I hate shopping for sunglasses. No really, I hate it. I put it on par with shopping for a new swimsuit. Which I really, really, hate. So plied by promises of wintry cocktails I check out Sunglass Hut’s new looks…
Sunglass Hut Summer 2010-2011
I hate shopping for sunglasses. No really, I hate it. I put it on par with shopping for a new swimsuit. Which I really, really, hate.
I hate that feeling when you walking into a sunglass shop, and you just feel totally overwhelmed and not sure where to start. It’s all very well there being a fashionable size, shape or colour – but what in the heck suits me? What is my face shape? Is anyone going to help me in this damned shop? And not say to every style/shape/size/colour I try on, “That looks great on you”?!
I have had one pair for 4 years, and every time I lose them, I just buy exactly the same pair (CoSTUME NATIONAL – now no longer available in NZ – EEK!) Factor in that it is the middle of winter, it is pouring with rain and I would rather be ANYWHERE other than looking at sunglasses for the upcoming season on a wet Wednesday afternoon in Ponsonby. Luckily I have some company, and we are headed for Rocco in Ponsonby. Always great service there, and I have been promised cocktails (even though it is cold and wet) – and this is probably the only reason I have decided to leave the confines of my warm, centrally heated home. It appears that I am rather shallow and can very easily be bought with promises of alcohol…
I am immediately put at ease by the fact that there are not 10,000 pairs to look at, and they are easily broken up into labels. I am at first a little stunned to see women tearing around trying on various pairs of glasses. At first glance this looks a little rude, but I decide that everyone else appears to be doing it, so it is probably what is expected. So I try several pairs on and try not to look totally lost. I then get chatting with Mark the National Sales Manager for NZ for Sunglass Hut.
I’m fairly stunned to find there are over 40 stores in NZ, with new ones popping up all the time. He is a very charming man, and obviously loves what he sells. He is also very knowledgeable. My girlfriend and I get told what our face shapes we have- oval and heart shaped respectively- and what sunglass shape would suit us; shield and large rounded respectively.
Below: Prada aviator $530 and round frames, $420.
Sunglasses, (we are told) fall into about four categories – shield, aviator, round/oval oversized and ‘wayfarer’. I am so old, that I remember Ray-Ban wayfarers the last time they came in. It was the eighties, and the lovely man who is now my husband had a pair. He then got aviators. Who knew he was so fashionable? He certainly didn’t…
Below: Rayban Road Spirit aviator ($279) and tortoiseshell Caribbean wayfarer ($299)
All the brands that we know and love are there for us to look at. Burberry with a unisex aviator, and the striking rectangular ‘shield’ style with Burberry on the side. D&G of course – still, as with Versace, all about sexy. The slightly more grown up ‘Dolce and Gabbana’ – glam and sexy! ‘Prada, of course – with aviators and oversized frames. There are many of us that still love (and suit) those more timeless, classic shapes. ‘Tiffany & Co’ were there with their slightly lower price point and simple classics. Ray-Ban of course – with both of the iconic classics – aviator and wayfarer.
Below: D&G men’s aviator $470
Below: Burberry unisex aviator ($420) and men’s rectangular frames ($400)
A personal favourite of mine, Persol, is also represented. I have always loved the classic silver design on the side, and the scratch-resistant glass lenses. These glasses are often seen in movies (if you know what you are looking for) and they have great unisex appeal. They are worth investing in, as they just don’t go out of style.
It is just at the point that we have finished looking at all the styles, and picked our favourites for the upcoming season, which are the classic Ray-Ban wayfarer with a map of the NY subway printed on a white background (they also come in blue with the map on the inside), the mutely coloured frames of the D&G, and the nice classic lines of the Ralph Lauren brand.
Below: tortoiseshell Ralph Lauren.
And we also discover why everyone was so keen to try on all the styles- we are allowed to take any pair we want! I am kind of glad that we realised this at the end, it stopped us having a bit of a manic edge as we tried on glasses, and chatted to the lovely staff. So, a very nice pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers, in the afore mentioned NY subway design (for my fashion forward 13 year old), and a classic pair of Ralph Lauren oversized rounds (for my very stylish friend Angela Geddes who has come with me) got to go home with us. Just a pity it was too dark and gloomy to wear them.
Roll on summer; I can now go sunglass shopping with great lashings of confidence!
By Anya Brighouse, 27 July 2010.
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