Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
Summer is still months away, but J.Crew is putting its stamp on the season's must-have accessory early. The brand just launched its "first full-fledged sunglasses collection," according to The New York Times.
The collection includes five different frames that span across 18 different new shades for women. The five varieties include the cat-eye frame called the Ryan, the oversized Betty, the Breakfast at Tiffany's-inspired Sam, a rectangular-shaped Irving, and the Jill, a pair of aviators literally designed to look better in photos.
J.Crew designer Jenna Lyons curved the aviators just so to better complement the face after seeing photos of herself wearing her signature shades. "Every time I see myself in a picture and I'm wearing aviators, I think ‘ugh,'" Jenna Lyons tells the NYT. "They have a tendency to tilt down, so that the top of the glass lifts away from your eyebrow and the bottom hits the top of your cheek. They aren't that flattering in photos — I know that sounds silly, but for us, it's a big thing."
The first offering of sunglasses from J.Crew is all about these details. Whether Lyons is focusing on picture-perfect aviators or working on a four-screw hinge that's extra sleek and durable and has some subtle J.Crew branding. "This was our way of putting our stamp on the sunglasses and showing we paid attention to the details," Lyons says.
J.Crew also has sunglasses on deck for men. There are three frames — the Jack, a classic aviator; the rectangular Irving; and the round Sam — each available in three colors, for a total of nine styles.
J.Crew's first sunglasses collection is available online now.