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Sunglasses
Sunglasses are a unique accessory in the fashion world: completely functional and necessary yet used and designed for style. Not only do they function to protect your eyes from the sun and to be able to see better, but they also function as an instant way to look cool. Sun protection was not the reason for the invention of sunglasses at all! In 12th century China, judges needed to look calm, cool, collected and detached while hearing cases. As a result, they wore the earliest form of sunglasses to achieve this keeping their eyes shielded and expressions hidden. The lenses were cut from pieces of smoky quartz. Difficult to see clearly through but effective for its actual purpose. From the 1900s and beyond, sunglasses became associated with movie stars! At this time, set lighting and paparazzi flash bulbs were so harsh and bright, they were literally blinding. This made female movie stars eyes appear red and watery making dark sunglasses essential. Oversize dark sunglasses also deterred fans and the paparazzi from even recognizing movie stars, further making this accessory essential. Sam Foster invented the first mass produced sunglasses that we would recognize as modern and sold them in the 1930s on the beaches of Atlantic City. In the 1940s, aviator sunglasses as we know them today were invented by Ray-Ban for WWII air force pilots, taking what was a female accessory into the world of menswear. 1950s eyewear is characterized by the cat eye shape by Marilyn Monroe. Wayfarers were also introduced at this time. In the 1960s everyone idolized Jackie Kennedy's oversize black round frames and the round frames were also popular because of John Lennon. Today, eyewear trends change every season and are so varied, you can no longer pinpoint a specific style to sunglasses. Each season is something different! 
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Assignment # 1
You will create a mood board (collage) of at least 10 different pairs of sunglasses. Some of the images will be sunglasses on models, and some will be just the sunglasses themselves. Complete this assignment just like the personal style mood board you completed for our first assignment. Reference that tutorial if you need a refresher. |
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Assignment # 2
You will be designing your own unique pair of sunglasses. It must include the following:
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