New 2011 Collection Of Funky Eyewear From Jeremy Scott For Linda Farrow.

When it comes to wacky eyewear, it's hard to top the combination of Jeremy Scott and Linda Farrow. The new collection for 2011 from the fashion designer and eyeglasses brand is bizarre, and admittedly, in some cases, just downright ugly.




















The above sunglasses are available for purchase from Colette or from the Linda Farrow online boutique where you can see more styles and color options by Jeremy Scott

Learn all about the Linda Farrow brand here

Madonna Designs Sunglasses for Dolce & Gabbana & A Clothing Line For Juniors

You may have heard the announcement yesterday, via WWD, that Madonna and Dolce & Gabbana, after a very successful pairing for their 2010 advertising campaign, have collaborated on a new line of eyewear called MDG, featuring six designs (shown above).

Three of the six styles are shown below (images courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana and Swide magazine)






The 6 pairs of glasses will be distributed by Luxottica and feature an MDG logo on the temple. The "M" of the MDG symbol is filled with little stars, very Madonna.



The chic shades will be in D&G stores in May. They will retail from 180 to 210 euros or around $250 to $290.

Floating around the net have been some screen stills (shown below) of the upcoming campaign for the new eyewear shot by Steven Klein, who has long worked with Madonna for D&G as well as other projects.



The advertising campaign is said to be breaking in May.

This is not the only fashion design venture Madonna has embarked upon. The Material girl and her daughter, Lourdes, have designed a line of clothes for juniors that will launch at Macy's this coming August.

press release:
"MATERIAL GIRL" JUNIOR COLLECTION TO DEBUT THIS FALL

NEW YORK, March 10, 2010 (PRNewswire via COMTEX) the newly formed joint venture between Madonna and Iconix Brand Group, Inc., (Nasdaq: ICON) announced its first direct-to-retail license agreement with Macy's, Inc. for the "Material Girl" collection. "Material Girl" is a newly created, fast-fashion junior collection that will launch exclusively in approximately 200 Macy's stores and online at www.macys.com in August 2010 for the back-to-school season. As part of the direct-to-retail agreement, Macy's will have the opportunity to launch additional brands with MG Icon in the future.

The "Material Girl" collection was inspired and designed in collaboration with Madonna and her daughter Lourdes, along with Iconix Brand Group's in-house fashion department.

>
above: Madonna with daughter Lourdes

In addition to the back-to-school apparel collection, "Material Girl" will also launch in multiple categories including footwear, handbags and jewelry. The collection will retail from $12.00 to $40.00, comparative with pricing strategies at junior specialty stores. The strategy for growth will include additional categories in the lifestyle and beauty sectors, including fragrance, beginning 2011 as well as a rollout into additional Macy's stores.

Neil Cole, CEO and Chairman, Iconix, stated, "We are excited to announce the first in a series of new brands that will be developed under our partnership with Madonna. 'Material Girl' has a powerful retail partner in Macy's and we look forward to working together to deliver an innovative launch for our consumers."

"We believe that 'Material Girl' will be a dynamic exclusive brand for Macy's, and we look forward to working with Madonna, Lourdes and the Iconix team. Madonna is a fashion icon who can bring a new dimension to our juniors customer," said Jeff Gennette, Macy's chief merchandising officer. "'Material Girl' will enhance the excitement of fast fashion at Macy's."



Be sure to see all the amazing images from Steven Klein's 2010 Dolce & Gabbana advertising campaign with Madonna here:

•Steven Klein Brings Out Madonna's Best For 2010 Dolce & Gabbana Ad Campaign

Funky Find Of The Week: YURI Sunglasses From Mykita X Romain Kremer

High-end German eyewear company Mykita teamed up once again with irreverent men's fashion designer Romain Kremer for a very unusual (one might even say 'ugly') pair of sunglasses named The YURI in their latest 2010-2011 collection.


above photo only, courtesy of highsnobiety

The helmet-like sunglasses' appearance makes sense when you realize they are named after Cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin, the first man in space. Designed to protect your eyes as well as your brain.





Close up photos by Sonny Vandevelde
Runway photos by Shoji Fujii for Romain Kremer

all info and images courtesy of the Mykita blog

Louis Vuitton & Andre Launch New Site For 2010 Spring Summer Sunglasses

A few months ago I wrote about Gucci's specifically designed micro site for a particular line of their sunglasses.

Well, seems that luxury brand Louis Vuitton has also decided to launch a micro site of their own for sunglasses. The site has been designed for their 2010 Spring Summer collection of sunglasses with music by Koka, photography by ©LV and ©Andre.



Graphic Studio Louis Vuitton enlisted artist/designer/photographer/entrepreneur Andre Saraiva (aka graffiti artist Mr. A) as the photographer for the 'party pics'; a collection of online photos of models/personalities (including one of himself) donning some of the Louis Vuitton sunglasses. To learn more about André, and his collaboration with Belvedere Vodka, go here.

Below are all the models of sunglasses from the collection proceeded by André's photos.


Z0052, Z0075, Z0282:


Z0105, Z0286:


Z2069, Z0255, Z2083:


Z0275, Z0276:


Z0280, Z0281:


Z0288:


Z0291,Z0287:


Z0292,Z0293:



Z0294,Z0295:


Z0296,Z0297:


Z0298,Z0312:


Z0264,Z0299,Z0300:


Z0301,Z0302:

Z0303,Z0304:


LV answers to questions you might have:

WHY DID LOUIS VUITTON CHOOSE TO DEVELOP A SUNGLASSES RANGE AND WHEN?
The sunglasses collection was launched in November 2005 with the opening of the Champs Elysées store after 2 years of design research to ensure both the highest levels of eye protection and the ultimate in design.

WHY ARE THE SUNGLASSES ONLY SOLD IN YOUR STORES?
From creation to distribution, Louis Vuitton supervises the project scrupulously, as with all its other activities, to guarantee the best product presentation and service.

WHAT MATERIALS DO YOU USE TO CREATE YOUR SUNGLASSES COLLECTIONS?
Our sunglasses are made with the best materials available on the market. The collection is mainly made of acetate and metal. Acetate is a luxury material, the only one to come from cotton rather than petroleum. It is silky, warm and unique. We have also introduced new technology involving laser-cut lens frames. The effect is very light sunglasses with a strong identity.

DO YOU HAVE AN IN-HOUSE DESIGN STUDIO AND IF SO, WHERE?
We have a design studio in Morez in the Jura where the team is able to create sunglasses in 3D and precision models.

WHAT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE LENSES USED?
We use the highest quality lenses available on the market. All our lenses offer 100% UV protection. We also have unique LV lenses: LV Landscape and LV RoadscapeTM.

LV Landscape: these exclusive lenses offer excellent eye protection and visual comfort with two special treatments: polarisation and colour enhancement.

LV Roadscape: the LV RoadscapeTM lenses take photochromic technology to a new level.
For maximum comfort, standard photochromic lenses change from light to dark when exposed to direct sunlight (UV rays). This new technology allows the lenses to darken in all types of light. Unlike standard photochromic lenses, they are activated even behind a window or windscreen, blocking out 91% of glare. This makes LV RoadscapeTM lenses particularly suited for driving.

WHO DESIGNS THE SUNGLASSES COLLECTIONS?
As all LV products, the sunglasses collections are designed by Marc Jacobs.

CAN YOU BUY LOUIS VUITTON FRAMES FOR CORRECTIVE LENSES ?
LV's collection is a sunglass collection but the lenses on almost our models can be substituted for corrective ones by an optician.

CAN YOU SPECIALLY ORDER DIFFERENT COLOUR LENSES?
For the moment, this is not possible. In any case, we have a very impressive collection that is sure to satisfy all our LV customers.

DO THE LENSES PROTECT EYES FROM THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF THE SUN?
Of course! All our sunglass lenses are designed to protect the eyes from UV rays and the harmful effects of the sun as much as possible. Our lenses also aim to improve vision through polarisation (LV Landscape and LV RoadscapeTM models) to ensure maximum comfort.

HOW MANY STORES ARE THE COLLECTIONS AVAILABLE IN?
In almost all LV stores (442 stores).

CAN THE WIDTH OF THE SUNGLASSES BE ADJUSTED IN LOUIS VUITTON STORES?
If it is an acetate model, yes. As acetate is a soft material, the sales assistant can adjust the frames to fit the customer’s face.

IS AFTER-SALES SERVICE ONLY AVAILABLE IN LOUIS VUITTON STORES?
Yes. As we only sell our products in store, we only provide after-sales service in our stores where we can be sure to offer our customers the best possible service.

WHAT ARE THE INSPIRATIONS FOR THE 2010 SUMMER COLLECTION?
The inspiration for the 2010 SS collection is a blend of the natural world with myriad amazing details contrasted with the technological world of experimentation and innovation.

The women’s collection develops the Floral monogram world, taking its inspiration from nature with a language of soft, sinuous lines and volumes, appealing to different types of women: from the elegant woman drawn by the sparkle of stones to the sophisticated seductive woman to the cool, trendy woman.

The men’s collection develops the Damier graphic world, taking its inspiration from avant-garde contemporary architecture and appealing to the classic man, the casual, avant-garde man and the extravagant, egocentric man. This collection is packed with technological content with 3D hinges, original arm end details and pure lines. Colours range from black to honey tortoiseshell to lilac to multicoloured, which is where the “Rainbow“ name for the collection came from.




To learn about the Gucci sunglasses site, go here.