Summer shades

BEST BUYS

Now that summer is rolling around, one thing that you do have to do is invest in a good pair of sunglasses. We're not content anymore with the Rs 150 pair that we can buy from the shady (no pun intended) hawker down the street; now we want UV protection, frames that won't fall apart in two months, and a very healthy sprinkling of style. Here are the top designer sunglasses picks this summer:

Chanel
The last word in style, Chanel is finally in India. Of course, Chanel shades are not just available at the Imperial Hotel in New Delhi, where the showroom is; they've been available for years now at various counters and eye shops all over the country.

However, the Chanel showroom does keep a great selection in-store; check it out for the latest styles and colours. A pair of Chanel shades start at Rs 12,500 for a pair of unadorned acetate shades, but can go up to Rs 14,000 for a pair with Swarovski crystals embedded into the famous double C Chanel logo. Sunglasses are being worn big, big, big this summer "" and no one does this as well as Chanel.

Christian Dior
Available at the Dior showroom (at the Oberoi, again in New Delhi), these sunglasses are also available at various counters for glasses all over the country. Dior starts at the highly reasonable (for Dior) price of Rs 9,275, again for a pair of sunglasses with an acetate frame and no embellishment.

I saw a pair with a calfskin finish in crocodile skin "" if you want to be thus indulgent, it'll put you out Rs 26,000. A pair of glasses with a large "CD" on the sides, which the store manager assured me was the "pick of the season," will put you out Rs 14,000, and a pair with a mother of pearl frame will be Rs 10,000. Dior is also full of the larger-than-life styles; "unless it covers a third of your face, superstar-style, it's not going to sell this season," says the store manager.

Bvlgari
The Bvlgari showroom (again the one at New Delhi's Oberoi Hotel) didn't seem to have a lot on offer apart from very plain acetate frames (which you can get for Rs 18,000), but the store manager assured me that they would be getting their latest collection, Flora, in from Europe, in a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, Bvlgari is also available at various stores all across the country, the cheapest ones going for around Rs 16,800 and the most expensive, Swarovski-studded ones going for as much as Rs 24,000.

Gucci
Although there's no Gucci showroom in New Delhi (or anywhere else in India), I popped into Dayal Optics in Khan Market, where they had a very decent variety of designer sunglasses. The pick of the lot may, though, have been Gucci; with its trademark chunky logo on the ear stems. You can buy a pair of Gucci sunglasses for anywhere between Rs 7,000-13,000.

The man behind the counter even told me that if you pick a pair that have been launched enough seasons ago, you can even get it for as low as Rs 4,000. If it's a bargain you're looking for, they definitely don't come any better than this.

There are of course miscellaneous others; Armani is available for Rs 4,000 onwards; Prada in a range of Rs 12-14,000 on average, and if you really want to break the bank, why not try the mother of them all, Cartier, which, depending on how flamboyant you feel, can cost from Rs 28,000 to Rs 55,000.

Salvatore Ferragamo (pictured above), which is all set to take off in a big way in India, also does a mean pair of sunglasses, and if you're in Mumbai, do check out the Thanks store for Dolce & Gabbana and Fendi lines.