If you know anything about me, you know my love for any wearable item over $100 and you would also know I sobbed my eyes out when I opened the most miraculous birthday gift. The "normal" thing for parents to do for their child on such a day like a 21st birthday is to celebrate with a drink at the bar, right? Well, I asked for a pair of $500 Prada sunglasses instead.
Hopefully we all know the outstanding luxury Italian fashion house, Prada, founded in 1913 by Mario Prada and his brother Martino Prada and owned today by Mario's granddaughter, Miuccia Prada. The one time activist and mime, yes, I said mime, who also holds a doctorate in political science, Miuccia took over the leather goods company in 1978. She first dazzled the fashion world with a series of black nylon handbags then introduced a women clothing line she called "Uniforms for the slightly disenfranchised," shortly before launching a new more affordable brand, Miu Miu.
Now, Prada continues to hold its standing in the fashion industry with high quality, exquisite styles, and artful elegance with expanding into further markets like accessories and my absolute favorite, sunglasses! If you're thinking all designer brands produce their own sunglasses you would be wrong. Luxottica, an Italian eyewear company founded in 1961 by Leonardo Del Vecchio is the one responsible for these unique mini works of art. Holding one of the largest brand portfolios in the industry, Luxottica's mission is to protect the eyes and enhance the look of both men and women. Many of the most well-known names in the global fashion and luxury industries are licensed brands with Luxottica meaning for an agreed period of time, brands such as Prada, Burberry, Chanel, Miu Miu and Versace are in association with Luxcottica allowing them to design, manufacture, distribute and retail eyewear brands including LensCrafters, SunglassHut and Pearle Vision to name a few.
Do designer sunglasses offer better protection than cheaper one? Probably not. Do designer sunglasses last longer? Not necessarily. While Prada sunglasses are well made and constructed in Italy rather than China, I would expect them to last longer. I hear often people say sunglasses are the one thing they lose on the reg and or get broken frequently. I don't even understand how any of that happens but I do understand that then being someones reason to never buy a pair of Prada sunnies. Another good question to ponder is do designer sunglasses have better vision? All designer sunglasses offer UV protection but rather than protection this refers to features like reduced lens distortion, better contrast and color representation. These very characteristics can also bite you in the ass if you choose to opt out of buying the expensive pair. When I was 12 I found a pair of light blue ombre sunnies from a little boutique I thought I had to have. They were cute and cost about $10 so my mom said I could have them. Biggest mistake of my young life at that point. Just outside the front door of this shop was a black and white checkered patio, cute right? YA! Until I thought I had to step down off the steps magically created within the short time I was inside purchasing the damn sunglasses...
So if you're contemplating a new pair of sunnies and fearing the cost of $200 for a piece of plastic with two hinges, don't hurt yourself over the thought because most of the "competition" isn't actually competing with them. They are them. Consider these unique extras mini works of art poised to complete your sartorial master piece.
**Disclaimer** Prada watermarked photo is not an actual Prada ad.