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

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:

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.

This week’s featured designer sunglass comes courtesy of super-hot L.A. jewelry designer Loree Rodkin brought to you by Sama Couture Eyewear and Urban Optiques.

It’s the “Tommy” sunglass, which features a “skull and bones” Swarovski crystals motif on the temples.

While this sunglass isn’t for everyone (you definitely have to sport the right attitude to pull this shade off), it’s one of our best-kept-secrets at Urban Optiques. We KNOW there is the right woman out there for this killer sunglass.

In case you’re not familiar with Loree Rodkin, she’s one of Los Angeles’ hottest custom jewelers. Her jewelry designs have appeared on countless celebrities of all ages and generations, including Miley Cryus, Dakota Fanning, Christina Applegate, Marcia Cross, Ashley Tisdale, Jenna Dewan and “Twilight’s” Ashley Greene.

First Lady Michelle Obama even wore a $17,000 (borrowed) custom Loree Rodkin pair of earrings to the “We Are One” concert in Washington, D.C.

While we don’t see the First Lady wearing these Loree Rodkin “Tommy” Sunglasses, they work amazingly well with a pair of black skinny jeans and a cool, cropped leather biker jacket. Age is no limit on these Loree Rodkin shades, but the right attitude definitely is.

Based on what we’re seeing in the fashion press, we think 2010 will be marked by an edgier, tough-girl look. Expect to see more black leather, biker jackets and sterling silver accessories.  The Loree Rodkins will accentuate this look perfectly.

Like all Sama eyewear, the Loree Rodkin sunglasses are extremely well-made.

Sama also makes our exclusive line of Badgley-Mischka eyewear, and most clients can immediately recognize that these are extremely well-constructed sunglasses once they place them on their faces.

The fit and finish really tells the story. There’s a reason Loree Rodkin chose Sama to help design, distribute and market her line of eyewear: Sama knows how to get eyewear right.

Urban Optiques is the only Metro-Detroit vision care and eyewear boutique to carry the Loree Rodkin collection. We have more than 10 designs available, both in exquisite optical frames as well as sunglasses.

If there is a particular Loree Rodkin eyewear frame or sunglass that you looking for, and we don’t currently have it in stock, we’d be more than happy to order it for you at no charge and with no obligation to buy. Please call us at 248-347-9090 to make it happen.