Karen Walker: Still Killing It

New York's "The Cut" blog brought perennial sunglasses favorite Karen Walker back to our attention yesterday, naming the Number One model as a "Best Bet." And with good reason: the "thick, modified cat-eye frames" are cool enough to wear everyday this spring, have been seen on Rihanna, and can be yours for $180.

A Decade in Shades

Though many of us are looking forward to the end of 2009 and this somewhat dismal decade, I couldn't resist the temptation to look back on the aughts and how far our sunnies have come. We've moved away from the early 00s logo craze, but still swear by our classic aviators. White sunglasses were briefly hip, but then named as one of 2007's worst trends by People. Designers were inspired by both retro and futuristic styles. Colored wayfarers were all the rage last year, but clear frames were simultaneously in vogue. And let's just pretend that Kanye West/Alain Mikli plastic shaded thing never happened. Its been a rough ten years.

Bigger is still better. Much of the decade was dominated by reality TV starlets in oversized logo sunnies who would later go on to launch their own ill-fated lines. We've given up on the bling, but oversized sunglasses are still huge.

Except when smaller is better. The cool girls (i.e., M.K.)have already embraced the round, John Lennon-inspired frames. The sunglasses in Proenza Schouler's Spring 2009 RTW show (below) were a pitch perfect example of the trend, but they were also seen at Balenciaga, Marni and Ralph Lauren. I don't see these going away in 2010.


Future Perfect. Balenciaga's Spring 2007 clear shield sunglasses paved the way for the both the futuristic and clear frame trend. Their designer, Nicolas Ghesquiere, cited "robotic articulation, car parts and droids" as his inspiration.


Retro Forever.Our sunglasses have been shaped by nearly every imaginable era. The 1950s influence can be seen in last year's cat-eye, Peggy Guggenheim-esque shapes. Folding Persols and Jackie Onassis's trademark oversized sunglasses are direct references to the 1960s. The 70's mod angles can be seen in _blank">Balenciaga and Linda Farrow styles. But no era has shaped our sunnies preferences (neon, plastic frames and wayfarers) more than the 80s.

The 80s Live. In 2006 and 2007, wayfarers were everwhere and on everybody. The Ray-Bans are, of course, the gold standard, but even Karl Lagerfeld got in on the action for Spring 2008 when he showed his candy-coated take on the trend.
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The Newbies. In the past ten years, a seemingly countless number of new sunglasses lines have been introduced, as nearly ever major fashion house entered the eyewear market. A standout is Karen Walker's line, which premiered in 2006 and consistently produces some of the most innovative and exciting sunnies around.



What are you hoping makes the cut next year and what styles could you live without? Here's to 2010, flashies!

Karen Walker, My Hero: "Just Give 'Em Nothing But Big and Bold"

n my own sunglass obsessed opinion, there is no runway show like a Karen Walker runway show. Without further ado:

[Source: Style.com]

Jennifer Mankin of the Brooklyn boutique Bird told New York Magazine that the line was a standout with "superb line of sunglasses, which made each model look oh-so-cool."

Style.com referred to the sunglasses as "Rachel Zoe-worthy" (is that even close to a compliment?), but went on to state:

"Karen Walker, now in her third season here, has built a solid business on her singular, cheery-but-subversive brand of sartorial whimsy. To wit, she considered adding classic styles to her popular line of eyewear before deciding to just give 'em nothing but big and bold. The result: multiple reorders at Barneys. The lesson: To thine own self be true."

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.

Karen Walker's Eyewear Debut

ast week: Karen Walker took her eponymous line to the New York runway shows for the first time. This week: Her eyewear collection premiered in her native country, New Zealand.




Her inspiration for the collection was the eyewear of 1970s dictators. A different theme, I like it.

The collection features uniformly oversized lenses, typically encased in large, dark plastic frames. A pair of large aviators is also offered.

Ms. Walker's premier collection is modern and quite fun; one of my favorites is pictured at right.

Thread, a New Zealand-based fashion magazine, covered the launch party and had the opportunity to speak with Ms. Walker:

"The campaign, shot by Derek Henderson and styled by top fashion stylist Rachael Churchward, shows models posing as dictators in Walker's shades in a cheeky take on world politics. 'I’ve always been amused by that South American and African dictator look and how the size of their eyewear always seems to have some sort of correlation to the size of their power, perceived or real.'"

[Source: Thread]

Ms. Walker's launch party also included a photo call for guests to model the sunglasses on stage as the 1970s dictators behind some evening news-style mics. You can check out the results here. The entire collection is visible on her official eyewear website.

The New Zealand Herald also covered the launch party and interviewed the designer, who shared her enthusiasm for the line and some insights into the latest sunglasses trends:

New Zealand Herald: What was the inspiration for this range of sunglasses compared to last year's range?

Karen Walker: We really looked to the dictators and revolutionaries of the 60s and 70s... strong, classic, very masculine shapes, moving on from the round, soft feminine shapes of last season. These are quite angular.

NZH: What's your favourite style in the new range?

KW: Very hard to say. I couldn't give you my favourite, I've got about four pairs of them! I can't make up my mind. It's quite fun, I have different ones for different moods.

[Source: NZHerald]

The coverage went on to report:

[The] guests loved the glasses so much some discreetly disappeared.

[Source: NZHerald]

I applaud your flashy shades, Ms. Walker, and look forward to seeing them in stores.