a pretty how town: Shade-y Business

Ok, I confess - the slightest smidgeon of sunshine leaks through my Venetian blinds of a morning at this time of year and I get a bit giddy.Whilst I've learned that looks can be deceiving and a cloudless sky does not necessarily sundress-worthy weather make, there's nothing to say that your eyes don't need protecting from Winter sun just as much as they do in the height of Summer.

So the combination of an ever-so-slightly sunny day in Leeds (even though it'll be night-time by 4pm) and some pre-emptive Summer holiday planning prompted me to write a sunglasses post.

I have two pairs of sunglasses; a pair of black miu miu shades and some white Louis Vuitton ones. The first I wear on a day-to-day basis, the latter make a bit more of a statement so get worn a little less often.

It's fair to say then, that I'm a designer shades convert. I'm not under any pretences that I'm a celebutante or a socialite or anything; they're just nice sunglasses.

Once upon a time, I used to wear similar styles from high-street chains, which were great value, but I am the clumsiest person ever and would inevitably sit on my Sunny-Gs with depressing regularity and ended up spending about £10-£15 every two weeks or so on a new pair.

One day, when I was feeling a bit flush, and they were 10% off, I bought my miu miu sunglasses. Getting home I have to admit I had a bit of buyer's remorse because I feared I would squish them and they'd end up in the sunglass-graveyard of.. somewhere under my bed most likely.

BUT this story has a happy ending because I've now had them about 3 years and they're almost as good as new, go with everything, get loads of compliments, and most importantly, protect my peepers.

Anyway, the moral of the story is: Designer Sunglasses = a worthwhile investment.

My advice for if - like me - you have a limited budget, would be:

1. Get a style that suits your face shape; rounder shapes will soften more angular faces and angular shapes help define a rounder face (generally speaking). If you wear glasses, you might have an idea of this already.

2. Choose a colour/pattern that will go with pretty much everything - white is not as versatile as you may think, but black and brown shades (especially tortoiseshell - a timeless classic) will go with pretty much everything. Next on my list are a pair of tortoiseshell Dior frames or Marc Jacobs ones, depending on my budget.

3. Look after them as best you can! - always keep them in their case, wash them with the correct equipment (you'll most likely be advised on this when you buy them).

4. If you can only afford one pair and need them to be versatile, try to avoid a great deal of bling on them. Simple is effective. Having said that, my ma got a great pair of brown Bulgari sunglasses with a silver ring on each arm and I have to admit to stealing those sometimes (read - whenever I can get my hands on them).

5. Buy them from somewhere like The Sunglass Hut or any number of online retailers (just make sure they're secure - look for the Verified by Visa logo before giving any card details!); often you can get a second pair at a reduced price or they'll have a sale on.

So I'll leave you with a few nostalgic pictures of me enjoying my shades in many a sunny clime:

Bratislava/Venice/Lake Geneva/Barcelona/Zagreb/Lisbon