Eyewear Efficiency: What's DG, D&G and Dolce & Gabbana?

Let's clear the air.

It's often the case with designer items that other brands exist that appear to 'rip them off'. This can be confusing because people can sometimes buy items which are not designer without realising. I considered this recently when I chose to buy some sunglasses from DG Eyewear. Basically I love how the sunglasses look and they had the UV 400 protection I required for travelling (which is why they were purchased). However I did think what if somebody mistakened these for Dolce & Gabbana, unknowingly buying sunglasses which are actually from another company?

DG Eyewear are not a Dolce & Gabbana rip-off they are simply a copyrighted, independent brand in their own right. Manufactured in China, they offer a range of styles and colours. DG Eyewear are not advertised as part of Dolce and Gabbanna so shouldn't be treated as if they are.

Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses are always made in Italy, Dolce & Gabbana has a cheaper line called D&G, where a few are made in Italy, but the majority is made in China for ease of cost. To notice whether sunglasses are part of the usual Dolce and Gabbana, or their cheaper range, look at the model number. Dolce & Gabbana's number includes DG and D&G's use DD.

At the very bottom of the DG Eyewear site is a disclaimer "DG Eyewear ®, Dolce & Gabbana Sunglasses ® and D&G Sunglasses ® are separate trademarked brands. We only sell DG Eyewear® branded sunglasses. If you are looking for Dolce & Gabbana Sunglasses ® or D&G Sunglasses ®, please visit an authorized dealer."

In my opinion, you shouldn't be frightened of buying a brand if it is legitimately independent. I really like the sunglasses I chose as they suit the function I required them for (and if I break them I won't feel as guilty). Just make sure you do your research first!

DG Eyewear

D&G

Dolce & Gabbana

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London Trip: Outfit Post

What with one thing and another I've been finding myself visiting London quite a lot at the moment and I'm not complaining with it being England's Capital of Fashion. In my most recent visit to London I went to the +The National Gallery  I was hoping to also go into the Tate but one day didn't really give me enough time to fully appreciate more than one gallery. I went mainly to gather inspiration for my Art & Design studies and unsurprisingly the gallery did give me some great ideas. I quite enjoyed the Michael Landy: Saints Alive exhibition which is currently running from the 23 May - 24 November this year.

However it wasn't the gallery alone which inspired me it was also London as a whole. Trafalgar Square is such a lovely place to visit and I went to see my favourite lion (pictured with me above). I love the classic architecture as it reminds me of similar designs you might see in St Marco's Square, Italy, something which in some parts of England, outside of the main parts of London, we unfortunately lack.

I also find the Underground an unusual yet inspiring place. There always seems to be someone playing acoustic music down there and the stereotypical 'London Underground' sign gives me a nostalgic sense of security (a bit like the red buses) which I don't think you can get anywhere else.

I've written 'Outfit post' in the title - this is because I thought I'd include what I wore whilst in London. Firstly is this amazing flowered t-shirt from South, which I really like because of the material which attaches the sleeves to the body giving a 'winged' effect. I paired it with some YesYes jeans along with my favourite earcuff and a few rings from Topshop, a River Island bag in red, a biker jacket from Miss Selfridge and my own DIY 'Stardust Walker' heels: instructions can be found here.

P.S. Sorry for the late post I've just started back at school and everything's a little hectic and for those of you that didn't already know +London Fashion Week has now started!

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Italian Sunset

My trip to Italy was as fantastic as ever. The art over there is really like no other and I feel fortunate to have visited as many exhibitions and seen as much as I did in the space of two weeks. Whilst in Italy I saw a mixture of both classical and modern art -seeing 'The Kiss' and Andy Warhol's collection were just two of the many highlights. However I clearly didn't go for the art alone. The first part of my visit was spent in Milan. I loved this part because it was an excuse to go round all the shops! It was nice to be able to see a lot of clothes I had seen from various fashion shows on the internet 'in the flesh'. I spent a lot of time in Dolce and Gabbana -their store has such a nice layout and nearly every street I went down had an entrance into another part of the store which I thought was really useful (and a good marketing technique) as you were able to see different collections at each entrance. Other stores I enjoyed visiting included Louis Vuitton, Armani, Prada, Roberto Cavalli and Versace. I also discovered a less well-known store called 'Twin-Set' (Simona Barbieri) where several of the designs caught my attention. This is the second time I've visited Italy although I have a sneaky feeling it won't be the last.

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