Here, Kitty Kitty

Sunglasses are perhaps my favorite accessory. Winter, spring, summer, fall--I simply can't go without them. And as I may have mentioned before, I subscribe to the Jackie O school of sunglasses: bigger is better. In fact, if I'm wearing sunglasses, I'd prefer not to see my eyebrows. Yet, despite these rather specific parameters, once I find a pair of shades that I adore, I'm in it for the long haul. To this point, the Chloé glasses that I'm currently wearing have been my go-to pair for about three years now, and I don't think I could ever grow tired of them. That being said, there's a new trend on the sunglasses horizon that has me intrigued...

The last time we talked about cat eyes, it was all about make-up; this time, it's strictly sunglasses. This past weekend, I seized the opportunity to immerse myself in the stack of fashion magazines that had accumulated on my coffee table, and it became immediately apparent that cat eye sunglasses are all the rage. But these are not the small-framed cat eyes of bygone days. Rather, the cat eye has been reinvented, now sporting a more contemporary, over-sized look, while maintaining their vintage charm.

It seems that everyone is doing a spin on cat eyes this season, notably Ray Ban, Dior, Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Valentino, and Kate Spade--but in my view, the fairest of them all is Elizabeth and James. Elizabeth and James actually boasts several cat eye styles, which hit stores this past fall when Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's company partnered with Hong Kong-based Absolute Black Design to launch Elizabeth and James' first line of sunglasses. And as much as I'd love to hate the Olsen twins for being queens of absolutely everything, those girls really, really know their fashion. I'm basically obsessed with their Fairfax Catseye.

With an undeniable retro appeal, the Fairfax features plastic frames in either black or tortoise, with metal temples and gradient lenses. What appeals to me is their bold, over-sized look and subtle detailing that makes them stand out from the other cats out there. Typically, I'm all about black sunglasses, but I'm actually quite drawn to the tortoise this time, perhaps for its subtle geek appeal? I confess, I have yet to try them on, which is critical when purchasing sunglasses, so I can't yet speak to whether or not they can/will pass the eyebrow test, but I am absolutely going to find out. So, perhaps it's the dawning of a new era--or at least a new pair of sunglasses. Here, kitty kitty...

Information on Elizabeth and James' partnership with Absolute Black Design, thanks to NBC New York; for more information, click here.

Images, in order of appearance: (1) Me! with my sister, both of us sporting big black sunglasses; (2) Just me this time! in my faithful Chloé sunglasses; (3) January Jones as Mad Men's Betty Draper, photo thanks to The Find; (4) Fairfax Catseye Sunglasses by Elizabeth and James $185, available at Saks Fifth Avenue (online at www.saksfifthavenue.com).