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THE BIG SCREEN //
When it comes to picking your sunglasses this summer, bigger is better!
Date: May 26, 2005
Author: CHERYL V. JACKSON
Future's not so bright? You can still fake it with shades. Think Jackie O from 1966. "Top Gun" style aviators of 1986. Mary J. Blige from 1996's "Not Gon' Cry" video.
Oversized sunglasses are back. Wraps that extend past the temple are flying off shelves and racks.
The glasses are just catching up with other retro-ized fashion, trend watchers say.
"We've seen a long, drawn-out trend which started with the pencil skirt in terms of femininity and then we're decked out in pearls," said Carolyn Brundage of the trend spotting Fashionista Inc
Richard Riegler started seeing the demand last year at his Lincoln Square Optical, 4740 N. Lincoln, Chicago, with women getting more into the oversized plastics, metals and graduated tints on the lenses.
Non-prescription sunglasses are running $75 to $350 a pair, with the average pair selling for about $180, he says.
The throwback styles also are popular with celebs, prompting those who want to look like stars to hop aboard.
Movies such as "Ocean's 12," which featured Persol aviator-style glasses, and "Sahara" with prominent Ray-Ban aviators, help drive the trend, said Grant Lambert, co-owner of Sunray Optical, a St. Paul, MN .-based shades supplier at their website www.shadecity.com
What's different from classic styles made popular in movies like "Easy Rider" and "Top Gun" is that this season's glasses are more curved, while those in the drawer with that Berlin cassette tape and that TCBY coupon were more flat across the face, co-owner Kevin Larson said.
New equipment in our lab, has enabled the production of prescription sunglasses that wrap around more of the face for a sportier look, Lambert said. Detailing such as rhinestones and studs is also big.
A lot of the manufacturers are getting a little more bling-blingish with their logos. Luxury itself has become a trend. People are really into kind of embodying this kind of lux look even if it's not what their lifestyle supports.
The sleek, almost futuristic-looking glasses popular over the last few years are out. Silver has given way to lavenders and pinks in frames this spring.
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Jackie Kennedy Onassis was famous for her large sunglasses, which are a popular style again.
A shaded Mary J. Blige was ahead of her time in 1996, pictured here on her album "Share My World."
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