The John Galliano Range of Sunglasses.

Pics from the splendid John Galliano launch with Sonam Kapoor

Sonam Kapoor Launches John Galliano Sunglasses

Bollywood fashion icon launched the beuatiful John Galliano line of sunglasses in Delhi on the 17th of November. The launch was held at The Olive - Restaurant and Bar in New Delhi and was covered extensively by the media. Sonam Kapoors arrival caused the media to go in the shutter-happy frenzy. She looked absolutely stunning in a Cristian Dior ensemble which she picked herself for the event. The look could not have been complete without her favorite pair of John Galliano sunglasses.

John Galliano Sunglasses

Sunglasses are the ultimate accessory as well as the ultimate alibi. They are the status symbol that conceals the private gaze, and exposes only the glossy image you want to project. I wanted to create new glamour, and new shades, for my muses to play their part in. ’
John Galliano

As John Galliano launches his own range of sunglasses, produced by Marcollin, high fashion and function fuse. Always the storyteller inspiration is everywhere - from movie stars to make up, runway to the red carpet, eccentric heiresses to ethnic extremes – and now there is a new style to frame these unmistakable Galliano Icons. Shade and style mix with Galliano’s unique spirit of romance and innovation. Galliano girls go from backstage to centre stage, just as make-up transforms the models into creatures of his imagination, the shades can make this transformation in an instant as the painted face becomes a starting point to inspire a new Galliano face, and the spirit behind the shades.

‘We wanted to create shades that suited the Galliano Icon – whatever the occasion’.

For women Galliano goes back to his roots, his Spanish heritage, and the Flamenco to create ‘Les Biches’. Galliano dreamt of the doe-eyed girls that inspired this phrase, ‘oeil de biche’, and what glasses the beauty would wear. He created a sultry oversize dark wrap shade, inspired by the Spanish Peinetas, the intricate honeycomb fan that crowns the hair of the fiery flamenco dancers. As the dark lens veils the eye, the smoky arm fades from black through to a degradé of soft pink to create the illusion of a gentle rose blush, just like the Latin rouged cheek bone it covers.

‘I wanted every detail, every fitting to add the Galliano spirit to these frames’.

His romantic palate of smoky kohl to powdered violets and rose blush capture in every frame all the mystique and exotic elegance that hides within the vanity cases of Galliano’s catwalk heroines. Degradés of colour tint and shape the styles that, at last, frame all the elements of his imagination, and shade the face of his many muses.

‘I wanted to blend old school glamour with high-tech romance so we looked at innovations in plastics and pushed new lens techniques to tell our story. I wanted a Galliano decadence and depth of character in the personality of each of these glasses.’

For men the inspiration comes from Galliano’s favourite rebels and heroes. The ‘Beau Regard’ combines house motifs with cinematic style in a chunky plastic upper set against a fine metal lower frame, with contrast colour edging. Reminiscent of the 60s Hollywood rebels, and the infamous Rat Pack, the shades conceal the sparkle in these macho eyes, just as the tinted windows would roll up and shield the stars from their screaming fans. The design is finished with metal rivets similar to the stretch Cadillac they cruised in. The wrap pilot style gives a twist on another Galliano Guy, Steve McQueen, as he climbs onto his motorbike and speeds off into the sunset. Each design will be as modern and unexpected as the adventure you are seeking.

Male or female every shade leads to a different adventure, and a different icon. These are shades to turn heads as much as enhance the icon – overstated, upturned, or incognito. From rose tinted to black outs, Gazette print, chunky logos, or intricate filigree metal work the Galliano shades look set to become a style essential – on the runway, red carpet and in every eventuality.

‘Shades are not limited to summer and nor are the Galliano moments you can have in them’. John Galliano.

The Icon Collection will be available in India exclusively by Eternity Lifestyles.

Sunglasses Trivia

The most expensive pair of sunglasses online were:
ELVIS PRESLEY'S PERSONAL MADISON SQ. GARDEN SUNGLASSES at $250,000

Sunglasses Constitute a $34 billion annual market at retail. [Source: Cover magazine,Febuary,2005 vol.16, no.3]

In the United States every 14 minutes someone loses, breaks or sits on a pair of Sunglasses.

Sunglasses were first used in China in the 12th century or possibly earlier. The "lenses" of these glasses were flat panes of smoky quartz, which offered no corrective powers but did protect the eyes from glare, and, according to some sources, evil spirits. Contemporary documents describe the use of such glasses by judges in Chinese courts to conceal their facial expressions while questioning witnesses. Compare the representation of "blind Justice" in Western art.

It is said that the Roman emperor Nero liked to watch gladiator fights through polished gems to recreate with the color and image distortion.

James Ayscough began experimenting with tinted lenses in spectacles in the mid-18th century. These were not "sunglasses" as such; Ayscough believed blue- or green-tinted glass could correct for specific vision impairments. Protection from the sun's rays was not a concern of his.

In 1929, Sam Foster sold the first pair of sunglasses (Foster Grants) at the Woolworth on Atlantic City Boardwalk. He started the Foster Grant Company in 1919. Sunglasses became popular in the 1930's. [Source: inventors about]

Sunglasses would not become polarized, however, until 1936, when Edwin H. Land began experimenting with making lenses with his patented Polaroid filter.

In the 1930s, the Army Air Corps commissioned the optical firm of Bausch & Lomb to produce a highly effective spectacle that would protect pilots from the dangers of high-altitude glare. Company physicists and opticians perfected a special dark-green tint that absorbed light in the yellow band of the spectrum.

With World War II brewing in 1936, Ray Ban designed anti-glare aviator style sunglasses, using polarized lens technology newly created by Edwin H. Land, founder of the Polaroid Corporation. They also designed a slightly drooping frame perimeter to maximally shield an aviator’s eyes, which repeatedly glanced downward toward a plane's instrument panel. Fliers were issued the glasses at no charge, and the public in 1937 was able to purchase the model that banned the sun's rays as Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses.

Most Popular Shades: Ray-Ban sunglasses sold 10 million units worldwide in 1998. The best-known model, the Wayfarer, has been available since 1953 and is reported to be the best-selling style in history. It was made famous by many celebrities including the fictional Blues Brothers.

During the Blues Brothers Movie, Jake wore Ray-Ban 5022C15 Sunglasses (a.k.a. Wayfarer), with brown frames and black lenses. Genuine '5022' Ray-ban sunglasses have the '5022' written on the frames. Elwood wore Ray-Ban Wayfarer II Sunglasses, with black frames and black lenses.

Approximately 50% of Australians wear sunglasses, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Thanks to Drew for this one!

Trick: Are those polarized glasses really polarized? Take two pair of polarized glasses and look thru both, now rotate one glass 90 degrees. you should see an obvious blocking of light if the glasses are polarized.

Sunglass songs:
"Cheap Sunglasses", ZZ Top, Deguello, 1979, Billboard #89
"Sunglasses At Night", Corey Hart, First Offense, 1983, Billboard #7
"The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades", Greetings From Timbuk 3, 1986, Billboard #19

Largest personal collection:
Singer Elton John, is rumored to have a sunglass collection that is over 1,000 strong!

Most characters from movie The Matrix Wore sunglasses. Interestingly, all of the protagonists wear rounded lenses, while the antagonists wear rectangular lenses.

In 2004, Oakley developed Thump, sunglasses with built-in digital audio player.

In 2005, Oakley developed Razrwire, sunglasses with built-in wireless cellphone headset.

Facts about sunglasses

Sunglasses may seem to be simply made of two pieces of glass or plastic in some type of frame. How simple can something be? There are actually a multitude of uses for these lenses, and if they are used properly, you could see fantastic results. As you may already know, or you'll find out after reading this article, there's a dizzying array of sunglasses to be found in the marketplace or on the web.

When considering sunglasses, there are four features to be considered.

First, the sunglasses should provide protection from ultraviolet rays. Light from ultraviolet (UV) rays can damage both your cornea and your retina. A high quality pair of sunglasses might completely eliminate any UV rays.

Sunglasses can shield strong light. When additional light hits the eyes, the iris closes. After the iris has closed as much as possible then the next step is squinting. If there is still extra light, such as from the brightness of snow, then this will cause damage to the retina. Sunglasses should be well made to eliminate as much as 97 percent light to avoid damage to your eyes.

Sunglasses protect your eyes from the sun's harmful rays. Light reflection off surfaces such as water can cause bright spots. These spots can be distracting or prevent you from seeing an object. Great sunglasses can completely eliminate this kind of glare with polarization.

Sunglasses will block certain light frequencies. While contrast might be improved by some frequencies of light, certain others can blur vision. Finding the right color sunglasses has its benefits in certain situations.

Buying inexpensive sunglasses typically means that you lose all these benefits and possibly make the situation worse. For example, your exposure to UV rays increases if your sunglasses do not provide UV protection. Cheap sunglasses will stop some light and this will cause the iris to open even more and will let in more light. This will let in more UV light also and cause more retina damage.

Buying the appropriate kind of sunglasses you need for the situation gives you the most protection and performance out of a pair of sunglasses.

Cheers

Eternity Lifestyles Launches the Eternity Eyewear blog

Eternity Lifestyles, the leading distributor for fashion eyewear in India launches its own blog. Stay tuned to this place for the best updates in fashion eyewear. Launches, Stores, Styles, whats hot, whats not, who's wearing what. For great deals and great frames, this is the place to watch.