Recently in Sunglasses Category

If it weren't for my $500 limit on sunglasses, these would be mine. Angelina Jolie was seen recently in a pair of Bottega Veneta plastic frame, boring ole sunglasses and everyone went ga-ga and those sold out everywhere. But you can easily get a pair similar to that for $20. These, however, are unique and cannot be copied with enough proficiency to make them acceptable. They look a bit strange and maybe cartoon-y but when they are on, they are not only perfectly normal but uber stylish and totally to-die-for. But not to-die-for at $650. See, my limit is high, and with sunglasses, they ALWAYS get lost or broken. These are one of the few frames that fit my face and sit on my nose instead of on my cheeks. And they are super lightweight and comfortable. You can't see through the cutout parts so it won't strain your eye in any way, in case you were worried about that. At Bottege Veneta online or at their boutiques for $650.

I am a Tom Ford sunglasses girl; they are flattering on almost everyone and are incredibly lightweight. I own a dozen other pairs from Oliver Peoples, Prada, Chanel, etc but always go back to my Tom Ford "Whitney" glasses. At the Jimmy Choo/Vogue party last week, however, I fell in love with "Charley" from JC. Aviators are one of my favorite styles but the metal can be heavy and the nose pads uncomfortable. The Charley is made of ruthenium frame which is feather light! I put them on for fun because I loved the metal stud detail on the sides and fell in love immediately. Graduated gray shades offer 100% UVA/UVB production to boot. Sold. $295 at Jimmy Choo.com

What about you? What are your favorite sunglasses?

OK, I am totally behind on my movie watching but on my flight back from NY I finally saw Quantum of Solace. I didn't even care that the movie made no sense because I was sucked in by the clothes worn by Olga Kurylenko. In the opening scene, she has on the perfect bubble skirt with a tank top and I knew I had to track it down. I found 2 options, one by Opening Ceremony which is actually a skort, at Saks Fifth Avenue for $290 but the one I actually bought was the Pretty Party Skirt from Twelfth St. by Cinthia Vincent, on sale on Shopbop for only $64.80. T-shirt, tank, flouncy top, whatever you got this summer, just throw it over this skirt for the perfect easy and chic summer outfit.

Another lust must from the movie is the Tom Ford aviator sunglasses worn by Daniel Craig. He outfitted him for the entire movie but of course the sunglasses are the only things that I lust for. Silver James Bond Quantum Of Solace Sunglasses are $313.50. These unfortunately are not so frugal!

Haute Thoughts by Heidi Dillon

Ask any fashionista girl how many pairs of shoes shoe owns while she is in the presence of her husband or boy friend and she will probably take you discretely aside and whisper a triple digit into your ear. Ask her to divulge the number of sunglasses she has tucked away in her drawers, and you will get the same response. Sunglasses are a fashion accessory that we simply cannot get enough of and, like fashion, one must keep up with trends from season to season.

During a recent trip to Paris, I was invited to a luncheon at the Roger Vivier store to view Bruno Frisoni's Haute Couture shoe collection. The shoes were divine, but the best part of the affair was receiving a pair of chic black over-sized Vivier sunglasses as a gift which immediately supplanted my barely worn Chanel's. While the Vivier's are great - they make me feel like a movie star, even in my exercise clothes, and work well with many things in my wardrobe - they certainly are not sufficient. A true fashionista requires a variety of different styles to compliment her sartorial variations. During the summer months, for example, I prefer to sport light colored or even white frames (if you can work a fabulous pair of white shades, you will turn heads).  

(Photo: Dallas Dillon)

I have a hard time spending a lot of money on sunglasses only because I lose them or my butt ends up on top of them in the car.  This one I seriously mulled over more than any other purchase in recent history because $400 is my breaking point when it comes to glasses and this one is $455.  My guy David at Fred Segal would see come by to look at it yet again and would smile, knowing it was only a matter of time (this was over the course of months, by the way).   But I love them so much, these are the only frames that fit my face!  I got this style but with white frame, making it super uber cool and retro.  Doesn't this remind you of those 70's wide frame Diors?  But totally updated and not so square.  These are big, I can handle this bigness because fortunately (in this case, but normally it is unfortunate) that I have a wide face, yet it is not overwhelming because of the tapered sides.  You really want to avoid looking like your sunglasses just swallowed your face.  Call David at Fred Segal, 310-394-1875, he will hook you up because these are sold out everywhere and very hard to come by.  Barton Perreira is the most coveted in eyewear these days (the designers came from Oliver Peoples).