The Unique, Offbeat Glamour of Marni

ne last word on the Milan shows before I get with the times and catch up with the Parisians. One show in particular caught my interest, because I had never considered it to be a serious sunglasses purveyor. The show was Marni, which Style.com declares as possessing "a unique, offbeat glamour along with a life-enhancing playfulness that is irresistible." [Source: Style.com]

My thoughts precisely.

[Source: Style.com]

I really liked how they showed a variety of shapes and styles. Of course, it doesn't hurt that they adorned the faces of (clockwise from top left): Sasha Pivovarova, Elise Crombez, Kasia Struss, Marina Peres, Carmen Kass and Sofi Berelidze.

Milan: III

here are a few constants to runway shows. Miuccia is going to shake things up. LV is going to prominently display gorgeous handbags. Gucci is going to feature big sunglasses. And generally, I am going to love them.


Gucci's Autumn/Winter 2007, which Cathy Horyn of The New York Times deemed Frida Giannini's "best collection for Gucci", was shown in Milan last week. [Source: NYTimes]

[Source: Style.com]

There is something a bit bug-eyed about these shades, no? When Jessica Stam doesn't look good in sunglasses, I can't imagine them selling well.

Milan II

omas Maier's Autumn/Winter 07 show for Bottega Veneta was praised as being "individualistic and beautifully grown-up." I think Chanel Iman's sunglasses from this week's show fits that description.

[Souce: Style.com]

Milan...

y how time (between blog posts) flies when you are moving apartments! [For more on the horrors of moving, check out Lizze.] Moving along.

Fashionistas have now decamped from London and have descended on Milan its appropriately body mass indexed shows.

Prada, always a heavy hitter, gave us bold colors, funky footless socks and a few pairs of dramatic shades in the Autumn/Winter 2007 show. No thank you to Style.com, who did not include sunglasses in their "Detail Shots".

[Source: Vogue.co.uk]

I rather like Freja Beha Erichsen's sunglasses.

Bold Faced Names in Big Shades

arlier this week, Michael Kors hosted his Autumn/Winter 07 Ready-to-Wear line which featured a simple pairing of superlux materials (ie: cashmere and fur) with his signature glamorous Americana sportswear. And of course, some of the biggest names on the American runways.

Cathy Horyn had a similar take on the designer's show in her "Cutting to the Bone Without Angst" review:

"One look at the leggy models at Michael Kors’s show yesterday, at their tweed miniskirts, their luxe urban parkas, crocodile bags and swinging clean hair, and you sort of felt the designer was saying: “Oh, let’s not make it complicated. Decadence? Moral decay? Embrace it!”

The show was good clean fun, with the emphasis on classic fabrics like flannel and herringbone done in sexy shapes. A chestnut cable-knit cashmere dress spilled off the shoulders, and there were fur-trimmed parkas in Prince of Wales nylon as well minidresses and shrugs. It was Kors light and easy."

[Source: NYTimes]

And the shades! While there was nothing revolutionary here -- men in aviators, oversized Jackie O's for the ladies -- the sunglasses enhanced the overall Aspen-chic feel of the show.

[Source: Style.com]
1. Hilary Rhoda; 2. Freja Beha Erichsen; 3. Doutzen Kroes; 4. Behati Prinsloo; 5. Chanel Iman; 6. Raquel Zimmermann and Caroline Winberg backstage; 7. Anouck Lepère; 8. Coco Rocha; 9. Emina Cunmulaj; 10. Mr. Kors himself.

A similar (but not identical) look by Mr. Kors is available for less than $100 on his website:
Cost: $80
Colors: Black, Green, Tortoise
Retailer: MichaelKors.com

Thakoon Unveiled

hakoon's showing at the tents this week gave us further insight into his highly publicized sunglasses debut. But do the shades seen on the runway live up to his promise of "quirky" sunglasses "with a distinct personality"? [See: Thakoon Rising]


Below, models Hye Park, Alona and Honorine Uwera showcase the frames.

[Source: Style.com]

I like the styles a lot, but with that said, I'm reserving final judgment until I see the entire line.

UPDATE: Luella's Catwalk

n my opinion, the endearingly goofy pictures taken backstage at fashion shows are often much more interesting than the actual runway photos. I came across this one of dear old Agyness Deyn on Fashionista, modeling those bold cat-eye frames and had to share.

They're a bit more dramatic than I had pictured from the runway shots, no? [See: Luella's Catwalk]



Fashionista's "The Girls of Luella!" post has more terrific behind-the-scenes snaps. The blog itself is totally bookmark-worthy.

Karen Walker's Caped Crusaders

ith her second New York runway show, Karen Walker has confirmed her place among our fashion elite. Her chosen themes have also proven to be the most exciting and well thought out we have seen. Last season, the premier of Ms. Walker's sunglasses line was inspired by 1970s dictators. [See: Karen Walker's Eyewear Debut]

She seems to have outdone herself with this runway show, fashioned after 1930s comicbook superheroines. In the words of Style.com, "Such a whimsical starting point could have translated into runway disaster, but Walker knows how to finesse a slightly off-kilter theme."

[Source: Style.com]

The clothes do have a Dick-Tracy-meets-Tess-Trueheart feel to them and I cannot help but love how the shades fit so perfectly with the rest of the showing. These are precisely the sunglasses I would wear if I was out to save the Depression Era world.

Which isn't to say they don't have a modern feel. Their bright hues are perfectly in tune with the current fashion moment and their pop-art element gives them a fresh edge.

Luella's Catwalk

ew York has come down with its seasonal case of runway fever!

Luella, who has been one of the main advocates of spring's wayfarer trend, has gone and upped the ante again. Following with the current trend of bright and bold colors, she sent her models down the runway wearing cat-eye frames in every shade of the rainbow. Below, Irina Lazareanu, Hilary Rhoda, and Agyness Deyn coordinate their eyewear and their London finery.

[Source: Style.com]

I love that Ms. Bartley's shows consistently feature eyewear (she also seems to have some of the best models on the block). Apparently, I'm not the only one taken with her showing:

"An energetic, youthful look at London’s nightlife also appeared on the runway in the form of super slim mod suits, bright bubble dresses and mini skirts, and by way of loud graphic prints like the “Love, Love, Love” t-shirt, which we’re sure will become a club kid staple by the time it hits stores. Bartley also played with the character behind the refined English girl, showing darling bow details, pleated skirts, and ruffled petticoat hems but with added edge, like oversized satchels in tow and big sunglasses as accessories.

Speaking of sunglasses, fellow Brit Anna Wintour sat front row for Luella’s across-the-pond tribute, in her signature shades and gave a warm smile of approval at the show’s close."
[Source: Fashion Wire Daily]

If your need for cat-eye frames is so dire that it cannot wait until the fall, you can also consider Yves Saint Laurent's take on them:

Cost: $240
Colors: Black, Gradiant Burgundy
Retailer: Neiman Marcus

Alright, Alright Y'all

hat a over-extended long, strange winter break its been! I hope everyone enjoyed their collective holidays and didn't hate me too much in my extended absense. You ready for some shades? There's much to talk about!

The Men's Autumn/Winter 2007 shows are what's finally brought me back to the blog. While man-glass isn't as exciting for me, I love seeing new styles of both sunglasses and clothing.

"With few exceptions, the shows this past week were built around what one might refer to as sober core values," said The New York Times review. Some critcs, however, are less than excited about the shows' return to basics.

[Source: NYTimes]

GUCCI

[Source: Vogue.co.uk]

Gucci seems to have their eyewear bases covered, with looks ranging from the nerdy to the bold black&white thing we've seen of late.

Of the charmed-life-in-Aspen themed show, the Times could only say:

"Everybody really does look sort of groovy in zillionaire ski bum clothes."

DOLCE & GABBANA


I'd describe this collection as a sartorial mash-up of Buzz Aldrin's & James Bond's professional attire. Style.com said it was a "distinctive hybrid of Stanley Kubrick’s future and David Lynch’s eternal, darkly erotic present."

There's just one pair of shades with varying frames, but that is an improvement on the D&G show, which had every model wearing the same pair of eyeglasses. Overall, a good showing.

PS - I love that their soundtrack featured the 2001: Space Odyssey theme and Justin Timberlake. Now that is what I call a distinctive hybrid.

[Source: Vogue.co.uk]

GIORGIO ARMANI

[Source: Vogue.co.uk]

This return to basic tailoring was a good fit for Mr. Armani. The classic sunglasses shapes look like quality and timeless shades. The Times dug his straight forward show:

Giorgio Armani, for instance, has not often been more in tune with his idiom. The soft suiting and slightly feminized shapes that were his early adaptation to Neapolitan tailoring were, for once, not sidetracked by excursions into stuff that looked like costumes for some imaginary summer in 1920s Biarritz. There was no kooky headgear, no character pastiche.

This week brings the Dior and Valentino shows in Milan. The following week shows continue in Paris. I will be detailing all the flash as I see it.