Archive for February, 2011


Celebrities Popularize Cat Eye Sunglasses

Celebrities cat eye sunglasses

Celebrities, clockwise, Dita Von Teese, Katy Perry, Nicole Richie, and Scarlett Johansson wear cat eye sunglasses. Photos from Just Jared, Celebrity Bag Styles, Celebrity Sunglasses Watcher, and People.com.

Cat eye sunglasses – not to be confused with wayfarers – have emerged as a popular eyewear style for women. Combining an angular and sloped top with a rounded bottom half, cat eye shades appear like wayfarers with a feminine touch. Somewhat of a vintage style, cat eye sunglasses are a fusion of ‘50s frames with ‘80s wayfarers and, much like the latter, are found in several colors and styles. Some designer sunglasses brands emphasize curves, and others go for a full-on angular look.

Celebrities can be seen wearing cat eye sunglasses, and because of the style’s quick rise, these shades will likely be an it-look for summer. Katy Perry sported a pair of bejeweled cat eye frames by A-morir before her wedding to Russell Brand, but here are some of the other stars wearing this look:

Dita Von Teese was seen wearing a pair of classic style cat eye frames recently. With a black frame and brown gradient lenses, such a style can go with any outfit, such as the fully black ensemble Von Teese is wearing or a more colorful look. Matching her vintage pinup look, these sunglasses emphasize curved lines, and even the top half has a softer touch.

Nicole Richie, who is now better known for fashion than her reality TV stint The Simple Life with Paris Hilton, was also seen recently in a similar look. While using the same black frame and brown gradient combination, these cat eye sunglasses are larger, thicker, and emphasize the top half of the frame.

The cat eye style sported by Scarlett Johansson favors an almond shape, which, unlike the style worn by Nicole Richie, does not cover half of her face. Johansson’s shades appear more ‘50s than ‘80s and, designed in a neutral style, can be paired with any modern or vintage look.

Lindsay Lohan Developing a Handbag Line

Lindsay Lohan 7286 handbag

Lindsay Lohan shows off one of her 7286 brand designs. Photo from Bag That Style.

Rarely is Lindsay Lohan in the news for something good: no notable movie releases (playing a character like yourself in Machete doesn’t count), no fashion line success, and now charges of grand theft for supposedly stealing a necklace valued at $2,500. Although Lohan’s recent court appearance in a white Kimberly Ovitz “Glavis” dress increased sales for the designer brand, Lohan’s leggings line 6126 has faded out of department stores and is now in the process of rebranding. But not all Lohan news is bad, and similar to a story from earlier this year, the Mean Girls star is designing a handbag line, only it’s her own brand, 7286, and not for Ed Hardy.

Lohan’s designs are already appearing in stores and are presently sold at DSW Shoe Warehouse for $80 to $170 dollars. A quick look at DSW’s online store, however, shows minimal offerings: a few animal print and solid color bags in shoulder, satchel, and tote styles. Although the line will likely expand from these basics, 7286 can be summed up in a few words: dull and unoriginal.

7286 could expand to more designs just like 6126 now includes clothing and accessories. Of course, this is assuming Lohan will have time to design and won’t end up in jail. At the moment, however, why go for a Lindsay Lohan-brand handbag when such styles can be found in nearly every low- and high-end designer collection?

Instead of forking over $100 for a Lohan-designed handbag, find a designer-inspired style with the same look at a more affordable price. If you are looking for a bag similar to Lohan’s in the picture above, consider this purple leopard print handbag from Handbag Distributor. Embellished with rhinestones for a western touch, this handbag uses the same formula as Lohan’s above – leopard print in a bolder color variation.

Animal prints are still popular, but color variations are not the only options. With patent leather still a material of choice, these glossy animal print bags still retain the original colors of spots of stripes but may alter them slightly, as this animal print handbag from Wholesale Handbags USA does. With leopard spots and tiger stripes added together, the design is a collage of two popular animal prints.

Celebrities Go For Classic Designer Sunglasses: Ray Ban, Persol, and Christian Dior

Celebrity sunglasses

(Clockwise)Miranda Cosgrove, Ali Larter, Blake Lively, and Kristen Stewart were spotted recently in classic sunglasses styles. Photos from CelebritySunglassesWatcher.com

Designers seem to get women’s fashion all wrong, and sunglasses are no exception. With tall and thin models displaying the latest fashions, most high-end designer attire is bound to look off and odd on the average woman (even a celebrity), and accessories for many of these lines have been colored pink or another bright hue and covered in rhinestones, studs, or other embellishments. While a few studs here or there are still trendy, not everyone wants to look like a Jersey Shore cast member, and if A-list celebrities are the barometer of trends, eyewear is taking a back-to-basic approach.

Blake Lively, a star on the girliest of girly shows Gossip Girl, was seen recently in Ray Ban wayfarer sunglasses. But instead of going for a feminine look, such as pink or red frames, the actress seen this year in The Town chose a classic look: a black frame with black lenses. In the case of Lively’s moderately androgynous look in the picture – a fedora and what appears to be a sheepskin coat – the neutral sunglasses fit right in.

Kristen Stewart, who was apparently the highest-paid actress in 2010, was also spotted recently wearing a classic pair of Ray Ban Clubmaster sunglasses. A look that debuted in 1980s, Clubmaster sunglasses have a design concept similar to wayfarers: angular lines juxtaposed with curves. Clubmaster sunglasses essentially have a half-rim look, which makes them seem automatically more masculine and look like something Chris Lowe, the soft-spoken keyboardist for the Pet Shop Boys, would have worn in a late-‘80s music video.

On the A-list for teens, Miranda Cosgrove, the star of iCarly, is seen in Christian Dior oversized sunglasses. Instead of succumbing to a more age-appropriate look, Cosgrove appears to forego the sparkles and bright colors and settles on a classic pair of shades: a black, rounded frame and dark gradient lenses.

Although slightly older and maybe now a B-list celebrity, Ali Larter, best known for television show Heros, was seen recently in Persol aviator sunglasses. Women’s aviator sunglasses, over the past few years, have become more feminine: a pink or red plastic frame with light-colored gradient lenses. Persol, much like Ray Ban, goes for unisex looks, and stars like Larter have added these neutral frames to balance out their overall feminine appearance.

Spring 2011 Handbag Trends: Satchels, Bolder Colors, Fewer Prints

Louis Vuitton spring 2011. Photo from Long Island Press

Louis Vuitton spring 2011 handbags

Bold and big best describe handbag trends from the last two years. Hobos were in, animal or snakeskin prints covered everything, and studs were the perfect rock star – or is that western? – embellishment. For the upcoming fashion season, some of these trends are still in, so don’t retire your current purse to the closet just yet. Brands Marc Jacobs, Nina Ricci, Louis Vuitton, and Valentino have all rolled out their spring 2011 lines. Based upon what they’ve added, here is what to expect for designer inspired handbags in a few months:
Bold but solid colors. As Marc Jacobs’ collection shows, you can be bold, but just choose one color. Louis Vuitton takes some liberties with two-tone, bold-colored handbags, but the looks aren’t much of a stretch.
Nina Ricci spring 2011 handbags

Nina Ricci spring 2011 handbags


More shape. As you can see by the Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton bags, no look is shapeless this year. Everything has angles or a slight curve.
Smaller purses or satchel styles. The latest Valentino handbags range from clutch sizes to medium-sized rectangular styles.
Texture. Solid colors aren’t always boring. As Nina Ricci’s collection shows, textured fabric makes an ordinary pink or black clutch distinct.
Marc Jacobs Spring 2011 Handbags. Photo from Stylelist

Marc Jacobs Spring 2011 Handbags


Quilted Leather. Even though Chanel has had this look for a few years, Marc Jacobs is adding the style – angular, solid-color purses with a quilted or bubble texture – to his line. Could Blake Lively, the Gossip Girl star and face of Chanel, begin to sport Jacobs’ bags instead?
Longer Straps. While not a trend on all bags, all of these spring lines have a few looks consisting of a thin metal or leather strap attached to a clutch or medium-sized purse.
Valentino spring 2011 handbags. Photo from BecomeGorgeous.com

Valentino Spring 2011 handbags

Studs, metallic shades, and animal prints. These have been in for the past few seasons. Although Valentino toned the stud embellishments down, don’t expect any of these to drop off the fashion radar just yet.