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Nov
28
Larry David’s Stylish Frames
Filed Under Fun with Eyewear, Celebrity Watch, Blogroll | Leave a Comment
Larry David, of HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm and co-writer/producer of Sinefeld has revived his place in Hollywood with the success of the new show, and with guest appearances on other shows, promotions and events. Once a rather reclusive comedian, now Larry David is stomping, fully vulgar and proud, across many a red carpet in a sense of fashion that is uniquely Larry.
Throughout the reality TV show Larry is at odds with his wife over his clothing. He appears unkempt, and wears tennis shoes with Dockers, and has side burns reminiscent of Pride & Prejudice. One thing that he is not lacking fashion sense for is eyewear. In an early episode Larry buys a pair of beautiful Dior sunglasses for his mother in law, who unfortunately could not wear them as Larry had been so thoughtless to have not added her prescription to the Dior lenses.
He was recently spotted on the red carpet in a pair of relic Oliver People’s (seen here). Though they are a rare design, you can find similar frames from Tom Ford, with a more modern twist and streamlined antiquity. Though his appearance seems haphazard, he has a distinct sense of bold colors, no lines or shapes, and then heavily accessorizing rather then wearing flashy clothing—a bold strategy in Hollywood, but what that is easily mimicked for a naturally Larry David feel.
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Nov
21
Eyewear in Max Payne
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Max Payne, the latest film based of a video game, has reached Matrix-like proportions, and even includes the slow-mo bullets and super-high-speed flying techniques that Neo employed when The One. As interesting as the film is, take a moment to check out the fashion. From fitted suits of leather and silk to designer eyewear and heels so high they might classify as stilts, Max Payne succeeds in being truly a video-gamer’s delight.
Mila Kunis, whom most of us know from either That 70s Show or the voice of Meg in Family Guy, has stepped outside her normally bland and ditzy roles to be the heroine starring along side Mark Wahlberg in Max Payne. In the film Kunis plays a Russian mobster turned concerned sibling when her sister is found murdered at the hands of rogue pharmaceutical employees. She totes a machine gun, wears black leather, and sports a classy pair of (not so Russian) Dior sunglasses. Even indoors Kunis is seen wearing the thick black shades with dark, impenetrable lenses…. Perhaps this is a Russian habit?
Kunis infuses the film with a sense of tipsy righteousness, keep an eye out for her not-so-Russian clothing habits and eyewear. Kunis is a huge fan of Dior. During the films nighttime premiere she rolled onto the red carpet with her sunglasses (perhaps to block the glare of her impending fame?… or, more likely, the camera flashes).
Kunis’ co-star, Mark Walhberg is, like most stars these days, a huge Ray Ban fan. His pick of the aviator style suits his grumpy disposition while around the ladies (namely his wife and three children) he appears more retro and sporty in Ray Ban Wayfarers- the classic Blues Brothers shades of yesteryear.
Nov
13
Kanye West Glasses
Filed Under Celebrity Watch, Designer Sunglasses, Blogroll | Leave a Comment
Kanye West has been known for his innovative sense of style, especially in the areas of shoes and sunglasses. His recent tour across Asia left a trail of broken-hearted females in his wake. He started a trend when he adopted the plastic bar sunglasses for his recent album cover, a style he continued throughout his tour. Sales of the shudder shades have sky-rocketed and other celebrities have been seen copied his unique style.
Kanye also wears more up-scale sunglasses when not on tour. He has been seen in Ray Ban’s aviators and wayfarers as well as custom designed shades. His sense of style is innovative in its throw-back to the 80s and lack of fear for low-budget style which he expertly mixes with high-brown flair.
Kanye’s turbo style Louis Vinton sunglasses have also sold well since the star donned them for an awards show. His love of sunglasses has become very well known. In September of 2008 he paid 15,000 to have 50 pair of his favorite style of Carrera sunglasses shipped to his home form Italy. Yet at other times the star will arrive in glasses that cost less than $200, and rock them with the same confidence and suave as the thousand dollar pair.
We love Kanye’s love of eyewear, and salute his innovative style that has complete disregard for name brand or cost. If he likes it, he wears it weather they are shutter shades that cost $25 or Dior shades that cost $250. He is the kind of star we like to see strutting his personal style.
Nov
4
Obama Wins the Presidency in Style (and in Ray Bans!)
Filed Under Celebrity Watch, Designer Sunglasses, Blogroll | 1 Comment
With Obama’s victory on November 4th he is set to become America’s first black president beginning in January of 2009. Obama has roused a global movement of emotional support and promises of cooperation and foreword momentum from international leaders. His victory was celebrated across the world, as people took to the streets dancing and crying. Not only is he America’s first black president, but he may well be the most charismatic. His image as a normal citizen is emphasized by his calm, relaxed nature, but also by his casual and comfortable attire. From his worn shoes to his real-world Ray Ban sunglasses, Obama is not only fashionable, but definitively human in appeal. Over Halloween, Obama was photographed walking his seven year old daughter around town trick or treating in casual attire and his stylish black-tinted Ray Ban shades. This family man, though nights away from the most important turning point in his life (and in recent American history) was living the life of a suburban father, and living it in classy style.
Obama bears a burden unknown in modern times. With the hopes of the world on his shoulders, he is expected to bring the change he has so emotionally promised for the past two years. No small task in a global recession, with the US embroiled in two wars abroad and a divided country at home. In appealing to the population to work together, he has lifted some of the enormous weight off of his young shoulders, yet the pressure must be intense. He does not want to let down the black community, nor can he afford to disappoint a roused and patriotic nation eager to mend years of a sour reputation abroad and a failing internal image of the government.
Despite the enormity of the task that lies ahead, Obama remains cool and calm. In his pre-election campaigning Obama took time out to talk with Ebony magazine, an African American journal that hailed him as one of the greatest black leaders of our time. He appeared as cool as always in his trademark Ray Ban’s nondescript black suit and tie. Indeed, the man appears as if he were a secret service agent, rather than the President-elect. An image the down-to-earth democrat is more than happy to characterize. Though endorsed by high-profile celebrities and musicians (P.Diddy, Brad Pitt and others) he retains a style of his own, and does not lean on those around him to build up his reputation. Despite such massive endorsements, Obama has simply thanked his supporters and encouraged them to vote, take responsibility for change, and for creating a political ideology that is centred on community involvement rather than the all-to-well known spectator sport that was the former administrations ‘leave-it-to-us’ philosophy.
Oct
28
Elton John’s Many Shades of Cool
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Elton John is easily one of the most influential songwriters/musicians in the past fifty years. Rolling Stone magazine ranks him 49th in their top 100, with Billboard listing him as number 3, after only Madonna and the Beatles. John has been knighted, has entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has over 50 songs on the top 40 list, and many more career highlights, not the least of which has been the sale of over 200 million records. But it was not his musical skills alone that made him so memorable and adored, it was a mixture of his sense of unique fashion and flare, his talent and his radically optimistic and anarchistic political views and community involvement.
John’s style is epitomized by overly-flashy colours and cubist, bold designs that are simple in their complexity. He is especially well known for his fashion style in the realm of eyewear, and has worn such a vast array of custom shades that his collection likely fills a whole room.
Having begun his illustrious career at the early age of 15, playing piano in a locally crowded pub/restaurant, Elton would retain a knack from those early days for writing lyrics that were easy to sing along with, but complex in their creation. He was easily forgotten as a youngster, and learned quickly that talent alone would not float a career in music.
Like the Beatles, Elton John understood the importance of creating an imagine of the self; and idea of the self that could be emulated but never attained by others. Elton John undertook to create an image for himself after the failed release of his first album, which was deemed ‘uninspired.’ He was turned down by several bands when he auditioned for lead singing roles because he was not edgy or interesting enough. In retaliation, Elton John went to the extreme to market himself as a unique voice (though in fact his vocal skills and song writing traits were a derivative of blues/country and traditional British pub music).
His eyewear is characteristic of his need to define and separate himself from his competition, and in that regard they succeed it setting him apart. The white, Jackie O shades with yellow tinted lenses have become almost more synonymous with Elton John than with Jackie herself, for all the stir he caused when first wearing women’s shades.
There is, perhaps, some validity to the theory that Elton John’s latent homosexuality caused him to continuously create masks for himself in order to appear fun-loving and open when in fact he was struggling internally. His flashy clothes and bright shades covered dark eyes as he played love songs for women he was not attracted to.
In all, there is no other musician quite like Elton John, a statement he would be only too happy to hear given the intense effort he put into creating a unique image of himself for the public, not the least of which was crafted with his particular, and sometimes peculiar, taste in eyewear.
Oct
20
A Medley of Style: Designer Eyewear in Hancock
Filed Under Fun with Eyewear, Designer Sunglasses, Blogroll | 3 Comments
When Will Smith first stumbles across the big screen in the recent Hollywood blockbuster Hancock, he is seen in a pair of bold and original Christian Dior, Mist Sunglasses from the 2007 collection. Though originally designed for women, Smith wears them with masculinity and pride, and they dominate his appearance in the opening scenes of the film. Since the release of the action-packed movie, sales of Dior: Mist sunglasses have increased, presumably by customers of both genders.
Searches abound across the internet for other sunglasses from the film, including extensive searches for the yellow-striped shades Smith wears with his Eagle costume. Those classy yet bold frames were of custom design for Smith by Oliver People’s Virtuoso, but similar shades are available by Dior and Ray Ban. These shades serve to make Smith appear more like an authority figure and a superhero and less like an ordinary citizen.
Smith also appears in a pair of shades that are reminiscent of black safety glasses. These were Jon Paul Navigator Fitovers, designed to be worn above one’s prescription glasses. Smith looks stylish and bold in these shades, despite having no eyewear beneath them. He wears this as he is reforming his life, and they shield his eyes (and emotions) as he plays the tough guy throughout his rehabilitation.
It is curious that the creators/wardrobe artists for the film chose to cover such a large amount of Smith’s face with these large and bulky sunglasses. Perhaps it is to make his face more angular, which indeed it succeeds in doing. Perhaps also it is to give him something distinctive that other super heroes on the silver screens have so far lacked. It is a bit ironic that in the opening scene Smith is seen in Dior glasses, though he is supposed to be a penniless drunk bum with little more than a few dollars to his name.
Charlize Theron reveals a startling twist mid-film, when she flashes across the screen in all-black attire and less motherly makeup. Mid fight she obliterates Hancock (Smith) and then grabs a pair of Paul Smith PS_833s from a street stall before resuming the epic battle with Smith. The Paul Smith’s are a dual-gender design similar to the Ray Ban aviators of old. The style is common in Hollywood both on and off the silver screen, and is especially characteristic of edginess and sex appeal, both traits Theron’s character in the film had not, until the point of slapping on the shades, revealed.
Indeed, sunglasses dominate the wardrobes of the two heroes in the film, and become somewhat of a very noticeable reoccurrence. Though Smith’s character lives in a trailer, and Theron’s character is living off her struggling husband’s meagre salary, the two are decked out in designer gear. It is a very curious choice, but obviously one that proved successful as online searches for all shades worn in the film have increased the sales of these specific shades, and also boosted interest in the film.
Oct
17
The Many Eyes of Paris Hilton
Filed Under Celebrity Watch, Designer Sunglasses, Blogroll | Leave a Comment
Paris Hilton’s wardrobe is a like a bizarre fantasy for most girls who idolize the heiresses ability to appear beautiful, classy and stylish 24 hours a day. Her shoe and purse collections alone could rival the most elaborate of female fantasies, yet her sunglasses collection is perhaps the most prominent of her wardrobe’s assets. I imagine a giant walk-in closet full of bodiless mannequins sporting sunglasses of every style and shape, with row after row of plastic heads with colorful shades.
Her collection has several defining characteristics. The majority of her shades are large and cover most of her upper face. They are also usually bright and bold in color and design. Quite possibly stating the obvious, her collection only contains the mot notoriously classy of fashion label shades, including Bvlgari, Versace, Ray Ban, Prada, D&G, Dior and more. She pays special attention to the latest trends and then confronts them head-on with her own flamboyant twist.
Hilton’s facial shape is drastically square. Her appearance could be quite rugged and haggard if she did not spend such a great amount of time and effort combating the squareness of her face. She does so in several ways. Firstly, she wears her hair full of volume or else wears rounded caps, which both act to conflict with her square jaw. Secondly, she wears large sunglasses that giver her face something to contrast the jaw line, but also serve top give her an almost cartoon-like innocence.
Though some may label her a dumb blond, or the but of her own joke, I have a great amount of respect for Paris Hilton, who is a self made woman. Though born an heiress (her father owns the hotel Chain with bearing the family name) Paris has created an image around herself that has drawn in Hollywood as well as the fashion world. She plashed onto the scene in style, but was largely ignored in favor of the more drunken and scantly clad of Hollywood’s finest. Nothing sells a tabloid like a scandal, or a beautiful woman misbehaving and avoiding all consequences. Learning from this, Hilton began exposing herself in public, acting drunk and playing the roll of the ditsy teenage troublemaker.
She emerged full-throttle in her self-made roll in the series The Simple Life. Though some of her act can be attributed to a sheltered life of high society, it is more notable that she managed to sign a deal for a multi-season show that aired around prime time. Moving on, she penned a book, has modeled and made a cameo in Hollywood films, and recently campaigned against John McCain after the candidate released an ad with her in one of the snippets. Her response was to release her own political commercial (online). She appeared in a bikini sunbathing while she delivered her own campaign speech. Not surprisingly, her political ideas were quite advanced, and showed a side of Hilton she had so far managed to hide from the public, an entrepreneurial and political, highly confident and capable woman.
Whatever your opinion of the woman, you have to admit that behind her Prada shades, she hides an intelligence apt enough to earn her a fortune of her very own, and one she achieved will looking gorgeous, stylish and playing the final joke on the tabloids themselves- manipulating their headlines from drunken heiress to political entrepreneur.
Oct
17
Lance Armstrong, others Sponsored by Oakley
Filed Under Brand Wave, Designer Sunglasses, Blogroll | 5 Comments
Lance Armstrong, seven time Tour de France winner, has become well known internationally for his public struggle against cancer.
At age 25 Armstrong won his first Tour de France. Though he did not know it at the time, his body was harvesting cancer. Ignoring the signs, he continued to train while cancer spread to his abdomen, lungs and brain. Had he caught the cancer sooner, the cure rate would have been near 90%. Having spread through his body, Armstrong’s chances were dim when he finally sought treatment.
It was because of his own harrowing experience with cancer that Armstrong set up the Lance Armstrong Foundation. As he underwent extensive treatment at Indiana University Medical Center he dedicated himself to two things: his bicycling career and building his cancer education foundation, and continued to win several more bicycle races along the route.
Oakley began sponsoring Armstrong after his first win, when it appeared likely that he could win a second Tour de France the following year. According to Armstrong, “For nearly 20 years, Oakley has been there for me on and off the bike. Now, together with your support, we are making a difference for the millions of people who are living with cancer.” Oakley recently released a special series of Armstrong sunglasses especially designed for bikers in the Armstrong yellow and black made famous by his Live Strong armbands. A percentage of the proceeds goes to Armstrong’s foundation.
Oakley has long sponsored athletes, including such prominent athletes as Amanda Beard (Olympic swimmer) and Grete Eliassen (pro-skier), though Armstrong has been the most visible. Oakley glasses and sunglasses are fully equipped for sporting, including some frames with ear sets connectable with your ipod and others with round-the-head straps for high-impact sports, making the athlete-Oakley union a highly fitting one.
In addition, the company has extensively researched aerodynamics and face-fitting techniques in order to allow athletes to perform at their highest levels. Indeed, the company released European-fit and Asian-fit sunglasses better adapted to various facial and nose bridge shapes. Though originally controversial, the facial fit glasses have begun to sell widely.
Special innovations in women’s eyewear also separate Oakley from other high-performance eyewear companies in their special designs that take into account higher cheek bones and slimmer faces. Oakley enjoys the support of dozens of athletes whom the company sponsors, the majority of which are women athletes.
Armstrong now represents several things, surviving cancer, excelling at athletics and doing so Oakley