For this week’s Hit List, we round up the best sunglasses on the market, from Fendi fur to Chanel tweed to a very special ASOS and Carrera collaboration.
Welcome to Hit List, a weekly roundup of all things best and present in the world of beauty and fashion. This week, we feature some of the best sunglasses for day chilling and night bopping, from Dior’s demure Demoiselle shades to metro Gucci to futuristic shapes from Miu Miu. So take a look, grab a bag, and throw some shade.
1. Dior Demoiselle Sunglasses
Our Hit List is straight out of the gates with a statement pair of starlet sunglasses. The Christian Dior Demoiselle shades are hand painted to perfectly match the gold and crystal temples, and the frames follow the arch of an exaggerated brow for a seamless look. With Asian references and a nod to Dior’s timeless glamour, we suspect Liz Taylor wannabes are ready to pounce.
Available £289 at select Christian Dior retailers and 00800 72345600
2. Miu Miu Rasoir Sunglasses
Always the contrarian, Miu Miu combines cool feminine silhouettes with hardcore, edgy attitude in the Rasoir Eyewear range. With large, sturdy candy-coloured arms and an unusual take on the cat eye, these shades, first presented at the SS13 runway show, are the bad babes of eyewear.
Available £190 at www.miumiu.com
3. Linda Farrow Spring Blossom Sunglasses
Perhaps the sweetest of the bunch, these Linda Farrow Luxe sunglasses are quite simply — and we don’t say this often — adorable. Inspired by a tropical escape, the range comes in a variety of floral shades and feminine shapes, including cat eye and these ultra-round cherry blossom retro sunnies. In short, these shades pay tribute to a girly revolution.
Available £320 at www.lindafarrow.com
4. Gucci Bamboo Collection
Like the plant itself, Gucci’s Bamboo range shades are light and seemingly delicate, but in fact make a bold statement. Bamboo details infiltrate the bridge of the men’s, and flank out to the temples of the women’s pair, complimenting the metal frames of gold, chocolate and gunmetal. Combined with the classic Seventies aviator design with the Gucci insignia in tow, these ain’t your Tom Cruise Top Gun knockoffs.
Available women’s £415 (first pair) and men’s £315 at select Gucci retailers and 00800 72345600
5. Chanel Prestige Collection
Tweed-moulded arms and classic cat-eye frames. Few words can so accurately describe Chanel’s balance of innovation and timeless Coco vision. In warm shades of brown, black and navy, these are the shades for the intellectual retrobabe.
Available £304 at David Clulow and 0844 2640860
6. Carrera ASOS Craze Campaign
Combine the kings of shadeswear Carrera and fashion conglomerate ASOS and you have the stuff of trending legend. The collaboration of these two giants has resulted in the Spring Summer Craze collection, a mix of Carrera’s racing past and ASOS’ commitment to the trend crazy twenty-somethings around the globe. Launching yesterday and running through the 16th of June, viewers can buy these bopping shades plus compete for a prize to Ibiza.
Available £85 at www.asos.com/carrera
7. Dolce & Gabbana Stripes Collection
Dolce & Gabbana’s Stripes Eyewear collection is a nod to warm Sicilian beaches and babes of Italian lore. With their oversized, rounded shapes and bright colours, the Stripes sunglasses leave visions of La Dolce Vita beauties dancing in our heads. In short, these are the must-have sunglasses for aristocratic resort destinations and forbidden Mediterranean romances.
Available £164 at Sunglass Hut and 0844 2640860
8. Fendi Fur Sunglasses Collection
From unique shape to bedazzled arms, these geometric wonder visors from Fendi tick all the fashionable boxes. They are funky and yet, somehow, decisively stylish. Perhaps it’s the loud orange fur on the arms, but these hefty sunglasses were made for sassy fashionistas that leave us quaking in our boots with admiration.
9. Polo Ralph Lauren Safari Collection
You might be catching on to the duality of this season’s trend: retro feminine chic or relaxed androgynous cool. Ralph Lauren, known to polo-wearing yacht cruisers the world over, is no stranger to WASP gender mixing. The newest range of shades pay homage to the label’s loyal fan base. Wild by name, relaxed by nature, the Ralph Lauren Safari collection are the sunglasses of cool kids and gap year’s.
Available £194 at Sunglass Hut and 0844 2640860
10. Tom Ford Alexander Collection
The third time’s the charm with Tom Ford’s third collection of Special Edition Eyewear, simply named Alexander. These shades encompass the season’s artisto-chill trends, complete with gold-plated frames, luxe leather top bar and a unisex Aviator silhouette inspired by Tom Ford’s women’s and menswear SS13 collections. The design reflects its namesake, slightly androgynous and understatedly posh.
Price on application
11. DSquared2 Eyewear Spring Collection
Taking be specked to an entirely new level are the shiny shiny cat-eye sunglasses by DSquared. With reflective metal in silver and gold hues, as well as crystal bejewelled frames, these are the Regina George of sunglasses. For the ultimately girly and ultimately glamorous only — no feint-hearted bitches, please.
Available £624 at 01635 277 299
Words: Elise Marraro (follow Elise on Twitter @PardonMe_Lissie)