Queen of Sunglasses

My friend Lisa is the queen of sunglasses. Come the first hint of sunshine, she is working a shade...and looking good! Take this morning, a walk along the South Bank in glorious sunshine and she is wearing a great, retro style pair of coral coloured sunglasses, which really complement the monochrome colouring of the rest of the outfit.



I love the fact that sunglasses can really enhance what you wear. Even jeans and a t-shirt look better when you’ve got a great pair of sunglasses on. They’re yet another weapon in our accessories arsenal!

I struggle with them a little because I need to wear glasses – so I either have to go down the prescription sunglasses route or wear contact lenses. And as someone who suffers with hayfever and allergies (which cause lumps on the inside of my eyelids...sorry, bit graphic!) wearing contacts every day isn’t an option.

I did once try to buy prescription sunglasses but it was a disaster. I went to Boots and chose frames and lenses separately and never tried on a complete set before buying. Never, ever do this. Glasses that work with normal lenses do not necessarily work as sunglasses. These didn’t. And, it took three attempts just to get the lenses to something even approaching a reasonable darkness. At each attempt they were far too light and I looked like one of those sex pests you see in the newspaper, who always seem to be in a pair of tinted glasses! Even after three attempts, I still looked like a borderline sex pest, with sunglasses I would never wear...and a few hundred pounds worse off!

Years later I must still be smarting from the experience, as I have yet to make a second attempt to buy a pair. Yet another summer is passing without an investment being made. I’ve been thinking that maybe I’ll get a classic pair of Rayban Wayfarers and have prescription lenses put in...but seem frozen with indecision. If anyone has any suggestions on glasses that work well as prescription sunglasses (i.e. I’m still going to want to wear them twelve months later!) then please (please!) send over ideas.

In the meantime, I will be spending the rest of the summer struggling with contact lenses and wearing some reasonably cheap and cheerful high street sunnies.




I’ll be trying to emulate the wonderful Miss Chung with some fifties-ish styling in these Jeepers Peepers ‘Sandy’ sunglasses at £16

Topshop vintage stud glasses - £18




M&S retro style tinted sunglasses – £9.50





Cheap Monday sunglasses – down to £9.99 from £20


Asos bridge details cats eye sunglasses - £10

And my ultimate sunglasses inspiration...the Olsen twins. Wearing classic, quirky, original, flattering, eccentric styles – in fact every style known to woman - often just in the space of one week!