Eye Candy

Preity Zinta has been loyal to her all-black Chanel pair while Shilpa Shetty has had her Marc Jacobs on each time her team has played for IPL. “It seems like big and bold sunglasses have been around for ages,but this season tints are in big time,” says model Amanpreet Wahi,whose collection includes an-all white oval pair. “It just reflects the summer heat away,” she quips.

While the ladies seem to be following the Jackie O style with big,black shades,the men are sticking to their aviators. On a recent visit to the city,actor Sonu Sood looked particularly dishy in a pair of brown tinted aviators. “Yes,these are my favourites,” Sood admitted.

Also sporting black aviators was actor Vivek Oberoi when he came to town to promote his latest film Prince. “Aviators are evergreen but they do keep changing styles every season. Interestingly,aviator is very unisex now,” says Gurpreet Singh of Weldon Opticians in Sector 17. Rayban continue to be aviator specialists with prices starting at Rs 6,000.

If you are trying to notch up your style quotient,there is nothing better than investing in a pair of big (must have UV protection) shades. “While the shapes are big,there’s a subtle bling effect on the temples,” points out the manager at Big Ben Opticals in Sector 17. The bling effect is hard to miss,especially the bejewelled ones with Swarovski diamente.

Going by the summer collections rolled out by Gucci,Armani,United Colors of Benetton and Tom Ford,big frames that go from dark,smoky hues to the almost-rimless rectangle and the uber-hot aviator style rule the roost. “Colours are another big change —1 from hot pinks to rusty browns,it’s all on offer,” adds Singh. At the Montblanc boutique at Taj Chandigarh,the new summer lineup comes in mostly oversized frames in black,bronze and copper with the trademark logo on the temples. “The women’s range is strongly aligned to the Montblanc jewellery collections. It is distinctive for its sophisticated details that enhance the wide and curving frames,with rounded,square and mask-style forms,” explains boutique manager Anaheeta Mehra.

The sunglasses from the various luxury brands are priced upwards of Rs 12,000. However,if you are looking to sport style on a budget,brands like Fastrack,Lee Cooper and Vintage offer a slew of options with prices starting as low as Rs 1,200. Now,all you need to do is to face the sun.