Shady Business

This has been a 'Sunglasses and Advil' kind of a weekend, and hence the context for this post.

I'm sure just like me, a lot of us would not look presentable on Sunday brunches if not for our shades hiding away the debauched stories of Saturday nights. Sunglasses = instant swagger. They beat both high heels and red lips when it comes to making an instant statement or projecting a certain personality or mood. We remember Audrey Hepburn less for her Givenchy LBDs in Breakfast at Tiffany's but more for her signature Oliver Goldsmith sunglasses, just as trendy almost a century over and available here. Patrick Bateman's penchant for Oliver People's eyewear in the movie American Psycho or Maverick's classic gold rim aviators in Top Gun, there are sunglasses that have created iconic movie characters. Esquire mag does a cool round-up of cool movie eyewear and thank god you can still get your hands on all of them.

Audrey Hepburn in Olivier Goldsmith two-tone wayfarers in Breakfast at Tiffany's

So let's break down the psychology of why sunglasses are so popular and make for a post on little luxuries. Sunglasses rule out the need for eye contact and that is singularly how they can heighten any human interaction. At a subconscious level they give us an easy edge over the person we are talking to, signalling a cool confidence and some sort of human elevation, as if we were seeing the world with the casual disregard of an outlander. This then translates into a hint of brashness in personality and we tend to rattle the bars of our social cages a lot more while we are conversing with our sunglasses on making our conversations more exhilarant. They ofcourse make most people look better if not great and some people I know should definitely wear them all the time. They signal trendiness, a passion for glamour and the good life and just how much we love our eyes. Sunglasses make people more interesting and RayBan summed up this prophecy damn well with its long-running and iconic Never Hide campaign.

Some people cannot be imagined without their sunglasses. Karl Lagerfeld.

No discussion on eyewear can be complete without mentioning Luxottica, the world's largest 50 year old eyewear company controlling 80% of world's major eyewear brands. This Italian behemoth manufactures its own brands, your household names in the eyewear game like RayBan, Persol, Oakley, Vogue as well as licenses the eyewear category for the world's top luxury brands - from Armani to Chanel (yes I'm sorry to break it to you, Chanel does not make its own sunglasses). Luxottica also owns all major eyewear retail brands like Sunglasses Hut and Sears and thus is perhaps the foremost example of great vertical integration in the luxury space. Wherever and whenever you are buying a pair of shades, Luxottica is basically adding more euros to its 5.6 bn euros in annual sales.Well if not Luxottica then either of the 2 other Italian behemoths, Safilo (licenses Dior and Marc Jacobs) or Marcolin (Tom Ford and Zegna). Eyewear as you may notice, is an italian job.

However if you are the indie type and prefer cool niche brands and not be a part of this corporate trio poly here are a few brands you could consider :

1. Illesteva - Launched in 2009, this NY based custom eyewear brand produces its frames in Italy. Using offbeat materials like titanium and bamboo Illesteva takes classic shapes like the wayfarer and rejigs them in unusual colors and exaggerations. The Leonard is a popular version and you can lay your hands on some cool fashion forward but vintage designs for less than $200.

The Leonard -Illesteva

2. Cutler and Gross - These guys are from London but their frames are manually cut and hand polished at their family factory in Italy. Cutler and Gross does limited production and became popular almost entirely by word of mouth and designer collaborations. The brand comes with a quintessential British style and is known for some cool vintage frames.

Cutler and Gross - vintage eyewear from London

3. Selima Optique - A fusion of French sensibility and NY style, this brand was started by designed Selima Salaun who is a trained optician focused on creating eye-protecting eyewear that would flatter a wide variety if face types. Her iconic designs include 'Onassis' and 'Chad' and reflect the vibrant personalities of its core customer base, design editors and fashion bloggers.

Ryan Gosling wearing 'Chad' sunglasses in Crazy Stupid Love

So now a little cheat sheet on how we can exercise a little more discretion in buying our next pair of sunglasses rather than getting coaxed by a pushy dealer making margins at Sunglasses Hut.

1. The brand : You can easily translate your overall luxury brand preference to your eyewear, being assured that it will be ultimately be of an Italian-make. Brand-led decisions rely on what your favourite logo is or whether you prefer a double G, double C or capital D on the temples besides what shape looks good on your face.

Gucci's SS 2015 eyewear campaign

2. Face shape : Most of us do not pay enough attention to whether a frame suits our overall face type and there are some easy ways to do this. Face shapes can broadly be divided into round, oval, heart or square and depending on that you can choose a style that either accentuates or sets off your face type to create a seamless look. Below is a cool infographic on how to shortlist styles based on face shapes.

3. Frames: When deciding the eyewear frames, you can go for signature or trendy materials depending on whether you are more classic or fashion forward. Acetate in colors or textures work great for a more en-vogue vibe while metal certainly brings more chic. Another good point to consider is your skin tone and hair color to select a complementary frame color. One of the most iconic frames you can get your hands on is the Persol 714 worn by the patron of cool, saint Steve Mcqueen in The Thomas Crown Affair.

PO 714 SM from Persol

I'm personally going through this major love thing for sunglasses with sweat bars and hoping to get my hands on these Raybans Outdoorsman aviators in green with a cute pink brow bar. Hello August, come soon! :)

4. One or many? : Interesting point to consider when it comes to sunglasses. Must we opt for a signature look or should we add more variety for seasons, utilities and moods? I used to be a patron of the former and considered myself to be a 'Wayfarer' person till some Portuguese stole my beloved pair enroute Bordeaux a few summers back. I hurryingly picked up a pair of oversized Alain Afflelous in the city next morning to realise that I was totally loving my change of look and falling in love with the new ones all over again. So I conclude in favour of building a sunglasses collection, just like fragrances. Once you have determined your face type, go wild in choosing shapes, colors and materials that augment your personal sense of style and mood, and try to evolve both with time. I now own 3 Aviators, a Wayfarer, a Clubmaster, an oversized and a cat eye and love picking, pairing and playing with them when going out. There is no such thing as too many pairs of sunglasses. But remember, a strong pair of sunglasses can define your look so make sure you keep other frills like jewelry, accessories and makeup tempered down.

It's always fun and uplifting to wear sunglasses, no matter what we might be upto and how we might be feeling. So go ahead entertain yourself and exude your celebrity swag in your favourite pairs of shades whenever you want as long as...you are not wearing them at night. That just seems kind of douchebaggish unless you are Anna Wintour or Jay Z.

Expert tip 1 : Get yourself a pair of Dior So Reals in bicolor - easily the most futuristic looking pairs designed by Raf Simons last spring summer and perched on all celebrity eyes these days.

Olivia Palermo in Dior So Reals

Expert tip 2 : For more insights on whether you are an Aviator or a WayFarer person, check out this awesomely witty GQ survey!

And now what a great time to create a pic collage of my photos wearing different sunglasses. Weehoo!!

Many moods, many shades and a lot more to come! ;)