One Hundred Sunglasses

Besides being a blogger, I am a sales consultant at Sunglass Hut in Times Square — the highest-grossing store out of 3,000 Luxottica-owned retailers! Helping people with their style, talking to tourists from all over the world (Mongolia? Check. Nepal? Check. Cayman Islands? Check.), and seeing all the new luxury sunglasses come in is very exciting. Upon greeting a customer, we always let them know that they can try on any of the sunglasses on display. I thought it would be cute to say “Feel free to try everything on!”, meaning that they can look and think as much as they need to before making a purchase, without feeling judged or pressured. When I shop, I make sure to look at every product that meets my needs. It’s simple if I need a belt and there is literally one belt in the store that fits me. What’s more challenging is scouring a store with a great many qualifying products…like, say, a store that has hundreds of different sunglasses when I need sunglasses for summer. And I wondered, could I do it? Could I honestly consider every pair I liked in the entire store?

Miu Miu

I can. I went in on June 27, National Sunglasses Day, and spent three hours inside Sunglass Hut trying on every pair I liked. Here are 100 of the pairs I tried on:

Bulgari 6083 $370; Bulgari Serpenteyes, $470; Bulgari 6088, $510

Bulgari 8189, $440; Bulgari 6093, $440; Bulgari Serpenti, $410

Bulgari 8188, $470; Burberry 4241, $215; Chanel Butterfly Summer, $350

Chanel Round Spring, $515; Chanel Pilot Fall, $610; Dior Homme Composit, $565

Dior So Real, $595; Dior So Real Stud, $670; Dior Sight, $380

Dior Chicago, $395; Dior Diorama, $500; Dior Liner, $375

Dolce & Gabbana 2172, $340; Dolce & Gabbana 2169, $340; Dolce & Gabbana 4288, $330

Dolce & Gabbana 6105, $270; Dolce & Gabbana 2173, $650; Dolce & Gabbana 2170, $650 

Fendi 0060, $455; Fendi Iridia, $520; Fendi 0133, $380

Fendi 0041, $470; Fendi Hypnoshine, $695; Fendi Rainbow, $545

Fendi 0025, $355; Gigi Hadid for Vogue 5211 in black/pink and white, $140

Gucci 0061, $400; Maui Jim Nalani, $280; Maui Jim Summer Time, $319

Maui Jim Manu 64, $270; Michael Kors Hvar, $139; Michael Kors Evy, $179

Michael Kors Lia, $159; Miu Miu 52RS, $410

Miu Miu 13NS, $380; Miu Miu 52QS, $320; Miu Miu 12RSA, $410

Miu Miu 52SS, $470; Miu Miu 11RS, $410; Miu Miu 05SS, $470

Oakley Tie Breaker, $200; Oakley Elmont, $210; Oakley Frogskins, $120

Oakley Crossrange, $210; Oakley Mainlink, $200; Oakley Catalyst, $160 

Oakley Holbrook Ink Fade Collection, $170; Persol 100th Anniversary Collection, $410; Prada 65TS, $420

Prada 16TS, $460; Prada 68TS, $410

Prada 27NS; Prada 51SS, $330; Prada Cinema, $430

Prada 54SS, $330; Prada 61TS, $370; Polo Ralph Lauren 4125, $169

Ralph 5203, $150; Ray-Ban Cats 5000, $165; Ray-Ban Hexagonal Flat Lens, $150

Ray-Ban Gatsby, $185; Ray-Ban Flat Lens, $185; Ray-Ban 4274, $165

Ray-Ban Clubmaster, $175; Ray-Ban New Wayfarer, $155; Sunglass Hut Collection 1003, $80

Sunglass Hut Collection 2001 in red, black, and clear, $80-$100

Sunglass Hut Collection 2005, $80; Tiffany & Co. 4136 in brown and black, $380

Tiffany & Co. 4121, $380; Tiffany & Co. 4134, $390; Tiffany & Co. 3058, $330

Tiffany & Co. 3051, $310; Tom Ford Kasia, $390; Tom Ford Savannah, $445

Tom Ford Arabella, $475; Tory Burch 9046, $195; Valentino 4002, $350

Valentino 4005, $390; Valentino 4013, $290; Valentino 4008, $410 

Valentino 2002, $350; Valentino 2004, $380; Versace #Frenergy, $315 

Versace 4338, $240; Versace 2160, $265; Versace 4294, $240

Versace Medusa, $280; Versace 2177, $375; Versace 2140, $215

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And the winner is…the Oakley Elmont!

Oakley Elmont 2

Me and my new shades in my favorite corner of the store. Bebe blouse. H&M skirt. Bandolino pumps. Claire’s earrings. Topshop headband. Handbag from my mother’s friend, with no tag inside. Photo by my coworker Baruch. 

Before I started working here, I thought Oakleys were for guys. There is a scene in the TV show Workaholics where the protagonists join a fraternity, and upon their initiation a frat member says “Here are your Oakleys,” as if every frat boy wears them. I know that show is basically one long joke, but the impression stayed with me. Until I found a pair of Oakleys that was polarized, had Prizm lens technology, and was feminine enough for even me.

Happy Summer!

Sun Shady

Tom Ford’s Decadent Fashion Week Show

tom-ford-ad

This Fashion Week, Tom Ford’s show was different. He is one of the first designers to take the plunge into the “See Now, Buy Now” movement; his Fall 2016 collection, shown yesterday, will be available online and in stores tomorrow. No, the samples are not going to be produced in two days — this is all a bit of marketing manipulation. While the other ready-to-wear brands showed their Fall collections — their leather, their feathers, their furs — last February, Tom Ford quietly sat that week out and hid his collection from the public eye. Now that it’s September, consumers can pick and choose from the fall offerings of every brand. The difference is that, while we have been seeing the other looks for the past six months in magazines and on blogs and Instagram, the Tom Ford collection is a burst of newness designed to jolt impulsive buying. Now the other brands are showing spring-appropriate attire that consumers will have to wait until next February to purchase. Waiting to show a collection until it it is ready for the market might seem like a logical, even obvious, thing to do. But as with any other rules, laws, and traditions, the logistics of a mass change are difficult to orchestrate.

The collection is dark, heavy, and warm, but it is also glitzy, colorful, and downright wild. Here are the five most striking themes:

STATEMENT CHOKERS

 

 

MULTI-BUCKLE BELTS

COLORFUL FURS

ALL-OUT SEQUINS

BLACK VELVET

 

The Tom Ford show also stood out for its soiree atmosphere. Guests sat at candlelit round tables on either side of the runway, sipping champagne. This reduced seating arrangement made the show even more exclusive than in seasons past. Here are some of the few who made the cut:

Tom Ford cocktail party, Spring Summer 2017, New York Fashion Week, USA - 07 Sep 2016
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Nina Westervelt/WWD/REX/Shutterstock (5893825l) 

Tom Ford, Julianne Moore, and Bart Freundlich

Karlie Kloss with two friends; Jessica Hart

Tom Ford presentation, Autumn Winter 2016, New York Fashion Week, USA - 07 Sep 2016
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Lexie Moreland/WWD/REX/Shutterstock (5893850d) 

Naomi Campbell

Cindy Crawford and Iman; Alicia Keys

Tom Ford cocktail party, Spring Summer 2017, New York Fashion Week, USA - 07 Sep 2016
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Nina Westervelt/WWD/REX/Shutterstock (5893825r) 

Lauren Hutton

Tom Ford presentation, Autumn Winter 2016, New York Fashion Week, USA - 07 Sep 2016
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Lexie Moreland/WWD/REX/Shutterstock (5893850g)

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld

Photo credits: wwd.com unless otherwise stated

 

 

Flats to Heels

It is common knowledge that walking long distances in heels is bad for your feet…but, perhaps even more unfortunately, it is bad for your shoes. Though they may very well catch the eye of passersby on the city streets, beautiful stilettos were not designed to take as many steps as their heelless counterparts. I learned this the hard way, and have spent a lot of money getting heel nails replaced over the years. The best solution, in my opinion, is to carry a large handbag, walk the long distance in chic flats (no need for sneakers!), and change into your more delicate shoes at a discreet location nearby.

Here are some pairings of flats and heels that would work well together to compliment the same outfit…

Bloch   Dolce & Gabbana (2)

Bloch, $183 + Dolce & Gabbana, $695

Charlotte Russe (2)   Kate Spade 5 (2)

Charlotte Russe, $20 + Kate Spade, $328

DVF   Kurt Geiger

DVF, $169 + Kurt Geiger, $300

Francesco Milano   L.K. Bennett

Francesco Milano, $120 + L.K. Bennett, $375

Kate Spade 6 (2)   Christian Louboutin (2)

Kate Spade, $45 + Christian Louboutin, $325

Charlotte Olympia 6   Kate Spade 7 (2)

Charlotte Olympia, $303 + Kate Spade, $350

Franco Sarto   Kate Spade 8 (2)

Franco Sarto, $38 + Kate Spade, $199

SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker 

SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker, $285 + Manolo Blahnik, $725

8 Ballet  Casadei

8, $131 + Casadei, $695

French Sole   Dune

French Sole, $104 + Dune, $135

Jimmy Choo  Jimmy Choo 2

Jimmy Choo, $675 + Jimmy Choo, $900

Tom Ford Yes   Tom Ford 2

Tom Ford, $716 + Tom Ford, $900