another SUPER season

This season, retro-chic sunglass brand SUPER by RETROSUPERFUTURE introduced four new slightly more futuristic styles to its already successful repertoire of updated throwback shades.

The new designs are stellar examples of what this Italian hand-made brand is really capable of.  With the Andrea and Lucia models (pictured above), Super has entered a new arena of frame design, removing the bottom half of the frame altogether and placing the dramatic statement on the upper portion.

The Lucia, in my opinion, is exactly the feminine touch that women need right now – a rounded and delicate lens, with a sexy edge.  Similarly, the thin earpiece curvature ending in a small ball emphasizes an ornate femininity. In a world of increasingly androgynous fashion, it’s refreshing that even a company dabbling heavily in the concept of unisexiness can create something just for the ladies.

On the other hand, unisex can be a beautiful thing.  The People model (You have to adore the he-or-she-or-both implications of the name) stays closer to the classic past styles of Super, with the intention of serving a more versatile purpose for “every need and occasion.”  Somewhere between the Colony Light and Summer Safari color options a vivid image of Annie Hall in a man’s shirt and high-waisted khaki trousers comes to mind.  If you want a unisex association, Diane Keaton’s your best bet.

I have to admit, I was slightly confused by the W model.  When I say confused, I don’t mean to say something negative about the design, which I find fantastic.  The geometric silhouette of the acetate actually drastically resembles the letter that the name implies, and the straight-line earpiece perpetuates a theme of architectural minimalism.  What confused me, however, was the typestyle they used for the model name and description format.  I repeatedly Googled co-branding between W Hotels Worldwide and SUPER and in the end, found nothing.  Just a font coincidence, we can assume?

The color range of the new styles depends on the particular model, but all maintain that certain “safari” something.  They’ve developed their signature material of choice, Acetate, to include basics from white (Avorio) to Tortoise-esque (Havana Glitter) to Puma.  And just in case you don’t know exactly what a Puma’s print should look like – as I didn’t – you will after taking a look at this SUPER collection.