Summer Essentials: Sunglasses

Like it or not, sunglasses are useful stereotyping tools. Sorority girl? Oversized Diors. Hipster? Vintage Ray Bands. Through it all, several key trends have emerged this season amid the diversity that is humanity and sunglasses.
Oversized is still key. Though designers have moved away from the mask-like facial concoctions of past seasons, oversized is the style to be coveted. Smaller styles are token in collections, glamorous seems to be the order of the day as consumers continue to love imitating their favorite celebrities with paparazzi ready shades.
Black is out. Earth tones dominate designers palates this season. Shelve that classic black pair for now and explore all the options available, there’s a different pair for each look. One of my favorite trends is the brights that have shown up this summer, like the cherry red Micheal Kors (Google Finance), pictured right, a great example of the amusement designers are getting from updating pop colors for today.
If you really can't pass up the black, you'll still find some great frames, but not without this season's gorgeous detailing or funky styling that punches up the basic.
From chain link to swarovski crystals, horsebit and heavy metal to rimless, camo print to snakeskin (pictured right,) designers have incorporated lux details to truly make their glasses worth the $300 and up price tag. Though brands like Dolce & Gabanna (Dist. NYSE:LUX), Dior (EPI:CDI) and Gucci could be accused of flooding the market with blasé oversized shades, this might not be a fair assessment. The real collections sport a selection of fun, although undeniably sellable, and diverse designs.
So whether its a day on the yacht (think rimless for something fresh), the baseball game (Chloe’s aviators are to die for), or beach fun (you can’t beat the people who know sun, the Californians at Von Zipper,) glasses this season are all about variety- and fitting, or denying, stereotypes.

Some collections that got it right...
Oliver Peoples- This line recently aquired by Oakley (NYSE:OO) does glasses with flaire and trend, but without the obnoxious branding of some other lines
Bvlgari (BIT:BUL)- If you want flash and glamour, try this as an alternative to the usual suspects. If anyone can turn a head with accessories, it is this house.