A Feast for the Eyes

Your swimsuit is passe by two seasons. You don’t cruise in a convertible. And your abs are flab.

But it’s OK. Face it, in L.A., the only thing that matters is sunglasses. We are, after all, the sunglass capital of the universe, which makes us the sultans of shades, the goddesses of non-glare, the titans of tint.

But before you cover those peepers, take a peek at what Blake Kuwahara, founder and designer for Culver City-based KATA Eyewear, says will be the hot trends.

The Colors: Chocolate brown, in various shades. Eggplant and navy are also rising like the mercury for both frames and lenses. Other hues to eyeball: ochre (burnt orange), violet, avocado and teal.

The Styles: Tone-on-tone for the frame and lenses, the latter being “a notch up or down” in shade. For example, an eggplant-colored frame would take a violet-tinted lens.

A shiny silver or burnished-silver metal front with plastic and metal accents--in silver or gunmetal--at the temples and sides.

For Women: An updated version of the Jackie O frame is more oval, more elegant and less garish.

For Men: The retro-aviator look is back, but this time the temples and sides are done in a metal-plastic fusion.