How Anderson Cooper Should Have Shielded His Baby Blues
Catalog is an experiment from the biz side of Gawker. (So to be clear, this post is not standard editorial). Now and then, we'll deliver content about products you can buy... or at least dream of buying. Today's contributor is Bureau of Trade, a digital authority in acquiring analog cultural objects.
Poor Anderson. As you might have heard, while A.C. was on assignment in Portugal, the raposa de prata (the silver fox's Portuguese alias) injured the heart-melters he usually keeps lodged in the protective casing of his skull: his eyes. Those baby blues are suffering temporary blindness from sunburn of the eyeballs he sustained after an afternoon of boating. (We're certain he caught himself a story "this big").
Fear not: there is a cure. Photokeratitis, or sun-blindness, may be a serious condition, but according to most ophthalmologists, it is easily prevented by using a medical device known as "sunglasses."
Today, we're following doctor's orders, selecting five especially potent pairs for you—and for the news personalities you love.
1. Vintage Carrera 5152 "Hugo Boss" Sunglasses
Suitable for: Lead feet and big heads. Speed demons can benefit from a pair of shades that some might consider the "door prize" for buying a Carrera. We happen to think Porsche Design Group deserves more credit than it gets for producing a range of superb accessories. Not including their clear geometric kitchens.
2. Vintage Persol Meflecto Sunglasses
Suitable for: Mastroianni (Marcello) and Loren (Sofia). Like many products designed before the era of planned obsolescence in manufacturing, the Persol Meflecto was built to stick around. Featuring a flexible temple, these frames are very hard to break. On another note, we'd strongly recommend not trying to break them – especially with superhuman gaynchor (gay+anchor) strength.
3. Moscot Lemtosh Sunglasses
Suitable for: The original geek chic. Exemplary frames, made by a Lower East Side mainstay, now in its fourth generation of family ownership. Moscot frames were worn by Buddy Holly, Truman Capote, and, to a lesser extent, Kanye West. They're also perfect for ripping off, for dramatic effect, and saying things like "we lost the satellite." Or, "Kate's having twins."
4. Vintage 1980s Ray Ban Sunglasses
Suitable for: 2 Live Crew, Rakim, and Eric B. They aren't the gigantic Cazals favored by Run-DMC, but these Ray Ban's evoke hip-hop's heyday without overdoing it. We're particularly fond of the layered color on the inside of the bridge and temples – a detail you won't be able to see until you're...quite close to the wearer. Luckily Anderson Cooper smells like the morning dew on a crocus.
5. Vintage Ray Ban Vagabond Olympic Sunglasses
Suitable for: Flaneurs, wanderers, and perambulators. The Wayfarer may be the more "iconic" of the classic Ray Ban designs, but the Vagabond deserves its place in the sun. Striking a larger profile, and commanding more valuable real estate (precious space, on your face), these are sunglasses one can hide behind—or cry behind when your talk show gets cancelled.
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