If celebrities are the harbingers of upcoming trends for us average individuals, the recent shift toward classic sunglasses, especially for women, will be in full swing for summer. If you want to update your look for 2011, what does this mean for you? Instead of settling with those glittery rhinestone oversized sunglasses you’ve worn for the past two or three years, find a neutral pair of wayfarers, aviators, or cat eye sunglasses that can match with every outfit.

Much like we saw about a month ago, the bright and bold approach is out for eyewear. Although a slight hint of color – such as the red half-rims on Kristen Stewart’s Ray Ban Clubmaster shades – is acceptable, darker tones, such as black, gray, or brown gradient are bound to match more of your wardrobe. Unisex shades, such as wayfarer sunglasses or aviators, often stick with the black-on-black color combination, but if you want to add a more feminine touch to your look, think about the frame shape rather than its color.

In this case, cat eye sunglasses, which are similar to wayfarers in appearance but have an angled and sloped top half, and oversized shades in neutral colors are the best way to achieve this look. As oversized sunglasses, in particular, have turned into the staple style for women, being color-conscious can make or break your look. For this summer, stick with black or white and solid color or gradient lenses in brown or gray.

“Basic” more often applies to men’s eyewear than it does to women, but men’s sunglasses for 2011 are also classic. Rather than black frames and gradient lenses, however, the mirrored look – think Top Gun but less 1980s – is in. Mirrored aviators, in particular, will be the “it” pair for men, but many other styles have such lenses. Mirrored wayfarer and Clubmaster sunglasses can easily be found. If you go for this look in 2011, be careful handling the sunglasses; mirrored lenses scratch easily and, as the “mirror” effect is painted on, make imperfections more noticeable.

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.

Remember the late 1990s, in which every ordinary item of clothing and accessory was emblazoned with a large logo? Some of those logo-centric brands have faded to the background (who wears Tommy Hilfiger and Nautica anymore?) but other brands, particularly for designer sunglasses and handbags, have changed with the trends. The security of the 1990s is gone, people don’t want to be branded simply by wearing plain jeans and a t-shirt, and the appearance of frugality is important. According to a Yahoo article, the shift in fashion is toward “quiet” goods, or products that are made well but are not defined by a logo.

This is particularly important for handbags, as, even after the brand name 1990s craze, handbag designers still went with monogram styles. Coach and Louis Vuitton are guilty of this, but their monogram bags are still top sellers. Gucci and Chanel, however, are toning down their logos. In the meantime, don’t expect any new monogram handbag designs to surface and, if you’re truly looking to go frugal but stay fashionable, designer inspired handbags are the way to go.

When it comes to designer sunglasses, the branding is somewhat more subtle, but certain brands have distinct styles. Ray Ban, for example, is practically defined by their wayfarer look, while brands like Juicy Couture are known for the feminine, oversized shades. Both brands, as well as many others, incorporate their logo or initials on the side of the frame, near the temple, but, as the Yahoo article explains, some of these designer brands are going to tone it down a bit. Sunglasses will be defined more by style – not so much the brand.

When it comes to picking designer duds, style is important and so is cost. Many go with designer fashion simply because of the label, but quality is also an issue. The current lack of logos is simply a trend, as, to paraphrase the stylist quoted, being superficial isn’t fashionable – but having good taste is always in style.

While actress Rachel Bilson doesn’t appear to be doing anything since The O.C. ended a few years ago, she recently became the ”eyewear ambassador” for Sunglass Hut, the chain store for designer sunglasses. Bilson admittedly has a strong attachment to sunglasses, particularly the wayfarer style in recent photos, and having her as a celebrity face for the brand seems inevitable. Given the title “style director,” Bilson will be doing public appearances, ad campaigns, blogging, and answering questions through the Sunglass Hut website. But, with so many celebrities deciding to get involved in fashion, does this actually seem like a good idea?

While Bilson just appears to be popping up on television and a few independent films since leaving The O.C., being the face of Sunglass Hut gives her something to do. And, unlike other celebrity fashion forays, she’s simply a face – no style input at this point. If there was anything to learn from the Lindsay Lohan-Ungaro debacle, it’s that celebrities, no matter how famous, aren’t fashion designers. In the case of Ungaro’s failure, they may make your clothing line into something resembling a club wear-stripper gear hybrid. But, as far as being a model for the brand is concerned, how difficult is posing for some ads and attending a few store openings?

Designer sunglasses, on the other hand, don’t need the same type of boost that the fragrance industry needs. With campaigns like One Mighty Drop, the industry is looking to build itself a bigger audience, although recently-publicized fragrance bans could be a blow to any efforts. But, with summer approaching, it’s time to purchase a new pair of sunglasses, and designer brands are always preferred. No matter if a celebrity like Rachel Bilson influences you into purchasing some Ray Ban wayfarer sunglasses or you decide for a different style, it’s the time of year in which eye protection is necessary.

This blog often talks about the certain handbag styles seen on celebrities out on the street but, often, handbags aren’t featured in films. A pair of sunglasses, on the other hand, often makes a movie character, and can turn a good guy into a badass. Sometimes, the style is even copied by film goers – or television watchers – such as the aviator sunglasses sported on Tom Cruise in Top Gun. But where do these styles come from? As with handbag blogs knowing or trying to guess the designer brand seen on celebrities, similar blogs are available for sunglasses.

The particular blog linked above identifies famous sunglasses worn in movies, as well as notable celebrities in sunglasses out on the street. For example, want to know the sunglasses worn in 1998 film Men in Black? The blog identifies them as a certain style of Ray Bans, which, by 1990s style standards, were all-black wraparound sunglasses. Other iconic shades are identified, such as the aviators worn in Top Gun, as well as the mirrored aviators worn in Sylvester Stallone in Cobra. Both of these, too, are Ray Bans, as well as the wayfarer sunglasses sported on Cruise in Risky Business. Is Ray Ban, perhaps, the brand behind all of these iconic ‘80s and ‘90s sunglasses? It certainly looks that way by scanning Sunglasses ID.

But sunglasses in films and on television aren’t the only ones identified, and celebrities known for their taste in shades, Bono being the prime example, also have their sunglasses identified. If you’ve been looking to copy Bono’s wraparound or shield look, his shades as of recent have been Armani sunglasses. The blog, as with most blogs, doesn’t sell the sunglasses directly, but they identify the models associated with the sunglasses. Sunglasses fans, then, can go to any sunglasses retailer and look for the respective pair, especially as many retailers continue to carry classic ‘80s and ‘90s styles as vintage sunglasses.

Designer brands are always going to be in demand. Whether you have the money to purchase designer products directly off the shelves, you wait until department stores like Nordstrom’s hold sales, you head straight for the outlet malls, or you look for a discounted designer retailer, finding a way to purchase designer products in your price range might be straight forward or take a bit of creativity. Designer products cover all aspects of fashion, as you can see on this blog, such as handbags, clothing, and fragrances, and sunglasses are included into that mix. Having a stylish pair of sunglasses always seems to make at outfit look better in summer, and whether you need an up-to-date, vintage, or classic pair of shades, often a designer brand is going to carry a pair of sunglasses to finish off that look.

Nearly all high-end designer brands have sunglasses to their name. Some, such as Juicy Couture, stick to modern styles for women. At the moment, with oversized sunglasses in for women, this means that most of Juicy Couture’s products are going to be geared toward the latest trends. But while a pink pair of Juicy sunglasses may be the “it” look for some, other brands take this trend and give it a vintage spin. After all, oversized sunglasses are nothing new, and vintage looks use the tortoise and dark shade trends of yore for a classic look. For men, aviator shades are what’s in right now, and various designers have their take. Some just use a simple metal frame and dark lenses, while others make this older trend more fun, with thicker, colored frames and gradient lenses.

Whether you’re looking for Ray Ban sunglasses or Dolce and Gabbana, various retailers like Vision in Style, seen in the link above, carry discounted designer styles. If a designer pair of shades isn’t necessarily in your budget at the moment, searching for a designer pair of shades will give you a stylish and longer lasting pair of sunglasses that you can afford.