…Which is why Oakley has teamed up with Ducati motorcycles to release a signature line of sunglasses. The Ducati edition features traditional Oakley models, such as the Fuel Cell, Scalpel, and Juliet, all with custom Ducati features. Each model has Ducati in front of the model name, and every pair comes only in black and red. Each model frame has also been slightly modified from the original.
Though the Ducati series has been out for a while, they introduced a new signature model called the Nicky Hayden Juliet. Ducati racer Casey Stoner has his own personal signature model as well.
You can read more about the series from Oakley’s website right here. Below is a video of some Nicky Hayden Highlights.
Have you visited Prada’s Website recently? Their new homepage features a music video of the classic jazz song “Fever” as reinterpreted by Katey Judd to promote their new sunglass model called FW10. The film is a slow, smooth shot of supermodel Angela Lindvall singing the tune around a group of retrosexual guys. The shades are a classic cat eye shape, and they fit Lindvall’s facial frame like a glove.
It’s probably the only sunglasses commercial that features sunglasses for a mere few seconds throughout the entire video. In fact, if it didn’t say PRADA across the screen, you’d never know it was a sunglasses commercial. Now that’s strategic marketing!
What? A music diva designing her own sunglasses? When has that ever happened before? Following the likes of Madonna, the Olsen twins, Celine Dion, and… every other female pop star on this band wagon, R&B diva Mary J. Blige is in the process of launching her own line of shades called “Melodies”.
Co-partnering with marketing agency Orange 21, the signature line is scheduled to be in stores as of October 2010. Rumor has it that the first run of MJB’s shades will be an aviator-like design, classic giant frames and others. Pricing is from $165 to $225.
So who’s next to release their own line of sunglasses? Lindsay Lohan? Joan Rivers? Betty White? Justin Bieber? Patience, my fellow sunglass fanatics, only time will tell. Here’s a vid of Blige’s We Got Hood, and it looks like she’s wearing Baby Phat BP 2038 sunglasses right around the three minute mark.
Lady Gaga’s oversized irises have been all the rage since the debut of her “Bad Romance” video in 2009. The large, plush, and deep anime look virtually became an overnight sensation after the vid hit the TV and Internet stations. All the Gaga fans wanted that doe-eyed look, and they wanted to know how to get it fast. Most people assumed that Gaga’s eyes were just digitally enhanced for the video, but after a little research it was discovered that contact lenses are available that give the bug-eye effect. So contact lens companies that make these specialty contacts soon made themselves open to the public to catch on to this Gaga phenomena. Sounds like everyone is satisfied right? Consumers and businesses pleasantly scratching each others’ backs? Not quite.
Word has it that these contacts are not physically healthy for the eyes. Though they are available for purchase from Japanese companies online, they have not been approved by the FDA and are therefore illegal in the U.S.
Problem #2: It’s also illegal to buy contact lenses in the U.S. without a doctor’s prescription. Long story short: if it goes in your eye, you need the Rx guy. There’s a lot of contact lenses out there that are poor quality and can cause all kinds if problems to your eyes (like bacterial infections and such), possibly even resulting in blindness. So if the doctors won’t sign for it and the government won’t approve it, that means there’s probably something wrong with it. I’m not saying that buying these anime contacts and shoving them in your eye is going to make you blind, but the risk is definitely apparent.
Yes, those bulging brown irises are very unique and Gaga-esque, but there’s plenty of other ways to go for the Gaga look that are much less hazardous to your health. Play it safe and go for the burning cigarettes or razor blade sunglasses instead. ; )
May God strike me down with a feverish bolt of lightning the day that I wear these sunglasses. As if social media, Internet, and digital technology haven’t invaded daily life enough already, a video that’s been floating around the Internet for the past few weeks proposes a pair of sunglasses like something you’d see from a wicked sci-fi film. The lenses to these fictional frames have a digital display and Web capabilities, so wearers can do anything that is possible on a computer or iPhone through these hands-free sunglasses. Imagine walking around town wearing shades that have digital menu bars and readouts, geo and iPhone apps, and fully functional social media tools. Now that’s frightening.
Here’s the catch, the product in the video isn’t real. Though you may find blog posts and whatnot that state otherwise, this video is really just a viral marketing campaign for Iron Man 2. And a clever one at that.
Here’s the second catch, in the near future these sunglasses might very well exist. The technology isn’t that far off, and as addicted to “augmented reality” as society is becoming, sunglasses like the Stark HUD 2020 will probably have a huge market and be in high demand. Personally, I prefer to keep those augmented life filters off my face. Give me my reality straight, no chaser.
Ever wonder why designer sunglasses cost more than the cheapie discount shades? Besides the obvious (better construction, polarized lenses, warranty) many high-end sunglass manufacturers have spent countless time, energy and money perfecting the science of the sunglass lens. Here’s a quick list of a few notable sunglass companies and what they’ve done in lens technology:
Oakley
Stronger Lens means a Safer Lens
Oakley Plutonite lenses offer a lens design that can handle flying debris of 102 mph. These shatter-proof shades are perfect for bike riders, motorcyclists, boaters, or any other profession that requires traveling at high speeds. Check out the video below for proof of concept on a manikin, but as the video states, definitely do not try this at home.
Anarchy
Rugged and Ready
Anarchy sunglasses don’t just have the rough and rugged look; they have the durability to match. According to Anarchy’s Web site, all of their models offer 100% polarization and scratch-resistant coating. This type of lens technology will surely encourage the lifespan of the sunglasses, because you can drop them over and over again and not ruin the lenses. Here’s a clip of Anarchy-sponsored surfer Danny Hart ripping some waves.
Costa Del Mar
X-ray Vision (at least through the water)
Specially designed for outdoors lifestyle, Costa Del Mar sunglass lenses feature 100% UV protection, polarization, and Wave 400 or 580 material. Wave 580 allows the wearer to see 4-5 feet deeper into the water when looking through the lens. The lenses are also water resistant, so when you’re riding on a boat and the waves are splashing in your face, the water just rolls right off. Here’s a video of FramesDirect’s Dr. Cooper talking about Costa Del in a bit more detail.
We all know that Wayfarers are one of the most popular sunglasses available, especially in Hollywood and rock and roll. Ever since music videos were first made, Ray Ban Wayfarers have been a mainstay in music fashion. Here’s a link to a playlist of Wayfarers music videos, which either feature them on a rock star’s face or mention them in the lyrics. I have about 13 so far, including Don Henley, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Madonna, ZZ Top, Adam Sandberg and Julian Casablanca, and a few others. If you can think of any others comment them and I’ll add them to the playlist. Thanks and enjoy rockin’ out to these rockin’ shades!
Happy Earth Day everyone! Considering the occasion, I’m going to re-visit an old post of mine about eco-eyewear. If you wear glasses and need something to give back on Earth Day, I have two options for you: throw away an old pair or buy a new one.
For option one, you can toss your old frames over to Goodwill, Lions Club International, or New Eyes for the Needy. These organizations will either send your glasses off for proper recycling, or donate them to an underprivileged individual. Either of these places are better than a landfill.
For option numero dos, buy a pair of earth-friendly frames like ICU Eyewear, or earth-friendly lenses like Teklite. Both of these products are a perfect fit for Earth Day, and are an easy fix for when someone asks you, “What did you do for Earth Day?”
How simple is that? Or you can celebrate Earth Day by wearing glasses the hard way, which is getting them tattooed on your face like this dude. At least his frames won’t end up in a landfill, right? Right?
How can you use sunglasses to break the law? Let me count the ways…
Here’s one: Place sunglasses on your dead husband and try to “smuggle” him onto an airplane. Sounds like another Weekend at Bernie’s movie right? Not to police officials in England last Saturday. They caught a woman and her daughter toting around the woman’s deceased husband in a wheelchair, trying to smuggle him onto a plane. Apparently the sunglasses on the corpse weren’t enough to hide the fact that he had been deceased for at least 24 hours. You can read the full story here.
In a semi-related story, South Carolina police stumbled upon $400 in counterfeit sunglasses in a Fort Mill store. The store, called Paris Fashions, was selling bogus Baby Phat and Coach Sunglasses.
That’s a lot of sunglasses crime in one day. For crimeless, authentic Baby Phat and Coach, you can always rely on FramesDirect.com.
Ever wonder about the technology behind Alice in Wonderland, Avatar and Clash of the Titans’ 3D effects? Did you notice that the 3D glasses in these films aren’t the paper-made, red and blue kind from the 1980s? What’s the difference you say? The difference is that it’s no longer 3D, it’s RealD.
RealD is the company behind today’s 3D films, and the sunglasses that go with them. Each of these films were shot with a special 3D camera that incorporates two separate lenses, emulating a pair of human eyes. Since the eyes see two different images and require the brain to put them together, the RealD camera with the glasses creates the same effect. The projector, screen, and glasses in these 3D films are all custom built by RealD, and all work together simultaneously to create the 3D eye candy. The glasses that RealD use are circular polarization, whereas former 3D companies used linear polarization. Circular polarization is more effective for many reasons, one being that you can move your head around while watching the 3D image, and it won’t change in appearance. Here’s a cool vid from Cinema Geek on the differences between old school and RealD 3D.
