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.

So take a few minutes to check out what 944’s Independent Trendsetters have to say about the fall trends you need to watch for and most of all, consider supporting them with your business.

Featured Trendsetters:

• Sandi Dabish & Sahrob Jabero (Sway – Commerce Township)
• Jovan Kassab (JovanJane)
• Anita Sabri (Kiss & Tell – shopkissandtell.com)
• Tawny Theiu (Pink Pump –  Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills)
• Leslie Binno (Royal Dutchess - West Bloomfield)
• Chantell Bacall & Nicole Nona (Nikalet.com)
• Sheryl Freedland (Ruby’s Balm – West Bloomfield)
• Bethany Shorb (Cyberoptix.com)
• Dr. Michelle Calder Cardwell (Urban Optiques Vision & Couture Eyewear – Downtown Northville)
• Amanda Kalasho & Natasha Robin (Adam & Eve – West Bloomfield)

Accessorizing eyewear with other pieces in your wardrobe is often less about the eyewear, and more about the rest of the outfit.

Today’s look, which again features the Loree Rodkin Hunter Special  Edition sunglasses, is the perfect example.

The first words that usually come out of people’s mouths when they see the Loree Rodkin Eyewear Collection is “edgy” or “gothic.”  And it’s true:  Loree’s distinct style of jewelry and eyewear design is rife with daggers, skulls, serpentine embellishments and crosses.

So you might be tempted to think the only way to wear her jewelry or eyewear is with a pair of leather pants and stilettos.

But as many of Loree Rodkin’s devotees will attest, her designs are combined with formal wear all of the time.  Watch the red carpet at any Hollywood or major fashion event, and you’ll likely see at least one luminary wearing Loree’s jewelry alongside their couture dress.  A quick glance at Loree Rodkin’s press book will settle any lingering doubts you might have.

The key to accessorizing the Loree Rodkin Eyewear line is to treat it like jewelry. When stylists put their clients in Loree Rodkin jewelry, they will typically use it either as a surprising contrast against an elegant or chic outfit, or will use it to amplify an already edgy look.  Because the designs are so striking, a little bit of Loree Rodkin goes a long way.

Just to prove it, we put together a look today with the Loree Rodkin Hunter that is night-and-day from the last pairing we did.

For this outfit, we built everything around a Derek Lam wool crepe dress from Saks.  While the jewelry, shoes and handbag all play off from the browns and silvers in the Hunter sunglasses, this is a daytime look that most women could pull off.  The Report Signature booties could easily be swapped with this pair of Stuart Weitzman croc slingback, the Bally Eddi pumps or L.A.M.B. Finsburys if you wanted to tone things down even more.

Of course, the real icing on the cake are the Hunters, which give this fairly conservative, but still chic, ensemble just a little bit of danger — especially when paired up with the John Hardy Naga head ring, stainless steel leather cuff bracelet and truly amazing Donald J Pilner chain satchel.

Remember, we’re giving away a pair of these exact Loree Rodkin Hunter sunglasses as part of this month’s 944 Detroit Swag.  So register now for your chance to win them.

Tell us what you think ….

A Little Bit Mild: Featuring the Hunter Sunglasses from Loree Rodkin.

Featured Accessories

• Report Signature Vandalia Bootie
• Donald J Pilner Adela Chain Satchel
• Leather and Stainless Steel Cuff Bracelet
• Derek Lam Wool Crepe Dress
• John Hardy Naga Head Sterling Silver Ring
• Loree Rodkin Hunter Special Edition Sunglasses with 18K White Gold Lenses

As we mentioned earlier in the week, Urban Optiques has partnered with 944 Detroit Magazine to give away a pair of fab Loree Rodkin eyeCouture Special Edition “Hunter”  Sunglasses with 18K white gold lenses as part of 944’s new “Detroit Swag” feature.

I won’t go into all the reasons that these are amazing sunglasses worth every cent of their $1,200 price tag (okay, I will: They have genuine hand-cut calfskin leather inserts, 18K gold couture lenses and, of course, the jewelry-grade sterling silver Loree Rodkin signature skulls at the temples.)

The real question on everyone’s mind is how do I wear them?

So to provide some inspiration, we’re putting together five looks this month ranging from mild, to a little bit wild — to completely wild — to show you how easy it is to accessorize these super-lux aviators.

This is a unisex frame, so be patient men … we’ll provide some looks for you also. But today we’re going to start with a cool, urban look that combines the Special Edition Loree Rodkin Hunter with a pair of Alice + Olivia seamed biker pants, Brooke Western Snake Tee, and a pair of Giuseppe Zanotti pumps.

We also tossed in some great accessories that play off from the leather, sterling silver and platinum finish on the Hunter sunglasses, including a vintage Chanel ring, Sonora Leather bracelet and dog-tag style monogrammed charm from Helen Ficalora (you can customize it with your initial.)

All of the elements of the ensemble (minus the Loree Rodkin sunglasses) are available at Shopbop.com.

To enter the 944 Detroit/Urban Optiques giveaway and have a chance at winning the Special Edition Loree Rodkin Hunter sunglasses, visit the 944 Detroit Swag Microsite.

A Little Bit Wild

A few weeks ago, Brian Glascow at Sama Eyewear swore us to secrecy when he shared a new Heart of Gold sunglass variation that Sheila Vance and the Sama Team had been hard at work on for months.

This was going to be a very special sunglass, Brian explained, with an extremely limited run: Sama was producing only 35 of these sunglasses, and just 10 of them were going to be available to the public through Sama’s small, exclusive network of independent optical boutiques.  The remainder would be available for purchase only at the Destination: Sama Beverly Hills, Rome, St. Louis and West Hollywood Boutiques and to a small, inner circle of Sama loyalists.

That’s right: There are only 35 of these sunglasses in the world.

When Brian sent us photos of the new Heart of Gold Regal we were floored. Featuring five microns of 18K white gold over titanium and genuine “purple velvet” Swarovski crystals at the temples, the new Limited Edition Heart of Gold Regal sunglasses melted our hearts.

So we advanced ordered two.

Two out of the ten available to independent Sama retailers, and two out of only 35 in the world.

It doesn’t get much more exclusive than that.

Our two Sama Heart of Gold Regals arrived yesterday at Urban Optiques and they were just as beautiful as in the pictures.  If you are a jewelry lover, you’ll adore these suns.

Like the other Heart of Gold sunglasses, the Regal features the distinctive “coin” etching on the temples and a double-hinge which makes them not only less prone to stress fractures and wear, but also improve the comfort of the sunglasses.

We still haven’t decided what we’ll do with the second pair.

We love them so much that we are thinking we put one on display for our clients to buy, and keeping the second in reserve just for ourselves.  It’s unlikely we’ll be able to acquire additional pieces in the future, so it’s first come, first serve on this amazing sunglass.

Sama: Eyewear With a Heart

Even better, when you buy the Sama Heart of Gold Regal, 100% of Sama’s net profits on the sale of the sunglass are donated to the Betty Ford Center to help treat teen and young adult drug addiction.

Why the Betty Ford Center?

Because in 1997, Sama founder and lead designer Sheila Vance lost her 19 year old son, Sam Vance, to heroine experimentation while he was a freshman at UCLA.

Wanting to change Hollywood and the fashion industries portrayal of “Heroine Chic” as sexy — as well as offer help to teens and their families struggling with drug addiction — Sheila Vance literally founded Sama Eyewear as a feeder to her non-profit Sam Vance Foundation.

We personally love that that Sheila Vance and Sama take a substantial portion of their profits and use it for good.  It’s their reason for being and something they don’t compromise on.  Sama has rock-solid principles:  For example, they refuse to participate in the “pay for placement” of eyewear that so many other eyewear brands dump millions of dollar into. It runs counter to their foundation’s mission and they just won’t do it.

This makes it even more remarkable that so many celebrities and movie stylists choose Sama. They don’t get the frames for free: They buy them freely themselves.

The Heart of Gold Regal is $1,587 and includes a certificate of authenticity, custom leather carrying case and a limited edition Heart of Gold microfiber lens cloth.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, we adore Sama Eyewear around Urban Optiques.

Why?

Well,  Sama is simply producing some of the most amazing, contemporary couture eyewear on the planet.  Forget about Chanel, D&G, Dior, Burberry and Coach.  Anyone can buy that at Sunglass Shack or Lenscrafters.  If you want something truly unique, you’ll want Sama.

If you don’t believe us, check out this great video filmed at the Angiolucci Lunettes Boutique in Catania, Italy. Not only does it feature some of Sama’s hottest sunglasses, but it also includes some great clips from Sama founder and lead designer Sheila Vance.

It speaks for itself.

The footage includes sunglasses from Sama, Badgley Mischka Eyewear and Loree Rodkin eyeCouture.

Enjoy and Grazie! to Angiolucci for sharing this with us all:

The final look in our “Sama Heart of Gold Sunglasses: Five Ways Over Five Days“ Style Series is all about nature.

We centered the entire look around the beautifully light and airy purple and orange Diane Von Furstenburg “Layly” Tiger dress, which puts a new, colorful twist on this season’s continued obsession with animal prints.

We tried to carry the “Au Naturale” theme through the entire look, choosing accessories that utilized natural materials like wood and cork:  Purple D Squared wood platform heels, a Tahari cork clutch and a wood and gold bangle bracelet to finish it off.

Of course, there are also the Sama Heart of Gold sunglasses, which complement the rich, royal oranges and purples that dominate the ensemble.

Enjoy!

Au Naturale

You’ve Seen this Look, Now See the Rest!

Don’t forget to check out the other four looks we put together with the Sama Heart of Gold sunglasses:

• Look One: Guilded Pleasures
• Look Two: Platinum Play
• Look Three: Day to Night
• Look Four: Street Scene
• Look Five: Au Naturale

With just one more day left in our “Sama Heart of Gold Sunglasses: Five Ways Over Five Days“ Style Series we decided to put together a more casual, street-smart and urban look with the Sama Heart of Gold Sunglasses.

Today’s look starts with a pair of sleek, latex-look leggings from Alice + Olivia paired with a cool, over-sized graphic jersey by Pagano.

We then added the Sama Heart of Gold sunglasses in platinum and 18K white gold, a fantastic Costume National black leather purse with silver accents and finished it off with a dangerous flash of red under the outfit’s monochromatic theme thanks to some truly killer Michette Daniele black leather patch sandals with sky-high red heels.

If the Michette Daniele heels are bit too edgy for your taste, this ensemble also works great with a pair of black leather booties, pumps, slingbacks or even chunky leather knee boots.

Check it out and let us know what you think.

Street Scene

With this week’s box office debut of Sex and The City 2, we’ve received a deluge of e-mails asking who makes the gold aviator sunglasses that Sarah Jessica Parker wears in her reprise of the Carrie Bradshaw role in Sex and The City 2?

The good news is we’ve identified Carrie’s gold aviators from SATC 2:  They are Mykita & Bernhard Willhelm’s “Franz” Limited-Edition Aviator Sheet-Metal Sunglasses ($525.)

The bad news is you’ll likely be waiting some time to get your hands on these sunglasses (maybe as long as the end of summer.)  The Mykitas have been on back order at Patricia Fields since the gold sunglasses first showed up on Sarah Jessica Parker in advanced publicity shots last year. No word on when they’ll be available.

How to Still Get Carrie’s Gold Plated Look: Sama

Although Urban Optiques doesn’t carry Mykita,  the lens coating technology that is used on the Mykita “Franz” Limited-Edition Gold Aviator sunglasses in Sex and The City 2 was actually developed by Sama Eyewear out of Los Angeles and is currently available on a wide-range of  Sama, Badgley Mischka and Loree Rodkin eyeCouture models at Urban Optiques.

While Carrie’s oversized gold aviators in Sex and The City 2 are at the center of the most recent surge in interest around gold sunglasses, Sama made waves in the eyewear and fashion industry last July when they debuted their custom 24K yellow and 18K white gold plated couture lenses during the Badgley Mischka runway show during Amsterdam International Fashion We

In that show, the gold plated lenses were ever present and served as an early prototype for the lens coating that eventually made its way onto the  Badgley Mischka Special Edition Perry aviators seen last year on Angelina Jolie and Rihanna.

One-Up Carrie’s Sex and the City 2 Gold Aviators with Customized Couture Sunglasses from Sama & Urban Optiques

The special gold coating technology and process (which literally fuse genuine gold onto the lenses surface) developed by Sama and used on the Carrie Bradshaw’s Mykita sunglasses, can be applied to lenses on nearly all of the Sama, Badgley Mischka and Loree Rodkin eyeCouture sunglass models. We’ve worked with Sama to put the special edition gold lenses in everything from the Badgley Mischka Grace to the Lola sunglasses.

The advantage to this approach is that we can work with you select a sunglass shape and style that is uniquely yours, and then customize the lenses to give you the same opulent, gilded look of Carrie’s sunglasses in SATC 2, but with your own individual expression of style.

So if gold plated sunglasses are on your must-have accessory list this summer, you’ll definitely want to check out the special edition sunglasses from Sama below.  To find out about customizing other Badgley Mischka, Sama or Loree Rodkin eyeCouture sunglasses with special edition white or gold lenses, call us at 248-347-9090 or drop us an email.

To see some ways that Sama’s gold sunglasses can accessorized, make sure you check out the Lookbooks Urban Optiques has put together around the Sama Heart of Gold sunglass.

Sama Special Edition Heart of Gold with 24k Yellow Gold Lenses

Sama Boa with Snakeskin Temples and Special Edition 24K Gold Plated Lenses

Badgley Mischka Perry Special Edition Gold with 24K Gold Lenses

Badgley Mischka Alfie with 24K Gold Lenses

Badgley Mischka Boyd in Espresso with 24K Gold Lenses

Badgley Mischka Lola in Brown with 24K Gold Lenses

Badgley Mischka Lola in Gold with 24K Gold Lenses

Badgley Mischka Grace in Gold with 24K Gold Lenses

Loree Rodkin Owen Gold Aviator Sunglasses with 24K Gold Special Edition Lenses

Loree Rodkin eyeCouture Scarlett in Brown (inner lenses can be customized to 24K yellow or white gold)

For availability and pricing on any of the  sunglasses above, please contact us at the boutique.

One of the things we wanted to accomplish with our “Sama Heart of Gold Five Ways Over Five Days” was to demonstrate how exceptionally versatile these handmade sunglasses by Sama are as an accessory.

The Heart of Gold is really jewelry for your face;  so like a ring, necklace or pair of earrings, you want to know that your investment has legs in terms of how many different ways you can pair it.

The first two looks we put together were a little more opulent — perfect for a summer wedding or formal event when the days are still long and you can wear your sunglasses into the evening hours.

Today’s look is a bit more understated.

We wanted to show how you take the Heart of Gold and accessorize them with day wear — letting you transition flawlessly from the office, to lunch, to dinner without doing much more than perhaps swapping out your shoes.

The look below combines the cool whites and neutral grays of an sophisticated shirt dress from Alice + Olivia with jewelry in yellow gold, diamonds and precious stones that once again play off from the Swarovski crystals in the Heart of Gold’s temples.

If you want to tone-down the flash factor on the 24K gold plated lenses, you can always opt for the Sama Heart of Gold in “Desert” which combines the gold-plated frame shown here with a brown, non-mirrored gradient lenses.

Finally, we punched the entire look up with a fierce pair of L.A.M.B “Delva” booties which may or may not be office appropriate (maybe if you worked at Vogue?)  But they just worked so well with the ensemble, that we couldn’t resist adding them.

Don’t worry though, we’ve added a couple of additional shoe options below that should work in the office and then you can slip into the L.A.M.B.s after work for cocktails or dinner.

Day to Night

Here are several other options in terms of shoes that work well with this look:

Camilla Skovgaard “Saw” Plateau Pumps

Fendi Raffia Pumps

L.A.M.B “Zada” Sandals

For more inspiration, check out the Day One Look: Guilded Pleasures and Day 2: Platinum Play.

This week  Marcolin, the U.S. distributor of Tom Ford, Tod’s and DSquared2, stopped in to show us the new sunglass lines from John Galliano and Tod’s.

At first we were a little skeptical.

We’ve been searching for some new eyewear lines to add at Urban Optiques for several months now, and what we’ve seen so far (outside of Francis Klein) hasn’t particularly impressed us.

We pretty much knew what we didn’t want:  Yet another line of sunglasses from some giant corporate design center with yet another fashion designer’s name stuck on the temple with something akin to Super Glue as an afterthought.

There are tons of those brands out there, and outside of the designer logo itself, there’s really not much in terms of unique design to differentiate these eyewear lines from each other.

John Galliano and His Sunglasses to the Rescue!

But when Marcolin pulled out the John Galliano sunglasses, all of our eyes lit up around Urban Optiques.

Based on what we saw, we’re pretty confident the new John Galliano and Tod’s suns are going to be huge hits with our clients and patients this summer.

Even better, they truly embody the brand and design aesthetic associated with the designer and fashion behind the name.

The collections are extremely deep out-of-the gate for a new line, providing a great mix of aviators and Italian Zyle frames in both men’s, women’s and unisex designs.

Even better, the collections represent a clear contrast in styles and design aesthetics that we think fill unique niches for our clients and will appeal to different fashion sensibilities.

The new John Galliano sunglasses are pretty much exactly what you’d expect from this fashion maverick.

They are trendy, a bit edgy, and clearly convey the creative, artistic — and often controversial — philosophy that has made John Galliano one of the most daring and respected fashion designers in the world.

That said, the Galliano sunglass line is extremely diverse. We saw plenty of sunglass frames from John Galliano that we are certain will appeal to even our more conservative clients.

On the other hand, if you want to walk more on the wild side, he has plenty of options for you as well. If you want to play it safer (but still fashionable), you are covered also with this sunglass collection.

One of Galliano’s fashion muses is the Bolero dancer of his native Spain and the new Galliano Sunglass Collection — like his couture fashion — draws inspiration from the Bolero.

The sunglass pictured above was inspired by the intricate, decorative hair clips worn by Bolero dancers and he incorporated the Arabesque-like designs of the hair clips into the sunglass temples.

All of Galliano’s sunglasses (each of which Galliano personally designed), feature these unique visual twists, making the collection one of the most exciting and unique entries  into the designer fashion eyewear market that we’ve seen in several years.

We can’t wait to start putting these suns on people’s faces.

The Tod’s Sunglass Collection: Inspired by Tod’s Heritage of Fine Leather Accessories

And then there are the Tod’s.

Just when we thought the Gallianos surely couldn’t be matched, Marcolin pulled out the Tod’s for us.

Best known for their luxury leather goods (including the Tod’s leather driving shoes, the Gommino loafer and D-Bag handbags), this renowned Italian luxury design house has infused its new eyewear collection with the same level of attention to detail and use of  fine materials (including leather) that mark their shoes and handbags.

While the Galliano and Tod’s eyewear collections are quite different, one thing they both share is their attention to unique shapes, designs and materials.

Particularly impressive was the way Tod’s balanced acetate and metal frames, and put some novel spins in the classic aviator.

In a clear nod to Tod’s legacy of designing and producing luxury leather products, the sunglass collection offers a line of aviators that have leather covered frames, which are simply gorgeous and will fly off the shelves, in our opinion.

There is no other sunglass on the market that we know of that literally wraps the entire frame in leather.

Like Galliano, Tod’s should be commended for providing a broad range of shapes, styles, sizes and materials in their sunglasses.

The versatility across these two collections is what makes them really attractive. We wish we had more pix of the Galliano and Tod’s sunglasses, because they really are amazing.

If it’s any consolation (and, yes we know we are being teases tonight) within a few weeks we’ll have them in the store for you to try on and experience for yourself.

We’re particularly excited to be one of only four Michigan eyewear boutiques that will be authorized to carry the new Galliano and Tod’s sunglass collections.

Nationally, availability of the line will also be constrained to a very limited number of retailers (we’re talking less than 100 here.)

The sunglass lines from Tod’s and John Galliano fit perfectly with our philosophy of offering designer and luxury eyewear product that you can’t easily find anywhere else and we know our clients will love them.

In the coming weeks, we’ll highlight more of the Galliano and Tod’s sunglasses as we get them in.

If you would like to pre-order from the collections or are interested in attending a yet-unscheduled trunk show of these two new lines, please e-mail us to placed on the the invitation list.