Shopper’s Guide: Sunglasses

Sunglasses make the man. You only have to look at the sunglasses toting rebels of the 20th century to know that image is everything.

Probably the best known name in History of sunglasses is Foster Grant. Sam Foster sold the first pair of sunglasses in 1929 on the board walk in Atlantic City (at a Woolworth’s) and the shades boom began. Who was behind those Foster Grants? We’ll never know, but if the lucky ducks family who purchased those sunglasses still had them around, they’d be worth a lot.

Television and commercials spawned the fashion craziness of men’s sunglasses. Whichever were the most popular men’s sunglasses which celebrities were wearing that year, so were we. When buying men’s sunglasses choose:

· A brand name that offers a quality guarantee. The styles of men’s sunglasses listed below are not only the most popular and well known; they have a good reputation for being a solid, stand up kind of companies who not only cater to style, but to a darn good product.
· Comfort and durability. The styles listed below are not only popular this year; they also reflect the conscientious buyer, who is smart enough to realize that a $200.00 pair of sunglasses should be able to survive a fall to the cement, if necessary.
· Protection against UV-A (wrinkles) and UV-B (harmful eye damage/cataracts). It’s true, none of us are getting any younger. You want a pair of men’s sunglasses which protect well enough that when you take them off inside the bar, you won’t have the girl you just picked up outside running off because the wrinkles around your eyes remind her of her old uncle Ernie.
· Brown sunglasses for driving provide better contrast. Blue blockers. We learned about ‘em in the ’70’s. Don’t you forget it.

With age thankfully comes wisdom, and image becomes secondary to good health. You wear sunscreen but did you know sunglasses are equally as important in protecting your eye health? According to the American Optometric Association research shows that years of exposure to the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays can increase the development of cataracts, cause retinal problems that can lead to macular degeneration, and promote development of cancer on the eyelid and around the eye.

Now that the lecture part of the show is over, let’s look at some of the most popular styles and brand names in men’s sunglasses this season:

· Michael Kors sunglasses: Any style of Michael Kors sunglasses is selling and selling out fast. While Kors styles meet all of the other criteria listed above, I would take special care not to drop these.

· Christian Dior sunglasses: The most popular style this year is a plastic aviator style with black, dark lens. This is a good style for adhering to those eye conscious guidelines while still managing to look sexy.

· Gucci sunglasses: At something around $160.00, style framed aviator was sold out on three research websites. Hot!

All styles can be seen for buying at online store EyeSave.com