What’s Hot? Detroit’s Truly Independent Trendsetters Dish On What’s “In Store” For Fall Style

Last month Candace Dickow at 944 Detroit approached us with a very cool opportunity: 944 was looking for 10 of Metro-Detroit’s leading Independent  Trendsetters to participate in a special two-page feature in 944’s September Fashion Issue on what we thought would be hot this season in terms of fashion, style and accessories.

What we especially loved about the concept was that unlike many of the other major local, upscale lifestyle magazines in Metro-Detroit, 944 chose to focus on smaller, independent businesses, versus simply falling back on the big, upscale department stores that seem to be featured over-and-over again in other local magazines’ fashion spreads and pictorials.

At Urban Optiques, we’ve always scratched our heads when we see the local glossies turn to the giant department stores for product and insight on style trends.

We have scores of fantastic, smaller, independent boutiques and retailers right here in Metro-Detroit that have deep expertise in their industries and are blazing fashion and style trails at a pace that the more conservative department store buyers simply aren’t willing to commit to.  And many of these featured businesses are offering deeper, more unique and exclusive collections than the corporate giants at Somerset Mall. In fact, in the case of Urban Optiques, most of our eyeglasses and sunglass brands simply can’t be purchased

Last month Urban Optiques sponsored the 2nd Annual “Buy Michigan First Festival” in Northville, and based on attendance and response, there is a tremendous amount of demand in Metro-Detroit for supporting the types of businesses featured in the “Independent Trendsetters” spread in 944.  These smaller businesses create jobs, keep a large portion of their profits in the local economy, tend to reinvest into the community and are quickly putting Detroit back on the map as as an up-and-coming center of creativity, entrepreneurship — and yes — style.

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Tags: 944 Detroit, 944 Magazine, Adam and Eve, Amanda Kalasho, Anita Sabri, Bethany Shorb, Chantall Bacall, Cyberoptix, Designer Eyewear Trends, Detroit Boutiques, Detroit Female Entrepreneurs, Detroit Independent Trendsetters, Detroit Trendsetters, Dr. Michelle Calder Cardwell, Eyewear Trends, Fall 2010 Fashion Trends, Fall 2010 Style Trends, Fall 2010 Trends, Fashion, Fashion Eyewear Trends, Fashion in Detroit, Fashion Trends, Jovan Jane, Jovan Kassab, Kiss and Tell, Leslie Binno, Metro Detroit Female Run Businesses, Natasha Robin, Nicole Nona, Nikalet, Pink Pump, Royal Dutchess, Rubys Balm, Sahrob Jabero, Sandi Dabish, Sheryl Freedland, Style, Sway, Tawny Theiu, Urban Optiques

Urban Optiques and Sama Eyewear Featured Together in Women’s Wear Daily Accessory Edition Discussing the Trend Toward 24-karat Gold Sunglasses

We were just perusing the July 19th Edition of  Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) and were delighted to find that an interview we gave to fashion reporter Lauren Benet Stephenson at WWD a few weeks ago helped shape a full-page piece on 24-karat gold lensed eyewear in this week’s July WWD Accessories Issue.

While we’re a pretty modest group around Urban Optiques (aside from all of our flashy sunglasses), this is one of those times when it feels okay to brag a bit. After all, it’s not every day that a small, independent eyewear boutique like Urban Optiques receives this kind of exposure in the fashion industry’s premier global daily. We were also excited to see sunglasses from both Sama and Badgley Mischka featured not only in the article, but on the cover.  We love it when we can help our best partners get more exposure.

If the New York Times is where you go for world events, and the Wall Street Journal for financial news, WWD is the first place every fashion designer, retailer and industry mover-and-shaker goes to see what’s hot in the industry.  So serving as the primary, trusted retail source for this article (we’re actually the only consumer facing source in the article — everyone else quoted represents the brands and eyewear manufacturers)  is kind of a big deal for us.

We’re also particularly proud of the job that our Practice Manager, Lindsey Champine,  did working with the writer on this story. Lindsey’s quotes are golden (no pun intended), especially her response to the reporter’s question about why she believed ultra-lux eyewear products like 24-karat gold lenses continue to sell so well, even in a struggling economy.

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Tags: 24 k Gold Sunglasses, 24 karat Gold Lenses, Angelina Jolie Sunglasses, Badgley Mischka Gold Sunglasses, Badgley Mischka Perry, Badgley Mischka Sunglasses, Eyewear Trends, Lindsey Champine, Press, Sama Eyewear, Sama Gold Eyewear, Style, Urban Optiques, Womens Wear Daily, WWD

Why We Love the Tom Ford Narcissa Sunglass …

Every now and then, a sunglass comes along that just makes you stop dead in your tracks and say “wow.”

For us, that sunglass is the Tom Ford Narcissa.

When we got our first shipment of Tom Ford sunglasses in over the summer, two of the Tom Ford sunglass models immediately jumped out at us:  The Whitney (a favorite of Angelina Jolie) and the Tom Ford Narcissa.

We had seen these sunnies in magazines and on the Internet, but nothing could prepare us for actually having a couple pairs in our eager little hands.

Tom Ford Sunglasses: Celebrity Hot

Beginning last year, we noticed Tom Ford sunglasses making (repeated) appearances on everyone from Jennifer Aniston to Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron and Jessica Biel.

In fact, aside from Ray Bans,  we haven’t seen a designer sunglass line show up on so many well-known faces in such a short period of time.  So obviously, we couldn’t wait to start carrying them in the store.

While Tom Ford Eyewear has been a little slow to catch on off the coasts (eyewear trends tend to move inward from L.A. and New York, so there is usually a lag before something gets hot in Detroit), once we started getting them in front of people, they began to sell.

Tom Ford Narcissa: One Curvy, Sexy Sunglass

What we love about the Tom Ford Narcissa (and many of the women’s sunglasses in Tom Ford’s lineup) is that they utilize simple, curvy lines to produce a very feminine, sophisticated and sexy sunglass.

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Tags: Celebrity Eyewear, Celebrity Sunglasses, Designer Sunglasses, Eyewear Trends, Fashion Sunglasses, Karen Elson, Karen Elson Sunglasses, Narcissa Sunglass, Rhianna Sunglasses, Style, TF-0129, The Visionista, Tom Ford, Tom Ford Eyewear, Tom Ford Narcissa, Tom Ford Sunglasses, Urban Optiques

These five fashion trends straight off the runway will be shaping eyewear this fall and into 2010

We’re seeing five trends in fashion this fall that we think are going to be shaping choices in both eyewear and clothing and accessories through fall and winter.

From big shoulders, to animal prints and Twenties- inspired glamour, the runways this season served up a decidedly eclectic fusion of past, present and future.

Girl Meets Boy

First, men’s-inspired shapes made a return, including built-up shoulders, tuxedo jackets and narrow fitting blazers.

While we saw early signs of an ’80s revival as far back as 2008 with the resurgence of Ray-Bans and Wayfarers, the presence of so much ’80s-inspired clothing on runways this fall suggests that the decade that brought us “Wall Street”, Madonna and Tom Cruise singing in his underwear in a pair of Ray-Bans has clearly weaved its way into this season’s styles.

For those of you who have been waiting two decades for the return of the 80’s “power suit”,  2009/2010 might finally be the year.

Big, padded shoulders have returned, as well as oversized buttons balanced with long flowing silk scarves.  On eBay we’re seeing vintage ’80s suits from the likes of Dior and YSL get snapped up, so it seems this is one fashion trend that has some legs.

For men, it’s a continuation of some of last year’s ’80s inspired clothing, including the return of solid or striped shirt with white collar, popularized by Michael Douglas’ Gorden Gecko in the 1987 movie Wall Street.  Can suspenders be far behind?

In terms of matching the “Girl Meets Boy” look with eyewear, you’ll do best to choose a frame with strong geometric shapes and a heavier, more robust materials.

Keep the overt bling to a minimum on these frames, and instead opt for something that incorporates more subtle, integrated embellishments like small crystals, polished metals or unusual textures into the temples.

Pulling off the “Girl Meets Boy” look demands bold, power-eyewear that is balanced with softer, feminine touches.  We like Ray-Ban Wayfarers with this look as well, since they are the quintessential ’80s eyewear.

For men, pair that solid or striped shirt with the white collar with a pair of classic round Oliver People’s eyeglass frames in gold or silver metals, or a Prada men’s aviator sunglass like the Prada PR 65HS in silver.

Or, depending on your facial structure, we love the bold sophistication of the Tom Ford men’s frame.

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