British Designer Sunglasses at Wimbledon 2011
Wimbledon is upon us once again and as always the nation has it’s hopes pinned on Murray to lift the cup. The championships kick off on Monday 20th June and Andy Murray is entering the tournament as one of the favourites having beaten the No 19 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win Queens a few weeks ago. As a lawn tennis tournament, Queens is often thought to be a good barometer of who’s fit and able to reach the final rounds of Wimbledon, so we Brits have a lot to be hopeful about this year!
The end of last week saw the official draw and Murray has been placed in the same half as Rafael Nadel and starts his assault on the Championship against Seed no 56, Daniel Gimeno-Traver. The big news however is the random selection of John Isner against Nicolas Mahut in the first round again. Tennis fans will recall the duo playing in 2010’s record-breaking first round match, lasting 11 hours and 5 minutes!
The weather forecast is looking rather drab for the first week, however reports are for fine weather over the first weekend and into the second week. Hopefully the sun will linger for the tournament, for this is when Wimbledon really comes into it’s own. Nothing sums up true Britishness quite like a spot of lawn tennis, a jug of Pimms and a punnet of strawberries and cream. This is what Wimbledon is really about – being British.
In the celebration of all things British it seems fitting that this should extend to sunglasses too. Sunglasses are a must at the Championship, whether it’s for sun protection, to conceal a hangover or to avoid being caught staring at celebrities, every Wimbledon-goer must be armed with sunnies. And why not a British designer? Shade Station have wonderful sunglasses from some of the British greats, including the late Alexander McQueen and Burberry. Both Alexander McQueen sunglasses and Burberry sunglasses are fashionably oversized and perfect for surreptitious celeb gazing. The lenses are also fitted with the best in UV protection and offer brilliant clarity so you can avoid squinting whilst watching the tennis unfold. Fingers crossed for sunshine everyone!
Hopefully in a fortnight we’ll be celebrating Andy Murray winning the championship, which will be the icing on the cake of our great British celebration!
Fossil Watches – The Gift Choice at the ATP World Tour Finals
For all of you tennis fans out there, you will almost certainly have been aware of the ATP World Tour Finals which have recently taken place at the O2 Arena in London this month. The event was one which attracted a number of iconic and highly renowned tennis players including Britain’s very own Andy Murray, many of whom may now be sporting a sleek Fossil watch following the gift awarding process.
The event was quite the grand affair with each player turning up in London at the venue last Friday November 20th suited and booted and greeted with some fantastic gifts which included luxury items such as headphones, sunglasses and even a selection of Fossil watches. Don’t sports folk have all the luck!
Tennis is after all, a sport which is associated with an elite class and events such as Wimbledon see all manner of posh frocks, suits and hats with a great emphasis being placed on attire. This particular tournament has a reputation and tradition for treating the players well which includes elaborate gifts, a lavish hotel stay opposite the Houses of Parliament and a river boat to escort them to the arena whe
reby the tournament takes place. Fossil watches were chosen as part of the gift as they represent this high class and sought after appeal.
The collection of Fossil watches is incredibly diverse and the brand is renowned for its exceptional high quality products and innovative designs. The new ladies ES2157 is an addition to look out for and is extremely contemporary with its highly polished black acetate strap and diamante embellished bezel for just the right level of bling to keep the watch sparkling and glam. Some of the more edgy and on trend cuff watches include the JR9999 men’s watch with its double layers and the BG1079 with a funky lightening effect dial. What people love about Fossil is that it caters for every style preference whether you are after trendy and funky, sparkly and glam or classic and sophisticated, this brand has it all. The AM4089 men’s watch for example with its polished stainless steel bracelet 
strap and slick black dial with diamante time markers is perfect for the man who likes a classy, versatile watch with something that little bit special and chic. Fossil tends to produce to a variety of key styles but then injects its own edge to keep the watches unique and special. The new ladies ES2440 is perfect for girly glamour with its diamante embellished bezel and stunning mother of pearl floral patterned dial but the white acetate straps keep the design edgy, funky and current.
Fossil is highly regarded and respected as a brand and has a solid reputation that stems back to 1984. The brand is notorious for being one of the leaders in the industry and its high quality manufacturing methods and materials are equally matched by the unique and striking aesthetic of the designs. It comes as no surprise that Fossil watches are therefore a perfect choice of gift to be awarded at high profile events such as the ATP World Tour Finals. Make sure you keep your eyes peeled on the players to see which Fossil watch they are sporting!
Wimbledon Celebrity Spotting!
Wimbledon 2009 has been a scorcher and this rare display of great British weather has given us a grand opportunity to see just which sunglasses the celebs favour.
The first day of the tournament saw Jude Law hanging out with actor Jonny Lee Miller and unsurprisingly both opted for traditional and stylish Ray Ban sunglasses, with Jude modelling Wayfarers and the Trainspotting actor in aviators. The same day Razorlight’s Jonny Borrell was also seen sporting his black Ray Ban Wayfarers whilst enjoying the tennis.
Wimbledon appeals to all ages and older fans including Sir Cliff Richards, Sir Trevor Macdonald, Sir Bobby Charlton, Bruce Forsyth, Rolf Harris and racing driver Jackie Stewart were seen cheering on their favourites this year. In the younger camp Aleesha Dixon was in attendance, as was Sam Mendes and his Oscar winning wife Kate Winslet, who watched Federer secure his place in the semi’s. Ewan Macgregor was seen cheering on fellow Scot, Andrew Murray and both Eddie Izzard and Noel Fielding were spotted in the crowd at SW19.
This year’s celebrity talking piece came in the form of Justin Timberlake who took time out of his schedule promoting his ‘William Rast’ clothing label to support Andy Roddick on Centre Court. Displaying his usual effortless laid back cool, JT accessorised with a flat cap and a pair of Wayfarer style sunglasses with a stylish navy coloured frames. International pop sensation Grace Jones also rocked Wimbledon wearing an outlandish hat and oversized black sunnies.
To score your own fashion ace in similar oversized sunglasses look to brands like Gucci, Prada, Pucci, D&G and Chanel for classic ’leading lady’ style.
Oakley Sunglasses built for Sport
With all eyes on the tennis at Wimbledon this week we wanted to highlight the importance of wearing the correct sunglasses to play sport in. Although many tennis players like the Venus and Serena Williams, Andy Murray and Roger Federer are seen without eye protection and often opt for visors and caps instead, they could be doing irreversible damage to their eyes whilst playing. Simply wearing sunglasses designed for sport would act as a preventative measure towards cataracts and muscular degeneration and could also improve their game!
Sports sunglasses differ from regular shades because they are designed with the active sportsman in mind;
Sports sunglasses are ergonomically designed to ensure a closer fit, so no flapping up and down whilst you’re running to the net and they are also comfortable enough to to wear whilst exerting yourself!
On-court glare is reduced by polarised lenses which reduce light and reflection from the surface of the court (and protect from UVA, UVB and UVC light) enabling you to read the game better and prevent squinting.
Most sports sunglasses are equipped with high impact lenses, meaning you won’t be caught between the eyes with a tennis ball flying at 100mph!
Although there are a handful of good brands that specialise in sunglasses for Tennis, Shade Station recommends Oakley sunglasses for all round protection and the all important ‘cool factor’. With a rich heritage of specialist sports technology and innovation, Oakley is the eyewear brand of choice worn by the majority of serious sportsmen and women.
Various tennis players on the tour circuit are aware of the significance of wearing sunglasses, including Aussie Samantha Stosur, ranked World No 18 who wears Oakley’s ‘Enduring’ style to reduce the sun’s glare. She says of the sunglasses ” I notice after matches, my eyes aren’t tired at the end of the day, unlike a lot of people who don’t wear them.”
Take it from a pro, your vision is precious so do all you can to protect it!
Check out next week’s blog where we’ll be bringing you all the celebrity sunglasses action at Wimbledon 2009!
Click here to visit our Oakley Sunglasses section