Your Summer's Gonna Be Bright, So Get These Sunglasses

Whether you want chic like Audrey or over-the-top like Kanye, our fashion observer Gazelle Paulo hand-selected this year's hottest sunglasses that are sure to suit your every style. Above, Gazelle rocks a pair of Tom Ford shades in Greece. (Photo by Rodrigo Rosas) — Whether you want chic like Audrey or over-the-top like Kanye, our fashion observer Gazelle Paulo hand-selected this year’s hottest sunglasses that’ll suit your every style. Above, Gazelle rocks a pair of Tom Ford shades in Greece. (Photo by Rodrigo Rosas)

Summer has not arrived in full force in New York. As a matter of fact, I am not completely sure if it will indeed, but that won’t stop the fashion trends and styles from circulating or recycling themselves in the fashionable circles. After all, day or night, we want to look our best.

Sunglasses are the perfect accessories, simply because in addition to them framing and complementing a face, they can distract the world from our tiredness and, of course, be used as protection from the light, wind and unwelcome people. If you absolutely must fall asleep in public, you better have those shades on.

In the movies, sunglasses have become part of images that will never leave our minds, such as Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly wearing a pair of Oliver Goldsmith shades in a “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” street scene, “Top Gun’s” Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise, who caused an increase of 40 percent in sales just by wearing Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses, and, of course, no one can forget Lolita’s heart-shaped glasses publicity image from Stanley Kubrick’s 1962 Lolita film adaption of Vladimir Nabokov’s novel of the same name. Indeed a pop visual moment.

Some pieces by street artist Mr. Brainwash that were part of Sunglass Hut’s Sunglass Artist Series in SoHo this week. (Photo by Gazelle Paulo)

This week in SoHo, I was invited to attend a Sunglass Hut event for the retailer’s Sunglass Artist Series, which featured 250 paint-splattered Ray-Ban Wayfarers and Aviators pieces by street artist Mr. Brainwash. So needless to say, art has taken to eyewear, but don’t be too quick to assume this trend is a new thing: Back in the ’50s, Pierre Marly broke all laws of design by bringing art to people’s faces, as did Oliver Goldsmith, who created great music-themed eyewear back then.

Jackie Onassis, John Lennon, Elton John and many other celebrities have made sunglasses an important tool when projecting their image. I actually really enjoy the visual look of Kanye West wearing his Alain Mikli shutter shades. But, in the celebrity style game, Jack Nicholson breaks it down like no one else: “With my sunglasses on, I’m Jack Nicholson. Without them, I’m fat and 60.”

I strongly suggest that, when it comes to sunglasses, what is really important is to find the model and shape that best suits your face — even if you decide to go completely overboard like Victor-John Villanueva, the creator of the brand 3PTPOP (Three Point Pop). White frames, aviators, cat-eyes, round, square, rectangular, retro, colorful, mirrored, hologram, flat-top, embellished, clean, futurist, head-gear glasses, vintage, sporty, flip-up, over-sized … just find a style that makes you feel good because ultimately it will make you look better.

So we here at TheBlot Magazine selected some pieces to inspire you: