Aviator sunglasses are so hot this season, but that in itself sometimes creates a problem -- everybody's wearing them. We always like to take a trend and find a slightly different way to rock it out, and that's why we're loving these.

Is that a home theater system on your head or are you just happy to see us? If you chose anything but "both" then keep reading. We've got something to show you.

The Vuzix iWear may look like something off of Star Trek, but it's much cooler. That's right, we said something was cooler than Star Trek (see Battlestar Galactica), deal with it.

This "face-furniture" as the good people at Firebox call it, provides "a fully immersive audiovisual assault" that replicates watching a 62" screen from a safe distance. Really. It's like watching a huge big screen on your face.

As the end of days draws closer and closer you probably find yourself wondering what you should wear. Is it formal? When the chemical warfare starts will the mall stay open? These are important questions, and that's why Diddo Velema has created this conceptual art project using Gucci and Louis Vuitton. There's got to be more to the final countdown than the Final Countdown, right?

Just like the bottles of water, rolls of toilet paper and case of Spam you have stashed in the basement, a gas mask is an important part of a well-stocked apocalypse survival readiness kit.

The thing is, you can't stay underground forever, eventually the Spam will gel beyond means of consumption and at some point you'll run out of shows on the TiVo. That's when you need to don your gear and head to the surface to see if anything besides cockroaches and Starbucks survived. Grab a raid latte and show all the mutants how to look fabulous.

It looks something like this:



Oh, and if these aren't enough, there's always this.

Designer Gas Masks is a conceptual art project. The masks are not real commercial products!
They are designed to be displayed in magazines and exhibited at galleries. They are not for sale.

[via Format]

There are lots of ways to protect your identity these days when it comes to your bank statements, credit cards, and internet passwords, but what about your physical identity? The one that stares at you in the mirror every morning? Now that veils are out and head wraps have become really culture-specific, there's really only face-paint, pantyhose, or bandannas. What do you go with when you're heading out to the night club and you don't want to look like you're robbing the place? That's when you need a pair of these black bar sunglasses.

It's so money it doesn't even know it. Claw Money to be exact. Claw is the handle, so to speak, of an ex-graffiti artist named Claudia. She was the queen of NYC before moving to L.A. and going legit with a career in styling and costume design for music videos. Her clients included KORN, Brian McKnight, GNR and Ice Cube.

She returned to New York and did some television and print ad styling work for Nike, Guinness, and Footlocker, to name a few.

Now she writing books and designing all kinds of stuff, some of which we may show you in the future, but for now you'll have to be content with these sweet shades, the Nuggets ($300), Gazelles ($250), and Aviators ($230). Sweet shades, indeed . You know your future is so bright that you want to wear them.



[via Thrillist]

Adults aren't the only ones who need to protect their eyes from the sun -- little ones need that protection, too. And, just because your little one is a little furry (or a lot) and walks on all fours (and always will), that doesn't mean they can't get in on some stylin' sunglasses, too.

Think about it -- if you're outside, chances are they're outside, too. Right? So why not protect their eyes and give them some hot accessories in the process? Check out the gallery for the hottest styles for the small and/or furry ones in your life.

Some guys don't really accessorize -- baseball caps don't count. They don't have the necklace, earring, scarf, and handbag options that women have. Probably most of them are pretty happy about that. However, when it comes to sunglasses, guys are right in the with the gals -- there are plenty of choices to keep you looking fashion forward.

The best thing is, you can wear them, like, every day! Without washing them! And nobody will make fun of you! I know that's not how all guys feel about fashion, but for those of you who want your style to be easy and painless, sunglasses are a great way to amp up your style without putting in too much effort.

Two of the big trends for guys this season are the continuation of the aviator and the shield as well as some funkier plastic frames, like the Rayban Wayfarer we saw popping up last summer (and in Risky Business). And, as with the ladies' sunglasses, tortoise shell is poised to step up as a big trend for the guys.

Ladies, when it comes to sunglasses, we have it good this year. Some of the trends from the last year or so have continued to be shown by the major fashion houses, and the trends that are coming into fashion this year will be easy for most of us to transition into -- it's not like we're going from bootcut to skinny jeans here.

So what's hot for this spring? We'll continue to see oversized glasses, aviators (and variations on the aviator), and tortoise shell will continue creeping in as a major player. Additionally, watch for more '70s inspired frames, with muted tones and rounded lenses. Also, keep an eye out for gradient lenses -- dark on the top half and light on the bottom. The more pronounced gradient makes a much more dramatic statement, but you can opt for a subtle change if you prefer it and still be in fashion.

WTF. Really?

Cyclops glasses?

On sale from classiceyeglasses on eBay, we have some eyeglasses for mythological Greek primordial beasts with vision problems. Bidding starts at $22.95.

Cyclopes, present in the works of Homer and Hesiod, are loose cannons, sort of like The Hulk and Mel Gibson. They are also known for their brute strength, sort of like The Hulk.

How can you smash up a Greek village or a Range Rover in a blind rage if you can't see very well? Hmm. I don't see the problem.

Enough of my silliness; these glasses are for applying makeup. This 60's-70's trend never really caught on, so don't scold yourself for forgetting (or not being born yet). The lens is on a hinge, and you can flip it side to side. In this way, you can apply makeup to one eye more accurately than if you had on no glasses at all.

From seller, classiceyeglasses:

"I think it would be much more fun to leave the lens stuck up in the middle and tell people it allows your 'third eye' to see better and that you stole them from Lela (the cyclopette on Futurama)."

Haha, classiceyeglasses. Let's be friends.

Know what makes me feel like a movie star? Rhinestones in my sunglasses. But how about sunglasses with actual diamonds?

First things first: I can't have these. Can you? I consistently lose the 30% of my sunglasses that I don't break, then wreck with superglue. The problem? It gets dark. It gets dark and I don't "wear my sunglasses at night"** so I put them in my purse or set them on the table. I like to wear big sunglasses like these, so in order to carry a hard-shell case, I'd have to get a bigger purse and possibly a camel to carry it with, as there's already a lot of stuff in there.

These sunglasses are pretty great looking. German design, gold on black, and 1.65 carats of diamonds on the temples. Purchasing these sunglasses for the coming season would be sort of like saying "Oh hey, spring! I'm rich!"

You could wear Mary Kate Olsen draped around your shoulders and a feed sack and still feel chic wearing these glasses, appraised in Beverly Hills at $4,500. Why? Because money feels good. There, I said it. Bidding starts at $3,500 to wear fifty-five diamonds like an international jewel-thief. The eBay listing calls the style "Hip-Hop." I think the style is more "retro princess."

Except! These are men's sunglasses. WTF? Men, I ask you, do you want to wear bejeweled sunglasses? Who are you, Bob Hope? I don't care if you're P-Diddy; bejewelled sunglasses on men look silly.

**Doesn't apply to weekends.

Next time you're at Costco picking up a 5 gallon bucket of potato salad, you might want to stroll over to the sunglasses department. Tom Ford's eyewear is joining the surprisingly long list of designer goods being sold at the low-priced megamart. Prada, Versace, Fendi, and now Tom Ford -- it's all there for Costco members.

Yeah, I was surprised too -- I didn't even know that you could buy individually packaged sunglasses at Costco, much less a $1,300 purse. No, seriously, doesn't it seem sorta wrong to be buying designer handbags at Costco? What's next Cristal on the beer aisle at Wal-Mart?

If you're like me -- totally clueless about the world of Costco -- you ought to take a look at their website; just for your own entertainment. In the men's apparel section, you can grab anything from Citzens of Humanity jeans to a pair of teflon-coated mechanic's coveralls -- truly your 1-stop shop. Capitalism at its finest.

[via Fashionista]

Just in case you weren't satisfied with the wide array of color contacts out there, either because you don't feel like they look natural or because of those silly instructions telling you to take them out once in a while, you'll be glad to know that you might have an option. A Toronto man nicknamed Pauly Unstoppable (of course) got an eyeball tattoo. Say it with me: EEEEWWWWW!!!!

Over 40 injections were made into the man's eyeball in order to turn it blue. Not just the iris -- the whole thing. The procedure was entirely experimental (and GROSS), and Mr. Unstoppable made a point to say that this was something and his tattoo artist had researched, and that nobody should try this until he finds out whether it will make him go blind or not.

Fantastic. Hope those blue (eye)balls are worth it, man.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, fashiontribes.com, for giving me my favorite line of the week the month all of 2008 -- smart is the new black. I've long held the opinion that smart girls are sexy, but at times my orations on why Jane Austen heroines (like Elizabeth Bennett) are sexy because they're smart and witty and able to hold their own have been cut short by ditzy girls who forgot to wear a bra.

While we smart girls would ideally like to show off our big, sexy brains in a debate, there is a more subtle approach -- funky eyeglasses. If your SAT scores were low, they won't help you get into the right school, but if you can get a foot in the door, they'll certainly help you look the part.

Just be sure you don't opt for some boring wire frames -- think of glasses as just another accessory, and then make a statement with them. Check out the gallery for some of the hottest new styles from Lenscrafters.

I have to admit, I have a pretty serious collection of sunglasses, but hey -- I live in the south and it's always sunny! And eye health is important, y'all! Plus, almost all of them are really pretty.

Out of all my sunglasses, though, I only have one pair of Oakleys, and I really just got them for sports because they stay put so well -- I certainly didn't get them because they made me look like Audrey Hepburn. I really always thought that Oakley sunglasses were generally designed with rednecks and baseball players in mind.

It's not everyday (or any day for that matter) that I get to shop for men's sunglasses but today I did. I was pretty clueless at the start because to me all men's glasses look the same so I asked the salesclerk for a little assistance.

My victim makeover candidate and I were directed towards the brand Maui Jim, which was a new label to me. Maui Jim glasses are made with super-thin polarized lenses, 20% thinner than most to be exact and scratch resistant. I don't know if you have ever looked at the world through polarized lenses but I can tell you that it's pretty darn cool.

My test subject tried on many pairs of shades by Maui Jim but the clear winner was the 'Kahuna' shape. The rectangular frame was perfect for his face and he even got a compliment from some random guy passing by.

These glasses are available in a gunmetal color and a copper for $259 at Nordstrom stores and Nordstrom.com.