Gabby, the BG Style Editor, gives you the lowdown on what's hot in shades this summer.

Sunglasses can make or break more than just your outfit. They can affect your game. Face it, one of the first things that hot chick is going to notice about you this summer is your sunglasses.

But your shades have to give off the right vibe. There's a very fine line between "Hot Guy With Confidence and Style" and "D-Bag Trying Too Hard".

I spoke with the stylists at the Solstice Sunglass Boutique to get an idea of what's hot this summer... and what kind of guy should be wearing what frames.

So here is your quick guide to fitting your shades to your personal style:

Indie Rockers (You're a Cold War Kids fan, wear skinny jeans, plaid shirts, and anything nonconformist)

You've got that "not concerned with others’ viewpoints of me" attitude in regards to your lifestyle, music, and clothing. Pair these hot specs with your favorite hoodie and gray straight leg denim.


Hip Hop Lovers (You've got Common on heavy rotation and rock kicks like Nike SB and BAPE)

Keep the bad boy styles going by sporting these hot red frames with some fresh new kicks (try the R+ Sneaker by Rocawear) and a deep V-neck tee. These ‘80s inspired shades by Carrera have been seen on celebs such as Kanye West, Gwen Stefani, and Usher.


Surfers-Skaters-Snowboarders (You listen to Taking Back Sunday, have an ever present skate-/surf-/snowboards, and wear Kenneth Cole work shoes by day and Vans by night)

Wear these ocean blue aviators with your favorite boardshorts, tee, and straw fedora.


Mr. Eclectic (You rock out to whatever you deem cool, wear whatever is clean without a care of what’s “in,” are always on the go, and are a work hard-play harder disciple)

You need to keep a look that plays off your laid back style and personality. These classic shades look great regardless of the outfit.

Check out any of the featured styles at www.solsticestores.com

Wondering what's the one piece of clothing no guy should be without? Didn't think so. But I was, so I spoke to our friend Fred Reali, snappy dresser and chief style guru over at Hamilton Douglass Clothiers, and asked him.

He came back with an immediate answer: The White Shirt. (And the way he said it, I'm pretty sure all the words were capitalized.)

Season after season, year after year, it leads the list of wardrobe staples.

Why's the white shirt so essential? Reali backs it up with four good reasons:

1. Very few pieces have the level of versatility of a white shirt. It's a fresh canvas, that can be painted upon with any color or pattern of necktie and worn with everything. (Style gurus talk like that.)

2. The white shirt is the number one selling shirt color in the world, and is gaining ground in popularity. It's followed closely only by blue. Everything else, in the way of patterns, stripes, etc. is a distant third.

3. When times are tough men want to be serious about their look. In a vibrant booming economy many men turned to colorful dress shirts. Now, in an era of restraint and conservatism, a simple white dress shirt sends a savvy and timely message that a man is seriously ready for work.

4. Whether it's properly pressed and crisply accenting a pinstriped suit or worn wrinkled with a pair of faded jeans, the white shirt is about as classic of a fashion icon as they make.

And who doesn't want to be iconic?

www.hamiltondouglass.com