What's New in Sunglasses
Lacoste Releases Eyewear With Magnetic
Personality — and Temples
MELVILLE, N.Y., May 2012 — Lacoste Eyewear has released the new Magnetic Collection, with seven sunglasses and seven eyeglass frames that all feature telescopic temples.
Shown here is style L640S from the collection; it comes in those vibrant Lacoste colors you know and love. Please click here for a closeup of this double-bridged aviator style.
The temples extend around your head and clasp with a magnetic closure.
They are designed to stay securely on your head while you walk, run, dance, whatever.
Speaking of dancing, Lacoste also released a fun video with a cute guy who plays with the eyewear as he makes some cool moves. Enjoy!
Color Blocking Trend Finds Its Way to Sunglasses
and Frames by Marc Jacobs
PARSIPPANY, N.J., April 2012 — New sunglasses and eyeglass frames by Marc Jacobs combine oversized shapes with color-blocking — a color trend that's prevalent among this year's spring and summer apparel designs.
As in the nude/orange/white sunglasses shown here (model MJ 408/s), the eyewear contrasts pastels and white with bolder hues, for a modern feel that also evokes the bold fashions of the 1980s.
Color combinations include cyclamen/blue/white, coral/green/white and orange/lilac/white. Some styles also include tortoise patterns interspersed with bits of bright solid colors.
Shapes are geometrical, including large squares and butterflies, along with strong rectangles and chunky, plastic aviators with double bridges.
Please click here for closeup photos of several color combinations.
Cocoons Will Offer Photochromic Option in Its Sunglass Lens Lineup
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., March 2012 — By the end of this month, Cocoons will be available with photochromic lenses, in your choice of gray or amber tint.
Live Eyewear, who makes Cocoons, is offering the option in response to customers who say they need either less or more light transmission in the lenses. Since photochromic lenses lighten or darken in response to available UV radiation, they are a good way to address these needs.
The new lenses are also polarized for glare prevention and provide 100 percent UVA and UVB protection for your eyes.
Cocoons sunglasses can be worn alone or over your prescription eyewear and come in six frame styles.
Randy Jackson Sun Has a Cool, Laid-Back Look
PORT CHESTER, N.Y., February 2012 — Here's a new sunglass collection for guys who like a stylish look that's versatile, too.
The Randy Jackson Sun collection has five models, all with the same retro/modern feel as the eyeglass frame collection.
All have full metal frames, four with a double-bar bridge. Two have a modified aviator shape, two are rectangular and one is oval. So there's something here for every face shape.
Colors include gold, gunmetal and black. All have polarized lenses to reduce glare and improve contrast, with 100 percent protection against UVA and UVB rays.
They all can accept prescription lenses, too, including progressive lenses.
Please click here for closeups of all five styles in the Randy Jackson Sun collection.
Dior Homme Launches Elegant, Foldable Sunglasses for Men
PARSIPPANY, N.J., February 2012 — Dior Homme 171/S is a lightweight aviator style that folds to a convenient size for your pocket.
The model has a metal frame and soft ear tips for comfort. The temples feature an engraved "Dior Homme" logo, and the lenses provide 100 percent protection against UVA and UVB rays.
Color choices include shiny black/gray lenses, brushed ruthenium/gray lenses, matte black/shaded gray lenses and red/shaded brown lenses.
New Sunglasses by Jean Paul Gaultier and Alain Mikli Offer Surprises
PARIS, January 2012 — No, you don't have triple vision! Those extra temples you see on this new sunglass are a defining feature of the new eyewear collection by apparel designer Jean Paul Gaultier and eyewear designer Alain Mikli.
The two long-time friends are collaborating for the first time ever, to produce a collection that conveys chic and shock but maintains a timeless quality in its traditional shapes and materials.
Now appearing in optical boutiques, the collection includes 12 sunglasses and eight eyeglass frames, with shapes including rectangular, cateye and oval, plus a shield. Colors are predominantly black, brown/tortoise and ivory.
Special-Edition 1921 Sunglasses Are Elegant in Leather
PARSIPPANY, N.J., January 2012 — These leather-covered sunglasses for women are a special-edition style that celebrates the 90th anniversary of the House of Gucci, which was founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci.
The sunglass has a large, upswept shape and comes with glass lenses. "G. Gucci Firenze 1921" appears on an 18-carat gold plaque on the left temple.
Shown here in cherry leather, the 1921 sunglass also comes in beige or brown. A leather case is included.
Please click here for closeups of the special-edition 1921 sunglass in the three available colors.
Emporio Armani Sunglasses for Men and Women Are Transparent, Lightweight, Colorful
PARSIPPANY, N.J., January 2012 — If one of your 2012 fashion resolutions is to add more color to your wardrobe, consider these witty new sunglasses by Emporio Armani.
Shown here is the women's version (EA 9837/S), an oversized rounded model that comes in pink, red, purple, green, brown or black.
The men's version is a teardrop-shaped shield (EA 9838/S), and it also comes in several colors.
Please click here for closeups of both styles, as well as all the color choices.
Jimmy Choo Sunglasses Feature Sparkly Details,
Free Designer Clutch Case
PARSIPPANY, N.J., December 2011 — These glamorous, teardrop-shaped sunglasses by Jimmy Choo have crystals framing the logo on each temple.
The style, called Luisa, also has a metal design on the double bridge and comes in matte black, shiny black, metalized white or metalized silver.
The shades also come with a special crocodile-effect clutch case.
You can find them at optical stores, Jimmy Choo boutiques and department stores. Please click here for a closeup photo.
Zeal Optics Debuts Sunglasses With High-Performance Features in an Environmentally Friendly Frame Material
BOULDER, Colo., November 2011 — Zeal Optics has launched a line of sunglasses with frames in a bio-based material made from the oil of castor beans.
Zeal calls it Z Resin and says it is an environmentally friendly material that is a good alternative to plastics based on crude oil because it requires less energy in the manufacturing process. Also, the castor plant doesn't compete with food crops and can thrive in many places where other plants can't.
Known for its snow goggles with GPS technology, Zeal created the sunglasses for performance sports as well as other activities, with lenses that the company says are as light as polycarbonate but as optically clear as glass. The lenses meet all ANSI, EU and AU impact-resistance standards, and most of the sunglasses are available with prescription lenses as well.
Also, the lenses block 100 percent of UVA, UVB and UVC rays, as well as 95 percent of high energy visible (HEV) wavelengths that can lead to eye diseases. Some of the styles include polarized lenses.
The collection includes 18 styles for men and women, with five in the Lifestyle line, including Epic, shown at top. The Lifestyle sunglasses have rounded and squared frames in pastel and striped colorations.
The Active line has 10 styles for more aggressive use; they have ProFlex Rubber throughout the inside of each frame to keep them in place, and most have a My Fit Nosebridge feature for a custom fit.
The three Performance styles are streamlined for better aerodynamics, with temples designed for good ventilation and near-rimless frames for a wide field of view (see Helix, shown at bottom in the photo). Please click here for closeups of these and other Zeal Optics sunglasses.
Alexander Daas Gives the Royal Treatment to Sunglasses
in His New Crown Collection
SAN FRANCISCO, October 2011 — Optician and eyewear stylist Alexander Daas has launched the Crown collection of sunglasses, with high-fashion styling and unique features.
Each frame in the collection has a hexagonal cutout on each temple tip, which is the designer's chosen symbol, as well as a place to secure the eyewear to the modern neckchain that comes with each pair. And the oversized sunglasses have stop-hinges to prevent the temple tips from tapping and scratching the lenses.
Important to note is that many frame and sunglass styles by Alexander Daas were specially designed to fit men and women with smaller faces.
Shown here is the Majesty style, and also available are Power and Kingdom. Please click here for closeup photos of the Majesty and Power sunglasses.
Lucky Brand Offers Young, Casual Looks in New Sunglasses for Fall
LOS ANGELES, October 2011 — Lucky Brand has released four new sunglasses for guys and girls for fall.
At top is Hyannis, with a versatile, unisex shape that goes with everything from classic East Coast prepster apparel to West Coast grunge style. Shown in navy blue tortoise, it also comes in brown horn or black.
At bottom is The Recruiter, a cool retro design with a keyhole bridge. Shown is the two-tone brown/blue version, but it also comes in black with tortoise temples or smoke.
Also released were the Kennedy, an aviator in matte metal, and the Highlander, another metal style with a streamlined, arched shape.
All the styles have the signature clover on the temple tips and the Lucky Brand logo up front. Please click here for closeups.
Gucci Uses Sustainable Materials in New Sunglass
Designs for the Eco-Conscious
PARSIPPANY, N.J., August 2011 — Now available from Gucci Eyewear are four sunglasses and eyeglass frames made from an innovative acetate that contains a higher percentage of material from nature than regular acetate. Each design comes in a choice of red or green, in a tortoise-style pattern.
Gucci has also released two bio-based sunglasses, with frames in a natural material made from castor oil seeds. The company says that this material requires a smaller carbon dioxide emission than other plastics when produced. Both are modern shield styles in green, with the distinctive Gucci red and green ribbon stripe along each temple. Please click here for closeup photos of all the new sustainable eyewear designs.
Tag Heuer Flies High With Vintage Aviator Sunglasses
WESTON, Fla., August 2011 — Tag Heuer Avant-Garde Eyewear has released aviator-inspired sunglasses in its sporty new Vintage series.
The lightweight frames are handmade in France and come in four shapes.
Shown here in red is a model with a double-bar bridge with a color accent. Lens options include the polarized version shown here, as well as a gradient photochromic that has hydrophobic and oleophobic coatings, which keep off water and mist and prevent dust and oil from sticking, so lenses stay cleaner.
The sunglasses will be available nationwide in September at authorized retailers. Please click here for closeups.
Electronic Sunglasses Are a New Idea for Fighting Glare
BUFFALO, July 2011 — Good-quality polarized sunglasses can do a great job of reducing glare, but an inventor has taken the concept a step further. Chris Mullin, PhD, is developing sunglasses that target specific spots of glare on the lenses and display a gray area to block that glare from the eyes.
It's all done with electronics. A pinhole camera resides in the bridge of the sunglasses (a prototype is shown here). It constantly captures images of everything in the sunglass's field of vision, then scans them for glare.
A microcontroller tells the lenses, which are actually LCD screens, to create dark areas where the glare is hitting the lenses. According to Dr. Mullin, the process takes about 50 milliseconds.
Applications include eyewear for people with light sensitivity, such as glaucoma patients, and glass for the rearview mirrors and windshields of automobiles, to protect against glare from the sun as well as from the headlights of other cars. Fighter pilots and soldiers may benefit from this type of sunglass, as well. Dr. Mullin and his company, Dynamic Eye, are working with scientists at the University of Buffalo to develop the sunglasses.
DiorLadyLady Sunglasses and Eyewear Honor
Famous Lady Dior Handbag
PARSIPPANY, N.J., July 2011 — If you know the celebrated "Lady Dior" mini-tote handbag, worn by Princess Diana and others, then you'll appreciate the bag's design elements that are echoed in the new DiorLadyLady eyewear collection.
The series includes sunglasses and eyeglass frames. All have embossed temples and red linings that imitate details of the handbag.
Shown here is style 3/s, a shield-type sunglass for women that comes in palladium/black or palladium/blue with gray lenses and gold/havana or palladium/cyclamen with shaded brown lenses. Click here for a closeup photo.
Stetson Now Offers Polarized Sunglasses for Men
PORT CHESTER, N.Y., June 2011 — Six best-selling Stetson eyewear styles have been updated and assembled into a new collection of polarized sunglasses for men.
The frames include rectangular and aviator styles to suit both younger and mature men. They are available in classic, manly colors such as brown, black and copper.
They come with polarized lenses to eliminate glare, enhance color and accentuate contrast. The lenses also provide 100 percent UVA and UVB protection. All six sunglasses are of optical quality, so they are prescriptionable and are deep enough to accept progressive lenses.
Please click here for closeup photos of this and other polarized sunglasses by Stetson.
Designed in Italy, Imaginative Temple Treatments
Enliven the 2011 X-IDE Sun Collection
GLEN COVE, N.Y., June 2011 — The 2011 sunglass collection by X-IDE (Immagine Design Eyewear) offers a striking palette of colors and shapes that is unique in this year's eyewear arena.
The fronts tend to be sleek, modern and unadorned, but the temples are where these sunglasses shine, with swoops and stripes of color and inspired layering of materials.
The collection was designed with textiles in mind, and the names of prints and fabrics were used to name the various styles (Cotton, Batik, Pashmina, Denim, etc.).
Shown here is Silk's, a women's style in metal and acetate with "mod stained glass" metal rings along the temples and lilac-colored gradient lenses.
Please click here for closeup photos of this and other new sunglasses by X-IDE.
Tropical Glamor in Dior's New "Les Marquises" Collection
PARSIPPANY, N.J., May 2011 — These beautiful new sunglasses for women feature the exotic textures and colors of the South Pacific in sophisticated butterfly and aviator shapes.
Shown here is Mohotani, a large 1950s-inspired style with mirrored lenses. Frame colors include red (shown here), mother-of-pearl shades, dark havana tortoise and black.
The new oversized aviator is called Tahuata. It's in acetate with metal temples and also has mirrored lenses and comes in various tropical colors. An eyeglass frame version of Tahuata will be available in August.
Please click here for closeup photos of Mohotani and Tahuata sunglasses.
Gucci Aviator Sunglass Appears in Jennifer Lopez's
Music Video "I'm Into You"
NEW YORK, May 2011 — A new music video by Jennifer Lopez features the Chichen Itza Mayan ruins and the bikini-clad music star lounging on a gorgeous Tulum beach in Mexico. What's she wearing to protect her eyes? A new Gucci sunglass aviator, style 2909/S.
Jennifer Lopez sports Gucci aviator sunglasses in new music video "I'm Into You."
Featuring Lil Wayne, "I'm Into You" is the second single from Lopez's new album called Love?, which combines R&B, pop and hip-hop influences.
The women's sunglass Lopez wears in the video has a vintage 1980s look, with a lilac frame and lenses, a double bridge and metal accents. A metal Gucci script logo appears on the lower portion of one lens.
The sunglass comes in other color combinations as well, including: black frame with gray gradient lenses, beige frame with pink gradient lenses and yellow gold with pink gradient lenses. Please click here for closeup photos.
Sunglasses Make a Natural Statement in Wood
BEAVERTON, Ore., April 2011 — Sustainably harvested woods are the materials that Shwood uses for its classic sunglass styles.
This new "Oswald" design features that moviestar frame shape of the 1940s called "P3" in optical circles. It comes in zebrawood or European walnut, in a choice of brown polarized lenses or the gray lenses shown here. All the lenses offer 100 percent UVA/UVB protection.
Shwood handcrafts its frames in Portland, Oregon. You can find them in select stores worldwide, as well as online. Please click here for a closeup photo and other colors.
Costa's New Prescriptionable Sun Lenses Cut Glare,
Protect Eyes and Offer Lots of Options
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., April 2011 — The new Costa 580 Rx sun lens program lets you order premium polarized lenses that block light at 580 nanometers.
According to the manufacturer, this means you get complete protection from UVA and UVB rays, plus unparalleled visual clarity and sharp color enhancement.
The lenses block the yellow light that creates uncomfortable glare. They also have an oil-, dust-, water- and scratch-resistant coating called C-Wall. They come in Trivex, glass or CR-39 plastic, and they are prescriptionable.
Colors include gray, copper, blue mirror, amber, and several others. Shown here is the Fantail frame style, available with the new 580 Rx lenses. Please click here for a closeup photo.
Giorgio Armani Focuses on Blue Tones for the 2011 Sunglass Collection
PARSIPPANY, N.J., April 2011 — Blue is one of this year's trendy colors in frames and sunglasses, but it also suits the more vintage styling of Giorgio Armani's summer 2011 collection. Blue lenses create unexpected contrast to the spotted Havana frame in model GA 859/S, shown here.
The unisex style also comes in light Havana with ochre lenses, dark Havana with brown/gray lenses and black with gray lenses.
Please click here for closeup photos of this and other Giorgio Armani sunglasses for summer.
Cat-Eye Suns Bring Vintage Back to the Beach
MINNEAPOLIS, April 2011 — These cat-eye sunglasses by OGI Eyewear are a contemporary take on a retro shape.
Style 8048 has soft, curvy edges and comes in black pearl (shown), pink pearl, gold pearl and caramel pearl. The pretty eye shape adds just the right 1950s accent to this season's floral and striped dresses and beachwear. Please click here for closeup photos of available colors.
Feminine Cool: Kate Spade's New Cat-Eye Sunglasses
PARSIPPANY, N.J., March 2011 — The latest entry in the cat-eye trend is the "Franca" style by Kate Spade Eyewear, modeled here by actress Bryce Dallas Howard.
Cat-eye sunglasses have been around since the 1940s — think Bette Davis in her prime.
The shape is at once feminine and bold, especially in this chunky, oversized version that comes in black, white, dark tortoise and champagne.
The Franca sunglass provides 100 percent UV protection and is lightweight. A hard clamshell case and cleaning cloth come with each sunglass in the Kate Spade collection.
Please click here for a closeup photo.
Fatheadz Eyewear Releases New Fashion Sunglasses for Large Heads
INDIANAPOLIS, March 2011 — Twelve new sunglasses are available in the 2011 Fatheadz Eyewear collection, including "Big Daddy," with a classic black frame, and "The Law," an aviator style with polarized lenses.
The company also released 12 new eyeglass frame styles for this year. (See a selection in What's New in Frames.)
Fatheadz Eyewear was developed by Rico Elmore, a big guy who had trouble finding eyewear that fit his large head. The company also makes eyewear in standard and intermediate sizes.
Please click here for closeup photos.
New Hollywood Sunglass Collection Celebrates 1960s Movie Star Vibe
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., February 2011 — Seven new sunglasses for spring were inspired by the 1960s New Hollywood movement that made such big changes in the way movies were made.
The looks are bold, modern, glamorous and cool, all at once.
All seven have handmade acetate frames and sunlenses with UV400 protection, which means 100 percent protection against both UVA and UVB rays. Colors are classic and range from sober tones of gray, black and plum to Technicolor hues of chartreuse, teal and red.
Shown here in tortoise is "Curious," a chunky cat-eye shape that makes a dramatic statement. The model also comes in plum or black. Click here for a slideshow of more New Hollywood sunglasses, all by Cinzia Designs.
Go Green With Ivy Frames From Cocoons
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., January 2011 — Want to live your life more green? Now Cocoons come in a deep, ivy color that flatters both men and women.
Cocoons come in several models, and all are available in the new ivy color, in addition to classic colors such as black, tortoise and burgundy.
They are designed to be worn over your prescription eyeglasses. The frames have a Soft Touch finish that creates a supple, soft surface to buffer any contact that may occur between your glasses and the Cocoons frame.
Available lens tints are gray, amber, copper and yellow, so you can choose the one that is right for your sport, lifestyle or vision needs. All are polarized, for protection against glare on bright days. Click here for a closeup photo.
Driving Without Your Prescription Eyeglasses Because of Glare? Consider Prescription Sunglasses
DALLAS, January 2011 — Do you ever drive without your prescription glasses? Twenty percent of eyeglass wearers do sometimes, according to a recent survey.
For more comfort on bright days, these drivers are swapping their prescription glasses for non-prescription sunglasses. And more than 60 percent of those surveyed agreed that glare from sun and snow make it difficult to see while driving.
Still, for many it's unsafe to drive without vision correction, and prescription sunglasses could be the answer — especially polarized sunglasses. A clinical study revealed that driver reaction times improved by a third of a second for drivers wearing polarized sunglasses. If your car is going 50 mph, this lets you stop 23 feet sooner (the length of an intersection).
Lens manufacturer Essilor of America, Inc. commissioned the survey and the clinical study.
Lightning, Pro Z17 and Jet: Three New Sports Sunglasses by Nyx Eyewear
BOULDER, Colo., January 2011 — Advanced lens features, including multi-layered polarization and anti-reflective coatings, make these an interesting new choice for golfers and endurance sports lovers.
The lenses are interchangeable, and they can also be customized with a vision prescription if you need one. The prescription can be in the lenses themselves or in a rimless insert that you can use with any Nyx tinted or polarized lens.
All provide 100 percent UV protection, and the Pro Z17 style is also available with a shark-fin lens shape for side protection during intense sports. You can purchase Nyx Eyewear with one lens or with multiple lenses in various tints for different lighting conditions. Please click here for closeups.
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[Page updated May 11, 2012]
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