The popularity of Ray Ban Sunglasses
There aren’t many sunglass brands that have reached iconic status, yet Ray Ban has undoubtedly achieved this well-earned title. The label has enjoyed extreme highs and lows over the past 70 years and despite the lows, Ray Ban is here to stay. Very few sunglass brands have defined generations and inspired hundreds of similar designs and imitations. Amazingly given their popularity and rich heritage of celebrity endorsement throughout the Fifties, Sixties, Eighties and Noughties, Ray Ban spent long periods of time in the wilderness until their popularity surged once again.
Ray Ban sunglasses have graced movie icons such as James Dean and Audrey Hepburn, Eighties stars John Belushi and Tom Cruise and present day hipsters like Kate Moss and Lily Allen at one time or another. Of course it’s no surprise that the classic ‘Wayfarer’ has been worn more times by celebrity fans than any other model the label have produced. Popularised by films like ‘Breakfast at Tiffanys’, ‘The Blues Brothers’ and ‘Risky Business’ the ‘Wayfarer’ has enjoyed incredible success due to its simple design and sharp look.
The slightly nerdier looking ‘Clubmaster’, worn by Twilight star Robert Pattinson and the very stylish German actress Diane Kruger, has a smaller fan base but is still a classic design and affords the wearer a distinctly hip look.
The ever popular Ray Ban ‘Aviator’ design has been hugely imitated over the years and was Ray Ban’s initial creation back in 1929. Designed with special anti-glare lenses for use by pilots in the US Air force, the ‘Aviator’ model is both practical and effortlessly cool. Perhaps the most versatile of all the Ray Ban designs the ‘Aviator’ style suits men and women of all ages and can be worn both casually or formally.
Ray Ban is not only limited to these 3 styles. The brand have produced an incredible range of sunglasses over the years and you will find many of the styles on these Shade Station pages. Without a doubt Ray Ban has earned it’s icon status and we look forward to many more years of show-stopping Ray Ban designs!
Festival Chic Sunglasses
Whilst we’re half way through the summer and a number of the big festivals have been and gone, there’s still time to choose your perfect shades for the upcoming UK festivals. Still to come are; Global Gathering, Womad, The Big Chill, V Festival, Reading and Leeds, SW4, Get Loaded in the Park and Bestival. For every one, there’s a great pair of sunglasses to make you look and feel fabulous.
If you like your weekends sweaty, chaotic and hardcore, then dance festivals Global Gathering and Clapham’s SW4 and Get Loaded are for you. Accessorise your skinny jeans and vest with sunglasses in bright colours and retro styles. The original Ray Ban Wayfarers are enjoying an extended fashion moment and are currently the coolest shades to be seen in. Choose them in red or blue for the perfect dance festival look and to ensure protection from flashing strobe lights!
Carrera is another great brand to be seen in, worn by Beckham and Kylie, these retro aviator style sunglasses are super fashionable. We think the Carrera ‘Hot’ style or ‘Champion’ in tortoiseshell would be right on the money for dance festival chic.
Indie and rock kids who have bought their tickets to V or Reading will be swept away by Dragon’s ‘Fame’ style sunglasses or Von Zipper’s ‘Hoss’ shades. Both are a chunky retro-looking aviator style of glasses, that ooze savvy.
For some, a laid back vibe and world music is the order of the day – if this sounds like you, team your high-waisted jeans and trilby with sunglasses that give you a slightly more grown up air or glamour. Ray Ban’s Clubmaster shades lend an ultra cool nerdy chic or if you prefer a 70s look, opt for oversized swirling Pucci sunnies for ultimate glamorous revelry. Marc Jacobs does a sexy line in oversized shades perfect for lazy afternoon dancing or you may like an injection of vintage, with a pair of classic Christian Dior sunglasses from Shade Station’s brilliant ‘Vintage’ section.
There’s the perfect pair of sunnies for you at Shade Station and with our summer sale now on, festival style can be achieved on a shoestring!
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
Versace Sunglasses – Sexy and Bold
Versace is arguably the best known luxury designer brand. The label is widely known to be glamorous, beautiful, sophisticated and luxe. Headed up by Creative Director Donatella Versace, who took over the family business following the death of her brother Gianni in 1997, Versace has gone from strength to strength under her guidance.
Perhaps best known for their daring, plunging eveningwear, Versace is comfortable in the limelight and the headlines, as movie stars and musicians clamor to wear the latest designs from the Versace collection. Elizabeth Hurley is a fantastic example of a Versace Woman. Elevated to fame on the arm of Hugh Grant whilst wearing THAT infamous safety pin dress, she has since gone on to star in numerous Versace campaigns and has been a great supporter of the label and a good friend to Donatella. Similarly Jennifer Lopez is a big fan of Versace. If you had to think of one image of J-Lo, I’m guessing it would be of her wearing the green tropical, slashed to the navel, attention grabbing dress at the 2000 Grammys, early in her career. That dress was the topic of conversation for many months after and as such Versace enjoyed another red carpet smash.
Current fashion favourite, singer, Lady GaGa is renowned for her very bold choice of eyewear. The sunglasses that she is seen in, in every promotional shot, video and out on the town are widely acknowledged to be vintage Versace.
A bit like their uber sexy dresses, Versace sunglasses have an unmistakable injection of sexual prowess. Curvy and often over sized, with gold detailing largely on the arms and the instantly recognisable Versace logo, Versace shades are the accessory of choice for many a stylish woman. Although bling, Versace sunglasses never overstep the vulgar mark. Normally in black or tortoiseshell and available in many differing styles (wrap around, fly, square), Versace eyewear is definitely a stylish choice for fashion-forward confident women.
Click here to visit our Versace Sunglasses section