Regally Blonde

Author: Astri von Arbin Ahlander

I was in Sweden over the break, experiencing what we have yet to see at Middlebury: spring. The temperature in Stockholm blew my travel buddy and me away with warm breezes and constant sunshine over the glittering water of what is appropriately called the Venice of the North. With the sun comes attractive people, all sneaking out of their winter hibernation to sit at cafÈs, lounge leisurely in the parks or slap the concrete with the season's latest metallic-colored flip-flops. And with the sun also come the sunglasses.

For the past couple of years, sunglass size has matched the American mentality of "bigger is better." While celebs slim down to skeletal shadows, they are choosing to super-size their shades. On the pages of all the tabloids, Hollywood stars are sporting shades so wide they're basically wearing masks. Arguably, this is a good thing for that particular crowd. Having trendy accessories serve double duty as disguise certainly seems like a genius idea for those plagued by the paparazzi. But what about us non-famous fashion conscious commoners? The last thing we want is not to be recognized, right? Big shades are also shady in another way: the sunglass fraud. How many times have you seen a really hot guy or girl and gotten excited until they take their giant sunglasses off and you realize it was all a cover-up?

Stockholm is a city of fashionistas. So much so, that many fashion houses do research in the trend sensitive metropolis, testing out new styles to see if the Swedes will like it. If it catches in Stockholm, it usually means it'll be a global hit. And so, while I was in the city, I took to observing the sunglass habits of the Swedes. It seems that the full-face-cover look is persisting. But added on this season is an increased focus on bling. A couple of years ago, Chanel filled all of the corners of our eyes with rhinestones. Now it seems that, after a couple of seasons of toned-down branding, note: this certainly does not apply across the board, some brands have never been able to get enough of their own logo. The industry has decided to remind us who they are. No risk you'll be paying a couple of hundred dollars without the whole world knowing that you did this season. Namedropping is the new rhinestone.

I read an article a while back that discussed the rise of inconspicuous consumption as the new trend for the really heavy money hitters. As luxury brands spread across the economic spectrum, and "anyone" can be sporting the Burberry print, the article argued that wealthy people increasingly look for the expensive luxury goods that aren't loud with recognizable logos and patterns. This may be true for the really rich, but conspicuous consumption still seems to be the name of the game for the rest of us. If you are someone who wants to feel like a million bucks without advertising it to the world, look at Prada's shades this season, and stay far away for Christian Dior. Perhaps best of all is what can be found in Ray-Ban's collection. Ray-Ban is an often-overlooked old-time favorite. As the racks scream with mutant size shades and gaudy branding, I take refuge in the satisfaction of Ray-Ban's simple design and minimal logos. Stretch your horizons. Look beyond the predictable aviators and check out their return to the retro eighties classic. It may be a bit more difficult to pull off the square frames than the huge bubble blowout's that dominate the other brands, but you'll be recognized as a sleek charmer in a sea of tacky namedroppers.