50 Shades

If you thought I was going to do a post with 50 sunglasses in it, you're wrong – that'd take forever! Or if you thinking I'm in any way interested that book, you're mistaken.This is a book review, a short one, for 50 Shadesby Lauren Goldstein Crowe.

A super tome it is too; said number of sunglasses on the likes of (top-to-bottom) Jack Nicholson, Audrey Hepburn, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, Robert Redford, John Lennon and other massive stars. Each great photograph is accompanied by a quote, sometimes glasses related, from the shades-wearer. It's a book led by its amazing photography, capturing the stars perfectly, but the selection of sunglasses features prominently, even if the frames are mainly unidentified. Those that are attributed to their designers are Ray-Ban, Oliver Goldsmith and Persol. A few others I believe I know include Neostyle on Elvis Presley, Francois Pinton on Jackie Kennedy Onassis, but I can't be entirely sure.

My favourite sunglasses featured in the book are worn by Carole Lombard, not sure who they're by; and perhaps the best quote is, "With my sunglasses on I'm Jack Nicholson. Without them I'm fat and 60."

Hover over images for photo credits, or see below. 50 Shades is available direct from Reel Art Press. More good glasses books here.

Photo credits – Audrey Hepburn: Keystone/Getty Images / Bob Dylan: Jan Persson/Redferns / Diana Ross: Larry Ellis/Express/Getty Images / Jack Nicholson: Giribaldi/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images / John Lennon: Robert Whitaker/Getty Images.

London 2012 Olympics #2: fake Ray-Bans and tricolore fans

These top two chaps are looking dapper in their imitation wayfarers. And below them, the French...

London 2012 Olympics #1: smiles and shades

EWG was lucky enough to go to the penultimate night of the Olympics and got there early to take advantage of sunny skies and sunglasses. So here are couple of the lovely smiley London 2012 volunteers on the walk from West Ham into the Olympic Park. Top, some flowery Ray-Bans, then some strong mirrored aviators...

Chi-Young Bang in Ray-Ban aviators in Milan

Ray-Bans continue to be the sunglass of choice of many of the fashion industry's Trendycrew (thanks for pic), as demonstrated by Chi-Young Bang, editor of Glamour, in Germany

Gold Ray-Ban aviators - and another bow tie - in Milan

Think I may have to buy a bow tie! Great Ray-Ban aviators. Photo: trendycrew

Milan Fashion Week: Angelo in a great bow tie...

...and a great pair of Wayfarers. Photo: Trendycrew

More Ray-Ban opticals - Marta in Innsbruck

More Ray-Ban glasses on the street, this time in Innsbruck. This is Marta - thanks for the great photo by fra.cor.

I think these are RB5122...

Blue Ray-Ban Wayfarers with matching hood - sales shopping on Oxford Street

Six months on, my first streetstyle picture. This guy happily let me photo him in his blue Ray-Ban Wayfarer RB5121 glasses. It's great to see people colour co-ordinating their specs.

Ugly Betty's Becki Newton on Ray-Ban Wayfarers, aviators, Versace and Tiffany sunglasses

I'm saying nothing... Remember, they have to be functional AND fabulous

Cool Ray-Ban Wayfarer 5121 glasses

Ray-Ban Wayfarer 5121 glasses. Thanks to Paolo Màrgari for the photo - a terrific look!

(I think they're 5121)

The world's coolest sunglasses - well a few anyway

Ray-Ban Wayfarers, Birkenstocks - and bricks

Ray-Ban Wayfarer glasses, not sunglasses. An advertising image? No. It's by lanuiop. Superb.

"Nerdism" - One pair of glasses, six faces

Sergio Recabarren, a photographer in Santiago, Chile, takes some brilliant pictures, a fair few of which include some great stylish specs.

This set, "nerdism" features the same pair of glasses on the consistent pose of six people. These glasses look great on all of them.

And if you think this is good, check out the white Wayfarers in this pic - class.

Vintage Ray-Ban aviators by Bausch & Lomb

My friend James recently bought a decent pair of vintage Ray-Ban aviators.

The 1980s shades, then made by Bausch & Lomb (which would later concentrate on contact lenses (boo!)), have glass not plastic lenses, giving them a weighty quality.

I hadn't realised some of the detail B&L included in its frames, there's a "BL" on one of the lenses and a tiny "Bausch & Lomb" printed across the top of the bridge.

Good choice.

Ray-Ban Clubmasters - browline for the Fräulein?

Ray-Ban Clubmasters are likely the most famous glasses of the "browline" style.

This young lady is unlikely a Fraulein, however, as this picture was taken in Los Angeles, again by HiStyley.com

Model featured is Ray-Ban RB3016.

Ray-Ban Optical or Orgreen Optics - spot the difference

Now I'm a fan of Ray-Ban sunglasses as you can probably tell. It has a rich heritage which its owner Luxottica knows full well since it paid Bausch & Lomb US$1.2bn for the brand a decade ago.

After buying it, Luxottica decided to take the brand a little further and use it on to side of eyewear where the sun's rays are not banned. I've never been especially keen on Ray-Ban Opticals. Occasionally they borrow from the Wayfarer's or Clubmaster's styling and it works, but they don't do this enough.

Although... what do you think of these?



Not bad, eh? A little powder blue and a temple shape from a summer Wayfarer making its way into the optical collection, a little understated for specs... Good work Ray-Ban.

Oh, but what about these?



Spot the difference! The second one is from Orgreen Eyewear (remember my Molly Sims post?)or more accurately Ørgreen Optics, from its Intruder range in 2006.

“We're not offended, in fact we’re more honoured than anything, but why didn’t they just call on us for help?” Henrik Ørgreen asked after seeing the latest collection of glasses from Ray-Ban.

“Let’s just call it very strong inspiration”, he added. “And let’s congratulate Ray-Ban on their great taste.”

Can you catch your glasses on your face? Me neither.

I can throw a peanut into the air and catch it my mouth, but apparently that's no big deal...

Many of you will have seen this before. Not sure if NeverHideFilms are sponsored by Ray-Ban or if they just love Wayfarers. These are the same guys who did the colour-changing Chameleon film I blogged the other week.

Alex Petridis discovers a sunglass blog - not mine but nearly

There was me, lying on the grass in the Horniman Gardens, laughing uncontrollably at suggestions in the newspaper that Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire - the town where I went to school - should be renamed Royal Wootton Bassett! Parp! Ha!

It's always a bit special when you read about something you're familiar with.

I was then quite surprised and excited to see that the Guardian's Alex Petridis had written about a blog I follow in his column on men's fashion in Saturday's weekend magazine:

"This summer, we've had conflicting information about sunglasses. See-through Perspex frames are in. If you're not wearing Ray-Ban Clubmasters, you'll lead the life of a social pariah. You may not care, but I wouldn't mention it within earshot of the guy behind a supremely entertaining, insane blog, sunglassesonstage.com..."

Have to admit, I was even a little jealous. But then I checked Sunglasses Onstage and guess what, they'd written about my Emilio Pucci sunglasses post -Result!

And so now I think I know who helped me identify the Pucci glasses. Thanks Sunglasses Onstage! I love your blog too.

Clearly S.O. and I share, as Alex Petridis described it, a "monomaniacal" devotion to eyewear because they got equally excited by these shades.

Keep up the good work and congrats on being picked up by the Guardian!

As for reflections when taking photos of sunglasses, the topic of S.O.'s post, I've always quite liked it - it adds a certain authenticity.

Ray Ban Wayfarers show their true colours

I've been amazed this summer just how much Ray-Ban Wayfarers dominate London summer fashion. This video is by NeverHideFilms, fantastic film makers and Ray Ban appreciators...

Ray-Ban fish-eye sunglasses make their Mark

Mark shows that Ray-Ban's domination of the classic retro sunglasses - especially its Wayfarers - are not the only thing it can do.

I love these fish-eye shades, and big thanks to Sarah Scicluna for the terrific picture.