Your Shape, Your Hair, Your Pair

Leave the tough task of choosing your perfect pair of sunglasses to Velvet! With our guide, it has never been so easy.

We believe there only need to be two simple steps when choosing your perfect pair of sunglasses, but that is our little secret! There are four basic face shapes and hair colors that play into picking your perfect pair of sunglasses and we have put them in a detailed chart to make your online shopping experience quick and simple. Our Velvet Trends line makes it easy to stay up on the latest trends, and now this guide personalizes them for YOU and your unique features. As always, make sure your sunglasses are 100% UV protected, but we have that covered!

Pick your matched hair color and face shape from the guide below and VIOLA! You have found the style best fit for you.

Fun, Flirty, & FREE

Show off your sexy, summer style with 5 new pair of sunglasses, courtesy of Velvet!

Sign up on our home page to enter to win.

We will pick ONE lucky Velvet babe on August 12th!

Memorial Day Sale!

Special thanks to
@juliacomil and houseofcomil.com
@styledsugarplum and styledsugarplum.com
@ownbyfemme and youtube.com/ownbyfemmetv

Lady Gaga’s “Must Read” Message

Lady Gaga slayed it during the Super Bowl halftime show and has a powerful “must read” message for all the Super Bowl body shamers that took to social media negatively.

“I heard my body is a topic of conversation so I wanted to say, I’m proud of my body and you should be proud of yours too. No matter who you are or what you do. I could give you a million reasons why you don’t need to cater to anyone or anything to succeed. Be you, and be relentlessly you. That’s the stuff of champions. thank you so much everyone for supporting me. I love you guys. Xoxo, gaga”

When the tweets started to fly we wondered how Lady Gaga would react….well she reacted just like a LADY! and we say to the body shamers “BLAH BLAH BLAH”…she rocked it and her performance will go down as one of the best Super Bowl halftime shows ever. Her powerful, inspirational message is definitely a “must read”.

Meet Cindy Hussey from Velvet Eyewear…Interviewed by Helen Jon

Passion, drive, and a little bit of luck! Read more about how Cindy Hussey, Founder and Creative Director of Velvet Eyewear, found her niche, grew her company, and had a lot of fun along the way.

Q: We love learning from successful businesswomen who make a difference — and hearing their stories. Tell us, what motivated you to launch your own eyewear business
A: Originally because I just can’t see! I have worn glasses since I was in the first grade when the only selection was a cat eye style in pink or blue. I started in the eyewear business as a retailer fitting and filling prescriptions, and after 10 years shifted to my own brand, Velvet.
 
Q: Is there a specific, meaningful quotation or directive that exemplifies how to best achieve success and balance in life and business?
A: “Stick to what you know.” My mentor told me this when I was about 18. I was fascinated with his success. He stuck to it through the peaks and valleys of the business cycle over many, many years. And, balance is something I am working on more now than ever.
 
Q: You are a true innovator.  You are a creative thinker, designer, marketing maven, optician — and business leader. Tell us, where, in your opinion, do the great new ideas in business come from? Is it filling a needed niche, being in front of a trend, having a passion and drive, all or none of the above?
A: ALL of the above for sure! And I would add survival and luck.
 
Q: We love the name Velvet Eyewear and all of the sensory imagery it connotes. How did you come up with the name “Velvet?” 
A: It was so random. I was looking for a name for a men’s line and they wanted it to start with a “V.” It seemed like I searched for weeks and finally was at the end of the internet (haha) and I came across Velvet. I fell in love immediately with the name for so many reasons. It wasn’t a good name for a men’s line, but sometimes the best things in life happen when you aren’t looking for them. ☺
 
Q:  At Helen Jon, we care very much about protecting against the sun’s harmful effects. Our surf shirts have UPF 50 built in, which is something we are very proud of.  Your eyewear uses a special lens that has been specifically designed to block out 100% of the harmful UV rays and reduce heat and eye strain. You say, “block in beauty; block out harmful UV rays.”  Tell us more about how these lenses slow down signs of aging and protect our eyes.
A: UV is one of the harshest elements in our environment that we are exposed to every time we go outside. Some days are harsher than others, but UV is always present. At Velvet, we use 100% UV protection lenses, and we are the first company to inform women that wearing sunglasses can actually help you fight fine lines and crow’s feet. The eyewear industry has always talked about your eye health (super important) but wearing good sunglasses, like Velvet, can actually slow down the aging process around your eyes too. So wear sunglasses every day!
 
Q: Short of bringing your most trusted (and honest!) friend shopping, what is the best way to pick the most flattering pair of eyeglasses and sunglasses? Face shape, hair color, personal style? How about your “Try It” app, which we happen to think is ingenious.
A: The easiest way to pick the right shape is to choose the shape opposite of your face shape. If you have a round face, buy a square shape, if you have a square face, buy round, etc. Frame color is a bit more complicated and depends on your budget. If you can buy multiple pairs then buy many color options. If you want just one pair, then choose a color that you want to wear all the time and think about your wardrobe. You may love that orange frame in the store, but it might not look good every day.
 
Q: What is the newest trend in the world of eyewear?
A:  Trends are moving fast in eyewear, just like fashion. This is what inspired us to launch our Velvet Trends sunglass collection last year. It is fully on trend, fast fashion at a super affordable price so our customers can buy many and often. Our Velvet Collection is more classic, timeless, simplistic, and modern.  
 
Q: We have all loved and then lost a favorite pair of glasses. Any tips?
A: Don’t sweat it….have fun finding a new love and look!
 
Q: Wearing sunglasses has always been a true style-marker, a great way to express oneself, to have a little fun, feel a little prettier, a little more unique. What is your favorite, iconic sunglass moment?
A: There are soooooooo many! Velvet is not just mildly influenced by our American icons…I’d say HUGELY influenced. We love Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, and Janis Joplin. They influenced the eyewear scene forever. I’d say my favorite moment is Jackie Kennedy in anything! Love her style.
 
Q: You have a deep connection to art and its place and importance in history. And we love your commitment to arts education for kids! Tell us more about this. 
A: Art education shapes and SAVES lives and should be available to kids through our educational systems. We support the arts through our foundation by providing recycled materials and funds to organizations that supply our schools with resources they need. We also support the Arts through creative contests, internships, summer camp programs, and educational grants offered to young adults. 
 
Talent can be found in anyone…no matter their race, gender, or social economic circumstance. Let’s find it! Keep “Art” in schools.

We couldn’t agree more. Thanks to Cindy Hussey for talking to us. We have loved getting to know you a little bit better, and we will for sure be visiting Velvet Eyewear for our next pair of sunnies! 

Color Outlook: New Colors For Every Occasion

The same way that sunshine can brighten someone’s day, colors can brighten any outfit!

This season we’re all about adding a pop of color to our look!  From gorgeous tortoise to dark olive, Velvet Eyewear has something for everyone – no matter your personal style!

Lighten up your ensemble with a sexy nude, or go bold with aqua tortoise. No matter what you decide, have FUN! with Velvet fashion!

Explore all of our different color options and let us know what you love the most in the comments below!

XO

Fringe Benefits

Fall is undeniably the best season for fashion for a multitude of reasons.

First and foremost, anything goes in the fall. It’s a time to experiment and try out different fall trends. You can re-invent yourself through your wardrobe and you can mix and match your summer faves with your newfound fall obsessions.

This year, fringe is back – and better than ever, might we add!

Mixing fringe into your ensemble is a perfect way to add some flair into your everyday outfits and it can turn even the most casual looks into runway-ready styles!

Our favorite ‘fringe benefit‘ is the way it pairs perfectly with denim.

So have fun with fringe this fall and, of course, don’t forget a pair of Velvet Eyewear sunglasses to finish off your look!

Back To School Basics: It’s OK To Be Nude!

 

Fall is a time for new fashions and new fun!

As the summer sun begins to set and when the leaves begin to change color once again, it can only mean one thing: It’s time for Back-To-School styles!

While we know getting ready to go back to school can be stressful, Velvet Eyewear is here to help you with all of your back-to-school optical needs.

What’s our favorite color for fall, you ask?

We love our NUDES!

Lately we have been finding ourselves obsessing over different variations of nude coloring frames that offer an ultra-chic look that is sure to turn heads in the halls!

We are excited to announce that we have a wide selection of brand new optical frames available in nude and nude/umbre colors and we know that you will LOVE them just as much as we do.

Click here to find a Velvet Eyewear retailer near you!

 

Velvet Eyewear, Exposed!

If you follow us on Instagram, @velvet_eyewear, you inevitably noticed that lately we have been taking a break from posting pictures containing frames from our Velvet collection, and instead have been posting pictures from our Velvet Trends collection.

If you have found yourself wondering the difference between the two collections, we have all of the answers for you here in this blog!

Cindy Hussey, designer and founder of Velvet Eyewear, has answered all of your questions in this article that we are calling ‘Velvet Eyewear, Exposed!’

 

Q: What is your inspiration for Velvet Eyewear?

A: “Awwwe, that’s a loaded question! Velvet is such a big part of my life – it’s like my child. If I had to nail down the most inspiration, however, it would have to be all of the girls/women out there that need glasses. It makes me happy to give girls/women a brand of glasses and sunglasses that are truly designed for them, their features, and that are produced using all the very BEST! raw materials and factories… really brings joy to me when I hear how much they love Velvet. I love it too!

Q: What is Velvet Trends?

A: Velvet Trends is our lower price point Sunglass Collection providing super “fast fashion” to our consumer. We don’t produce optical frames under this label – yet – but we may in the future.

Q: Why did you decide to create the Velvet Trends Collection? What was your inspiration behind the Trends line?

A: Last year, sunglass styles took off in an aggressive design direction, so we created our Velvet Trends Collection to give girls/women the opportunity to explore trends without sacrificing their budget. The Velvet Trends collection is super affordable, very trendy, and again, as with our Velvet Collection, we’ve got the girls covered with quality AND price!

Q: What are the differences between the two collections?

A: Our Velvet Collection is modern, classic, handmade and ultimately timeless and some styles will be in the line year after year. All the styles of both sun and optical can be used with your prescription. The Velvet Collection of sunglasses feature Zeiss Lenses and our “BB” Lens technology to help fight fine lines and wrinkles.

The Velvet Trends Collection is purely fashion and the styles are only available for one season. We don’t plan to carry over any styles from one year to the next. You cannot put RX in them – at least I would not advise it. The lenses are 100% UV protection, of course!
 

Q: What are you looking forward to most for the respective collections in the upcoming seasons?

A: I am really looking forward to seeing all of our NEW styles and colors! We are known for creating some of the most beautiful, wearable colors… so stay tuned! We never disappoint!

Q:What are your favorite pair of sunglasses from each line!

A: I love the Farrah in our Velvet Collection. I wear it almost every day in the toastie almond color. From the Velvet Trends collection, I would have to say the Gloria in white. It’s a very sexy summer style!