Queen of the Neon

Chris Brown-less Rihanna was photographed lunching in L.A. with her puppy and her Roberto Cavalli sunglasses. Is that a tattoo inside her ear, I see?

Check out Rihanna's RC 298s Centauro sunglasses, which are $315 on sunglassesitaly.com.

[Source: Celebutopia]

Eva Forever

he fashion press loves a story about excess and the $640 Roberto Cavalli Eva Sunglasses has piqued the interest of BlackBook and Style.com, who went so far as to name the sunnies their "Item of the Week."

[Source: Style.com, BlackBook]

If you ask me, the "house's signature snake" looks a bit like a gold jumper cable. Regardless, they're named for Cavalli's wife and their case can double as an evening clutch, which makes them both romantic and practical. Which is required when you're sunglasses retail for the price of an international flight.

Versace: Somebody Stop Me!

ILAN, September 29, 2006 -- Donatella Versace presented her well-received Spring/Summer 2007 Ready-to-Wear collection. The go-go 80s-inspired line was heralded as a "tour-de-force performance" and a "full-on glamour stomp" by preeminent fashion critics.

[Sources, respectively: Style.com, NYTimes]

Donatella, the designer and carrier of the Versace torch, finished off the season's look (proclaimed as "especially polished" by the luckiest woman in the world and The New York Times' fashion critic, Cathy Horyn) with oversized, earth-toned sunglasses that will almost certainly adorn the faces of starlets, celebutards and stylish mere mortals come springtime.

Above: Close-ups of Ms. Versace's models (there you are, Carmen Kass!), in the shades. [Source: Style.com You can also view the runway show's actual clothing, if that's your thing.]

The Versace website does not currently offer this particular pair. I'm sure Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and his super-human female counterparts will be striking in them.

Like any self-respecting runway show, Ms. Versace's show featured brilliant celebrity front-rowers. Here, Prince was the guest of honor and came flanked by two disarmingly identical "Twinz", his back-up dancers. The trio remained shielded by dark shades throughout the show; I am going to go out on a limb here and peg Prince's sunglasses, as well as those of the pretty young things, as the designer's own.



[Source, clockwise from left: PageSix, Vogue.uk, People]

I believe them to be the Versace 2057 model, but man-glass is often a mystery to me. Its also always possible (probable, even) that Donatella sent the Former Artist a flashy prototype or a pair unavailable to the masses.

Cost: $199
Colors: Brown, Grey, Black, Green, Shaded Brown
Retailers: SunglassesItaly.com*

Prince was not content to merely sit on the sidelines and cause a stir: it was reported that it was his custom-made soundtrack the models sashayed to and his "smashing" live performance the after party revelers grooved to. With no less than three reported costume changes, that Prince is a legendary performer, albeit a high maintenance one. Cheers to a well--executed show, Ms. Versace!
[Source: Hello!, Fashion Windows]

The Twinz don't warrant sunglass specifics. Perhaps if they began to dress themselves individually, dropped the "Z", and purified themselves in the water of Lake Minnetonka. Perhaps.

* Sunglassesitaly.com is another site I recommend for the difficult task of online shades shopping. They offer current, really desirable designer sunglasses -- we're talking Tom Ford, Chanel, Roberto Cavalli, et cetera -- that will cost you less (including the shipping from Italy) for less than what you'd spend in Neiman's or Barney's. Enjoy a 5% discount for joining their newsletter.

All in all, quite a satisfy day for sunglasses. More on the upcoming European fashion shows (and those I have neglected to cover in the past week or so. Let me know if you still want New York).

Shades on a Plane

his week New York Magazine ran a snippet on the more frivolous side effects of the new airport security measures taken in light of the latest foiled terrorist attack, "JFK's Beauty Bin: The new contraband in the war on terror."
[Source: nymag.com]

Author Janelle Nanos spoke with fashion directors and editors, who were rather perturbed by the newly expanded list of banned items, particularly as they prepare to embark on transatlantic flights for the European fashion shows this fall.

With banned products including makeup, toothpaste, body spray and cologne, these beauty editors are displeased:

“'Everybody is bummed because it’s a really long flight and looking good is part of the industry,” says Jane beauty director Erin Flaherty. “You’re seeing all of your colleagues on the plane.'"

Her rather marvelous projection?
"'I think everybody is going to have their most oversized sunglasses on."





To follow the fashion set's lead and shield your puffy complexion from the judging eyes of your fellow passengers (all the while providing your very own snakes on a plane), might I recommend Roberto Cavalli's Thin Serpent Sunglasses:
Cost: $330
Color: Gunmetal, Copper, Rose Gold
Retailer: Bergdorf Goodman




What Ms. Flaherty does not know, however, is that wearing sunglasses while airborn can help curb the effects of jet lag. [Source: BBC; It's science, y'all!]

As the BBC reported earlier this year, scientists have discovered that passengers on long flights are best served by wearing sunglasses to alter their light patterns and help adjust their body clocks

"The study, conducted by Edinburgh Sleep Centre for British Airways, monitored more than 1,000 passengers. Dr. Chris Idzikowski, director of The Edinburgh Sleep Centre, said that without using sunglasses it took a day to recover for every hour of time difference travelled westwards."

Dr. Idzikowski tailors a "jet lag checker" for passengers, specifying the times for passengers to wear their sunglasses. Here's how it works: "The internal body clock steps up at dawn which is when we can manipulate exposure to light, it's a way of fooling the biological clock."

So while those new regulations are a bummer for travelers everywhere, that flashy shade option is looking better and better. Good luck at the shows, ladies!