Furrowed Brow

The brow wire. Hmmm. Now that’s a sticky wicket, style wise.

On the pro side:

1. It’s pretty sharp.

2. It adds a real architectural feel to sunglasses.

3. Sometimes its made of shiny gold, which I simply can’t resist.

4. Also, it totally brings me back to the sweet 80s, when the hair was big and someone else was paying my car insurance.

5. When paired with the right tortoise, as it is here, it looks luxurious and the right blend of edgy and preppy.

All in all, I can’t blame Kate for being smily in her Philip Lim 3.1 style Simon from Modo. She looks cute and she’s blending retro and fashion forward, but because it’s a brownwood color, it flies right around the radar line. Not quite under the radar, but she’ll definitely make it across the border.

On the con side:

1. Architectural looks are not always great if you don’t have an architectural face. 

2. Put this sunglass on someone a little older and rounder and the bar might actually look like a suspension system for wrinkles and creases between or on one’s brows.

3. There's something about adding this detail to the frame that smacks slightly of trying too hard.

Clearly Ms. Hudson disagrees.

And since it is generally flattering and cute, the brow wire gets the ok from Big & Sunny.

Can’t Get Outta My Way(farers)

Wayfarers are way more than “Risky Business,” it's one of the ultimate eyewear icons. You name the celebrity, and there's an excellent chance that they've sported the wayfarer on screen or off. If you go into most people's accessory collections, you can bet there's going to be some take on a wayfarer, even if it's just the one with neon temples that was a giveaway from the DJ at your niece's Sweet 16 party. And although some folks are saying that the Wayfarer has served its purpose and should go back to sleep for another 20 years, there’s definitely still some more juice left in this trend. 

The Wayfarer is the equivalent of the white T-shirt. It’s an amazing building block for elaboration, or it can stand on its own beautifully. And while Ray-Ban has done lots of fun things to keep its signature style fresh, what other designers are doing with the shape is even more interesting. From sculptural detailing on the temples to exciting prints and retro upgrading, the wayfarer earns its place at the top every day.

Betsy Johnson put her signature touch of whimsy/over-the-top to the style with corner accents in a great animal print.

Ray-Ban Rare Prints adds a bit of graphic fun to the look

Ogi’s Glenhurst is a luxe take on the Wayfarer with thick acetate harkens back to the Cary grant era.

Keyhole Lockout

There are things I wish for: long legs, the ability to drink more than two martinis without behaving terrifyingly, world peace. But I really, REALLY wish I could pull off frames with keyhole bridges.

They look so smart, so classy, and so quintessentially elegant. Except on me they look blue stocking, prissy, and oafish. I have something called a narrow PD (pupilary distance).  Basically, the space between the centers of my eyeballs is pretty small. As a result, lots of eyeglasses look a little goofy on me. But often the gift that is tinted sun lenses can hide a world of close-set eyes. Styles I can’t pull off in a clear lens look downright, dare I say, foxy in sunglass form.

Except in keyhole bridges, which still just make me want to cry.

In my next life, I’m coming back as a waifish lass with patrician features who can pull off this paragon of preppy styling.

Until then, I’ll just dream…here's Chloe Dionee by L'Amy.

Crazy Cat Lady

The cat-eye sunglass has always been a favorite of mine…it’s retro without being obnoxious about it. Which is appealing on about 37 different levels. They definitely help enhance a daydream about being Sophia Loren while wandering down a city sidewalk or Grace Kelly poolside.

And now that I’m getting older I appreciate cat-eyes for more reasons. One of the top points in their favor is the gentle upward suggestion that acts as a non-surgical facelift. This is a true gift as many of my points have started heading south.

Another winning factor of cat-eyes is that they provide angles in places where I usually have none. Like that  $75 bra pushes everything where it belongs and creates an…impressive…first impression, the outer edge and sweeping brow line on these sunglasses may not turn you into Cher, but they will provide some hint that there might actually be bones in your cheeks.

Here are a couple of cool kittens from my collection and one for the wishlist…

Face a Face's Liner 2 col 198  

Dior Zelli by Safilo

Persol style PO 2977S 

Purple Passion

There are certain fashion items that you see and thinks, "I shouldn't love this." But you do love it! And that's just how I felt about these Orgreen frames. They're big. They're purple. And iridescent. And have tiny perforations on the bridge. In fact, they could be convincingly used as part of a costume of a super futuristic hero of a 1980s sci-fi movie. And that makes them really even more fantastic.

Plus...and this is a huge thing...Orgreen has some amazing techno-smarts and is able to create a big frame out of really light metals that you can wear all day and not feel as though you're carrying the weight of the world on your nose.

Lots of people fear big color and size on a frame, but they're really missing lots o' fun.

Ok, this isn't a great shot. But I loved these glasses and enjoyed wearing them for an afternoon in the office while prepping for a photoshoot. They have since gone back to Denmark, which is the homeland of Orgreen. Sigh. Their iridescent sculpted goodness is gone but not forgotten.

Sunglasses are a (big) girl's best friend

Before paparazzi, before the rise of the entertainment website empire, before the invention of the Manolo Blahnik shoe, there were sunglasses. Lovely, chic, shapely sunglasses.

It's not always easy for a big girl to look glamourous, but I really love a bit of glamour. And I'm not into pain. (Well, maybe once in a while in a saucy, aren't I naughty sort of a way.) So super high heels just don't work for me.

But sunglasses. Dang. They're great and I've always loved them...from the ClubMasters and the powder blue leopard cat-eyes in high school to the amazing leather Tod's aviators I rock with regularity today. Luckily, I've fallen into the optical industry and a true treasure trove of sunglasses that would make Carrie's shoe collection in Sex & The City look like a passing fancy. My personal collection includes sport looks to styles that would make circa 1970s Elton John feel envious, and the time has come to share the looks I wear, want to wear, and the stories that make sunglasses so fantastic.