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Every brand attracts a different kind of woman. Are you the Gucci or a Dior type of girl? Read on to find out what brand best suits your inner personality.

Donatella Versace epitomizes the image Versace is attempting to create. At once sleek, modern and couture, Versace is also remnant of the flapper girls of yesteryear and bob cut cuties. It is a dichotomy of the old and the new—essentially the best of both worlds. If you enjoy looking high class, knowing fashion trends and seasonal changes but are also an admirer of trends already past, then Versace is your brand.

Dior is for the modern girl, it is creative, flashy and in your face. Intricate designs for intricate women. Dior is famous in Hollywood among singers from R&B to rap and country; it’s a brand all types of creative women can get behind. If you are an innovator, a creator or an original personality, Dior is the best brand for you.

Gucci eyewear are designed for the girl who has everything and wants to top it off with a cherry on top. Gucci screams confidence and security, and is perfect for the woman who aims to be a part of her sorority rather than a spectator. If you are an ‘it’ girl with everything, then you probably already know that Gucci is your brand.

Prada is the brand for the working woman, a serious professional with a serious shoe collection. Women can be powerful and respected and still maintain their appearance with high fashion and style. Prada provides the bridge between professionalism and fashion that does not go over the top. If you are a business professional on the rise, a politician or an aspiring someone, Prada is the brand for you.

Nothing screams ‘no!’ more than a woman in a skirt wearing sandals and socks, or a man in Burmuda shorts for that matter. While Prada is cool, it is not the only name in designer gear, and should not be relied on as the catchall for fashion. Below are three fashion mistakes to avoid lest you appear the modern sandals-and-socks person in your area.

Don’t over accessorize. One common mistake in the fashion world and with armature style enthusiasts, is that they go over the top with accessories until they are little more than crystal chandeliers with a person hiding inside. Jessica Simpson made this mistake at the MTV awards when she had hair bling, ear bling, an abundance of makeup and frilly, over-the-top clothing. She should have scaled down the accessories to complement the dress or scaled down the dress to make way for all of the diamonds.

Don’t match colors across space. Meaning, if you are wearing red shoes it is not tacky to also carry a red bag. Matching accessories across your body was popular in the 1970s but in 2009 this is fatal fashion. Likewise, don’t wear all of one color. White suits were popular in the 1940s, but that style has, thankfully, faded.

Don’t mix-match designer accessories. A Dior bag with Police sunglasses, Prada shoes and a Burberry jacket will only serve to make you look confused and uncoordinated. Do not go the other way and wear multiple accessories from any one designer, either. Your best bet is to wear one or at the most two designer objects against a plain canvas wardrobe of simple clothing.

The most important thing about coordinating your Prada eyewear with other accessories is not to match brand names together, which can appear poorly cliché and over-matching. However, one of the top tips would be to blend brand-name accessories with vintage and no-name clothing that mimics current trends or timeless styles.

A perfect pairing for metal framed Dior sunglasses are simple denim jeans and a plain white T-shirt, which is a look that is timeless and classic. Dior shades, with their creative and intricate designs perfectly compliment the simplicity of the jeans and T-shirt look. This is a popular look among celebrities and athletes.

For flowery summer dresses, Prada can be a bit over the top, as can the elaborate designs of Dior, the best pairing would be Bolle, whose simple clean clines and natural colors are an attractive and elegant accessory that adds character and charm to any look. Like Bolle, Burberry eyewear.

One subtle and creative way to match accessories is to coordinate corresponding textures. While this is a subtle trick, it is an effective one. Prada’s iconic texture is, by now, world famous. Pairing the rough and durable fabric of a Prada bag with the soft, smooth lines of Oliver People’s sunglasses and a jacket of fur or another soft and full texture. This will help to build character in your look while not overreaching.

One additional secret to pairing brand name, designer accessories with classic simple clothing is to make the most of every accessory by buying bold and intricate, creative eyewear, purses, shoes and jewelry to enhance your features using your clothing as a canvas. Prada makes great purses as well as top-of-the-line shoes for women.

For the emotional nihilist, one who cares for nothing but tries endlessly to make this apparent through their sense of style. For the nihilist, designer eyewear companies work hard to create designs that can help you look thrown together and sleepy. Ray Ban Aviators, for example, are the perfect eyewear for the avid nihilist. They give the impression of subtle devil-may-care style while offering protection from the sun (which, if you are a nihilist, you hope will crash into the earth).

Arnette eyewear, for extreme athletes, has a slightly nihilist vibe. People who throw their bodies off cliffs tied to plastic gliders or propel themselves down icy mountainous slopes without helmets, luckily, have protection for their eyes from the sun’s dangerous rays provided by Arnette. This has a slightly nihilist ring to it and nihilists everywhere can unite (if they cared to) behind extreme sports enthusiasts and agree that peering through Arnette eyewear, at least until the end times, is a decent way to view the world. This alliance of extreme sports and nihilism could also be joined by Oakley and Bolle, other extreme sporting favorites in the eyewear industry.

Yves Saint Laurent eyewear – especially their sunglasses- offer an oft overlooked sense of modernism and style that the emotional nihilist could really get excited about. With the world in disarray and the globe being polluted by chemicals and other byproducts of modernity, what better way to face the end than wearing a product that epitomizes the nihilist’s problems with the planet? Check out the YSL 2200 model, which comes highly recommended for anyone who finds themselves an antiestablishmentarian.

For the avid smoker, smoking on a windy day can be endlessly frustrating. One of the key accessories for the windy smoker is a pair of sunglasses, and Dior is a great brand for this because they fit snug to the face so wind and smoke do not get in your eyes. Additionally, they should be tinted slightly grey so as to erase the highlighting feature of smoke many sunglasses unfortunately have.

If you are a chain smoker, you’ll want to get from indoors to outside as quickly as possible and with as few diversions as possible. For the true addict, lenses that automatically shift from indoor to outdoor tinting are best. When indoors these lenses serve as eyeglasses, when outdoors as sunglasses and as a shield from smoke. While a bit more expensive, and you are probably saving for your next pack, they will pay themselves off with the convenience they add to your life.

Many smokers find that wearing contacts and smoking, or being in smoke-filled areas, can cause irritation. This is not a byproduct of wearing glasses, which can also enhance your appearance especially when done well, as with designer eyewear. If you are a frequent smoker, try to avoid contacts and make a statement with your designer eye glasses instead of hiding behind them shyly.

Police sunglasses, a newcomer to the designer eyewear industry but one with ample celebrity support and spokesmenship. George Clooney and Antonio Bandaras are avid fans. Police sunglasses are perfect for smokers because, like Dior, they fit snugly to the face but have the added features of being darkly tinted and aerodynamic—not to mention cool.

With the summer, and the birthday season, approaching, you will want to have a stockpile of exquisite, designer gifts from Prada, Versace or Dior ready for last minute invites and stellar parties. One of the best gifts of the season, for men and women alike, are a pair of designer eyewear.

Sunglasses make great gifts because they are a necessity. With all of the global warming concerns as well as an ever more health-conscious populous, buying designer sunglasses for a friend or relative shows that you are in tune with popular sentiment.

Designer eyewear is coveted the world over, yet is hardly something people regularly purchase for themselves. Buying designer eyewear for a friend or relative shows that you are paying attention to their sense of style and know what they want.

A perfect way to go the extra mile is to discover your friend or relative’s prescription and purchase him or her new designer eyewear with their prescription already inset. Everyone needs a back-up pair of glasses. If you go designer and buy a brilliant pair for someone you are sure to replace their main stay. It is the gift that keeps on giving, and a constant reminder of your friendship.

Another way to show you are paying attention is to buy designer eyewear for your loved one that really corresponds well to their skin and hair tones. Remember that dark hair and skin demands bolder colors and lines while the opposite is true for lighter skin and hair.

Finally, designer sunglasses and eyeglasses are good gifts because at the end of the day they put all the other gifts in a pile and smile, but they have your gift riding comfortably and proudly on their face. It is easily one of the most useful and lasting of gifts.

With spring in full swing I find myself tired of the constant dreary weather. At times, it is hot and sunglasses are required while a moment later it will rain and render my eyewear useless. I sought out a solution.

Oakley makes water-resistant eyewear with wicking powers, meaning rain may hit the lens but the chemical coating on the lenses as well as the aerodynamic and wetness-reducing shape of the frames and lenses is such that water does not stay on the surface of the lens for long. Some extreme outdoor sunglasses with prescription inlays from Oakley are designed to be blunt-trauma resistant, scratch and smudge and water resistant as well as aerodynamic. For the outdoor enthusiast, these are nearly essential in rainy weather locations.

Several models of Police sunglasses have a small ledge similar to a tiny roof overhang above the lenses. If the rain is coming down directly this ledge catches the rain and directs it, like a drainage pipe, off the eyewear to the side before it has the chance to hit your lenses. While this may work in direct rain, a rain from any direction will instantly render this ledge worthless.

Hugo Boss designs several of their models with a slight slant so that the top of the lenses are further from your head then the bottom half. This barely-noticeable slant makes it possible for rain to avoid the lenses all together, when rain is coming down directly.

While wearing a hat or having an umbrella might also solve this problem, you can never bet sure to have either on hand and should, perhaps, spend the extra cash initially to have the right equipment for the environment. Any of the above designer eyewear brands has proven benefits in rainy seasons, and all can have an anti-fogging coating applied, which is also useful in high-humidity settings.

For the recently retired, Paul Smith sunglasses are a rising retiree fashion trend. weather fishing at your summer home or touring around Europe. For the stylish over sixties, Paul Smiths offer everything in the way of designer fashion and eye protection, while also blocking peripheral glare and sporting darker tinted lenses for sensitive eyes. For women, we recommend the Paul Smith PS 3002 model, which plays off the fashion trends of the 40s and 60s and the Ray Ban Wayfarer. For men, we recommend the PS 395 model, which is at once modern and vintage, and offers superior eye protection.

Another perfect brand for the elderly fashion enthusiast is Tom Ford, which have been around for quite a while and has sufficient tenure to be a long-term trend that is sure to last well into the future. Tom Fords, the favorite of such stars as Jennifer Anniston and Lauren Bacall, have a large fan base in Hollywood and New York, where fashion prevails. For women, we recommend the FT0012 Natasha design with its maroon frame that is slightly horn-rimmed design and fashionably tinted lenses. For men, we recommend, FT0023 Buckley model, which has darker lenses and a durable frame that is modern and timeless.

As summer gets warmer, proper eyewear will be imperative for any outdoor activities, be sure to gear up before you go out. All eyewear from Tom Ford and Paul Smith can have prescription lenses and various anti-scratch or anti-glare coatings. Meanwhile, a free lens cleaning kit accompanies every online purchase- an essential tool for keeping your new designer eyewear in optimal condition.

Have you ever wondered what your eyewear says about you? Are you a Ray-Ban kind of character or an Oliver Peoples character? Which of the following best describes you?

1) Your eyewear frames are thick, plastic and probably traditional in shape and design. You view eyewear as a necessity, and not a fashion accessory. At night you have a system for storing your eyewear that includes a short cleaning routine. You prefer the designs of Oliver Peoples and Hugo Boss, and the sunglasses of Dunhill or Paul Smith. You are traditional, conservative and non-confrontational.

2) Your eyewear is bold in design and possibly a bright or creative color. You pride yourself on standing out in a crowd. Accessories are cherished items in your wardrobe on par with shoes and bags. You have many pairs of glasses and sunglasses to mix and match with your many colorful outfits. You prefer the creative and fashionable designs of Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs, Persol and Armani.

3) You only wear glasses when they make a fashion statement. Splashing into the room in style is of the utmost importance to you. You’ll wear anything from a name brand designer, and have dabbled in all of the latest fashion trends. You prefer the designs of Dior, Prada, Versace and Gucci, and have full outfits from each designer to match your frames.

4) You consider yourself an outdoors person. When looking at your wardrobe you see a blur of browns, blacks, grey and tan and you consider it a real deal when you find pants that also zip-off into shorts. Your eyewear must be functional and practical, but also match your sense of outdoors style. You prefer the designs of Police, Diesel, Oakley and Carrera.

If you chose #1 you are most like Mark, from Peep Show.
If you chose #2 you are most like Maggie Jacobs from Extras.
If you chose #3 you are Carrie Bradshaw from Sex in the City.
If you chose #4 you are John Locke from Lost.

You’ve heard the saying ‘bigger is better,’ well in sunglasses fashion that saying has proven true. Prada, Versace, Bvlgari, Armani, all the big names have touted big frames. For the past several years petite, attractive and glamorous Hollywood starlets have been hiding behind bigger and bigger shades.

When Paris Hilton, the princess of feminine fashion and flare, stepped on to the red carpet in thick Dior shades in 2007 the trend was solidified into style.

The Olsen twins, whose petite frames look weighed-down under the designs of Gucci and Prada, have ignored the skepticism and persisted in wearing the large framed shades, making thousands of idolizing young women follow suit.

Beyonce and Rhianna have jumped in on the fun in oversized Versace and Dior, rocking the look and bringing the style into the fashion world of universally appealing.

For the stars, large sunglasses make sense when attempting to blend into a crowd. Perhaps that’s where the style, at least in Hollywood, originated. But on the red carpet these singers and actresses have kept on their shades with pride, flaunting their designer look.

Large sunglasses have the added benefit of drawing focus to the mouth, which is appealing for women with triangular shaped faces, whose mouths often look impish without large eye makeup or eyewear. In western society large eyes have always been deemed beautiful, so large eyewear is a natural extension of that fetish. Drawing attention to the mouth is also extremely sexual, and especially works when the glasses have a dark tint. This, also, can make the wearer appear to have a porcelain doll look, which is at once fragile, delicate and fashionable.

Whatever the reason, the style has persisted for several years and looks unlikely to fade into fashion oblivion, proving once and for all that for women, bigger is better.

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Quotations

• "On the night of the 1st of September we observed for the first time signs of the natives being in the neighbourhood. Fires were seen on the low land near Cape Frederick Henry, and at daylight we saw the natives with our glasses."
• William Bligh of the HMS Bounty
•  
• "Famous people come up to me, but I don't know who they are because my sight is so bad. It's always at the pool of the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills when I don't have my lenses in and my glasses are in my room."
• Helena Bonham Carter
•  
• Pol Pot - "And how he told someone was intellectual or not was whether they wore glasses. If they're that clever, take them off when they see him coming!"
• Ricky Gervais
•  
• "People have a tendency to see country life through rose-colored glasses."
• P. J. Harvey
•  
• "The greatest magnifying glasses in the world are a man's own eyes when they look upon his own person."
• Alexander Pope

• Blogroll

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