way mirrored pair of sunglasses and not know the expression of the person looking back.

Many people have played a part in making sunglasses the pop culture icon they are today.  You don’t have to be a movie star, musician, or government official to start a fashion trend.  Pick up a pair of sunglasses that looks good on you, even if they have been out of style since the Reagan Administration.  Wear them with pride; you never know when it might catch on!

Jamar Allaway writes for UniformHaven.com who offers cherokee scrubs, urbane scrub pants and lab coat as well as a lot of additional products.

 

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The Dark History Of Sunglasses

Monday, July 4th, 2011

Sunglasses have a dark history, but a brilliant future.  The history of sunglasses can be traced back to Roman Emperor Nero who watched the gladiator competitions through polished light emerald green gems held up to his eyes.

The invention of sunglasses was somewhere between 1268 and 1289.  A visual historical recording of early sunglasses is a painting done by Tommaso da Modena in 1352.  The person in the painting was wearing sunglasses.  This was the first painting of a subject in sunglasses and many more were to follow as it became a fashionable symbol of distinction or honor.

Around the twelfth century and before 1430, sunglasses were worn by Judges in the Courts of China.  The smoky quartz, flat-glassed panes were not used as protection from the sun.  They were used to conceal any expression in their eyes to keep from giving away the outcome of their decisions.  Prescription sunglasses were developed in Italy in 1430 and were later used by the Chinese Judges.

By the 1600’s people began to realize the benefits of prescription glasses as helping the elderly to see better and the motto “A Blessing to the Aged” came into being in 1629.  It was the motto of an English eyeglasses manufacturer, Spectacle Makers Company.

In the mid 18th Century, James Ayscough developed blue and green corrective lenses which began the use of sunglasses for correcting optical impairments.

The development of glasses and sunglasses continued through the years.  Problems in keeping eyeglasses on the face or propped on the nose led to experiments.  Glasses frames had been made from leather, bones and metal and were propped on the nose.  Sidepieces began as silk strips of ribbon that looped around the ears.  Instead of loops, the Chinese added ceramic weights to the ends of the ribbons.  Solid sidepieces were finally invented by Edward Scarlett in 1730.  Benjamen Franklin’s invention of bifocal lenses followed in 1780.

By the 20th Century, sunglasses were used to protect the eyes from the sun.  In 1929 Sam Foster began selling his protective sunglasses at Woolworth stores on the boardwalk at the beaches in Atlantic City and New Jersey.  His Foster Grants were the first mass-produced sunglasses and they began the trend of sunglasses for fashion.

In the 1930’s the Army Air Corps asked Bausch & Lomb to develop sunglasses that would efficiently reduce high-altitude sun glare for pilots.  Bausch & Lomb came up with sunglasses that had a dark green tint that absorbed light through the yellow spectrum.

Edward H. Land had invented the Polaroid filter and by 1936 he was using it in the making of sunglasses and soon, sunglasses became “cool.”  Movies stars began wearing sunglasses as a statement and to hide behind.  Aviator glasses became popular with the movie stars and the general public in 1937 after Ray Ban developed the anti-glare sunglasses using polarization.  The longer lens was created to give more protection to pilots’ eyes from the light reflecting off their control panels.

By the 1970’s Hollywood stars and fashion designers made a huge impact on the sunglasses market.  Clothing designers and stars put their names on glasses and sunglasses and everyone had to have them.

In 2007, stars are still hiding behind their oversized designer sunglasses, making fashion statements and protecting their eyes from the harmful effects of the Ultra Violet (UV) rays of the sun.  With modern technology and improvements, sunglasses continue to evolve.  We have gone from holding green gems up to our eyes to watch Gladiator sports to Oakley’s 2004 sunglasses with digital audio players built in.  What’s next?

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How to Select the Right Sunglasses For Cycling

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Dirt, insects, the wind and sunlight, all these become real problems when you have to ride the bike at high speeds. Cycling sunglasses therefore have multiple protective functions, allowing the biker to clearly see the way and feel comfortable at the same time. Besides the possibility of foreign bodies entering the eyes, the highest risk you expose yourself to, when riding without sunglasses, is eye damage because of ultraviolet and infrared radiations. High quality shades make the difference between amateurs and pros. Here are some suggestions on how to choose cycling sunglasses for prolonged outdoor use, although the list will be far from complete.

 

Finding the right pair of cycling sunglasses is not easy. Lots of users are keen on a certain brand or product and when it goes out of stock or the style disappears, they are at a loss about what to find as substitutes for their old cycling sunglasses. The frames should insure a good match with the face, preferably with a wraparound style. Such designs will keep dirt, pollutants and sun rays away from your eyes. Wraparounds can trap moisture in the eye area and make the lenses foggy, therefore, check the design for air wholes in the frames.

 

Interchangeable lenses is the most advanced solution for cycling sunglasses. You should change the lenses depending on weather variations because the needs differ on bright sunshine or dull overcast days. Cycling sunglasses with gray lenses are the most efficient and widely practical for almost all types of weather. However, try yellow lenses when it’s foggy and amber ones when you have to pay more attention to the terrain variations. Interchangeable cycling sunglasses are definitely more expensive, but they are definitely worthy the investment if cycling is a life style for the wearer.

 

Depending on individual needs, cycling sunglasses could be made on prescription. Eye correction could be necessary on a regular basis and without the adjustments made to the sunglasses you won’t be able to enjoy such eyewear. Some users even choose to match prescription lenses with cycling sunglasses by a mechanism that allows the prescription lenses to get fit behind the standard cycling ones. As for the regular pricing, the cost of the best cycling sunglasses varies between 0 and 0, but some good items could be purchased for less than that. Try with sports stores and online shops for variants, but never sacrifice quality for the sake of price.

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The author is also a fan of psychic readings, Bellevue Seattle HCG Diet & Weight Loss, and Mercedes SLK windscreen windblocker wind deflector wind restrictor windstop.

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