Monday, November 15, 2010

I Can Has Ray-Ban Wayfarers?

Ray-Ban Wayfarers are the trench coat of sunglasses -- they're timeless, they look good on everyone, and everyone should own at least one. Or several pairs, if you're me.

The nice folks at ShadesDaddy asked if I'd like to review a pair of sunglasses, and since I'm becoming somewhat of a Wayfarer hoarder, they kindly sent me a pair of Ray-Ban's Button Pins - Summer Special Series #4 Wayfarers, which have fun, hazy badges and little peace signs printed all over them.



($125, Ray-Ban, Shadesdaddy.com)






It's like someone took Kevin Arnold's big sister Karen's political ethic and printed them on a pair of sunglasses.

What I love about Wayfarers is that the style is instantly identifiable, but Ray-Ban keeps renewing a tried-and-true product with unexpected new prints, patterns and colorways (impossible to resist for a collector like myself) without altering the signature Wayfarer shape.

I'm especially into the whimsical pink-striped take on these tortoiseshell Wayfarers:

($125, Ray-Ban, Shadesdaddy.com)

And as a New Yorker of 10 years, I have to endorse the Rare Print Subway Series. (I own them in orange with the Subway print on the inside).
($120, Ray-Ban, Shadesdaddy.com)


Oh, and sidenote: these aren't Ray-Bans, but it's worth mentioning that these plastic black sunglasses, hand-beaded with seed beads by jewelry designer Jenny Dayco, just moved to the top of my very very long covet list. Available at Oliver Peoples.