Usher
Usher sported a pair of Ray Ban aviators on the red carpet. A pretty classic, casual look.

Vampire Weekend
Two of the foursome Vampire Weekend showed their specs, as well. A classic pair of Ray Ban wayfarers and a tortoise shell pair of “nerd” glasses completed the dudes’ looks.

Gaga
Lady Gaga kept with her tradition of wearing multiple outfits throughout the evening. Her last look was completed with a pair of Marc by Marc Jacobs sunglasses. The singer took home the award for best pop album of the year.

Cee-Lo
One of the biggest surprises of the night was Cee-Lo Green’s costume. Inspired by Elton John’s costume when he guest starred on The Muppet Show, Green performed with Gwyneth Paltrow and backup muppet singers. On top of it all, he wore some really cool, large white-rimmed shades.

Our only conclusion is that the limelight must be really bright because sunglasses were in abundance. Regardless, we loved seeing such fashionable glasses and one of the biggest winners seemed to be Ray Ban, who provided the sunglasses and glasses for the majority of the musicians.

More photos here and here.

With the popularity of 3D movies on the constant rise, 3D glasses are becoming more and more of a necessary accessory at the cinema. As we’ve learned before, reusable 3D glasses are not exactly sanitary either.

So what more could you want than your own pair of 3D glasses, right? Just think of the benefits…and potential price tag.The TRON: Legacy glasses by Oakley are futuristic and may require some financial foresight as they retail for $150. They’re expensive, yes, but being Oakley, you’re assured good quality and you’ll be sure to get a bit of use out of them because 3D technology doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. The glasses hit stores this month and can also be found at Oakley’s website.Gucci and Armani have also jumped on the 3D-fashion wagon and have announced their own lines of 3D-wear. The glasses are reported to drop in December with a price on the Armani pair at a reasonable $58, while the Gucci glasses will retail at $225.

It’s difficult to imagine the exact market for these glasses. In times of economic turmoil, many are not happy with paying five extra dollars for a movie in 3D, let alone dropping a hundred or two on glasses that are not compatible with home 3D technology. Nevertheless, these glasses are super neat and will make movie watching much more comfortable and less dorky than the average 3D experience.

UPDATE (Nov. 6th, 2010):

Looks like Calvin Klein is joining the ranks of designer 3D Glasses as well. More here.

founded on culture, creativity, and passion along with the desire to push the eyewear industry to a new level through technological innovation and ecological consciousness.

DRIFT is ambitiously looking to change the way we see eyewear, and likewise to change the means by which we see. DRIFT glasses are hand-crafted from a choice of fair-source woods and plastics. All of the materials are fair trade, which means that all products are made by sustainable means by workers in humane conditions. Projecting a “sense of value” is apart of DRIFT’s ethos and the company is committed to the fair trade philosophy in everything from the materials for the glasses to the accessories, such as travel pouches, as well as the paper used for marketing.

In a time when environmental and ethical consciousness in business is becoming more desirable for consumers and businesses alike, DRIFT meets the fair trade challenge and additionally gives 1% of net sales to planet preservation with 1% for the Planet.Christ Mantz, designer and founder, began DRIFT with an idea and skateboard wood. While the first product was less than wearable, Mantz had his light bulb moment; he had found the idea he was looking for.

Now that DRIFT is in full swing, they offer multiple wood combinations including:

• Wenge on walnut
• Wenge on maple
• Walnut on maple
• Walnut on walnut
• Wenge on walnut heartwood
• Dark bamboo on wenge
• Light bamboo on walnut

Additionally, there are white or black finished frames to choose from. All frames are able to be fitted with prescription lenses. The temples feature  patent pending technology called PressureFLEX that uses a layer of walnut with a stainless steel insert for “optimal…strength, flexibility, and balance.”

It’s honestly difficult to stop talking about these glasses. DRIFT Eyewear® really is something completely new.  The design plays on classic style with a new approach. The business is run with a fair trade mentality and creates high quality products.  DRIFT is avant-garde eyewear: it’s new, yet retro, and guilt-free.

The only real trouble I’m finding is choosing a pair…

The Lisa Loeb Collection includes some unisex styles in addition to their rhinestone embroidered frames. The design is simple, elegant, and fun with the motto, “a new standard for everyday chic.”

And the styles succeed. They’re basic, but unique. Simple, but interesting. There’s a wide array of colors to choose from and many styles for many faces and personalities.

Throughout her career, Loeb has been known for her eyewear and now, as she shares her style through her collection, we can “see the world through her eyes.”

As early as 2007, when Scarlett Johansson received the Hasty Pudding Award from Harvard University’s drama department she opted for the nerd chic look at the award ceremony.

Justin Timberlake recently launched an eyewear line with the nerdy specs he’s been seen in lately. Madonna’s gone back to her large 80′s glasses. Even “older” celebrities, such as Demi Moore and Susan Sarandon, have been sporting the nerd eyewear as of late sparking the question from one blogger, are these celebs “too old to wear nerd glasses?” Is this throwback fashion only for newcomers or can those who embraced this trend the first time around enjoy its revival? As we see in AMC’s Mad Men, what we call nerd glasses were popular long before today.

There’s the intellectual look of which nerd glasses are an integral part. The popular radio and TV host, Ira Glass, is a terrific representation of this smart look epitomized by glasses.

Then there’s the hordes of sites commenting (read: raving) on Justin Bieber’s new look “nerdy-cute,” for he can do no wrong.

There are numerous fashion blogs dedicated to just nerd glasses, too. “What to Wear Now,”an about.com page details why you want nerd glasses. nerdyglasses.net actually retails glasses in addition to raving about them.

On such a pervasive fashion trend, everyone has an opinion and unsurprisingly they’re not all favorable. One blogger pokes fun at celebrities like Lindsay Lohan and Hillary Duff sporting nerd-chic when really these ladies are the antithesis of nerdiness. There are even Facebook pages dedicated solely to nerd glasses.

Regardless of its origin, rather it’s origins – many credit the runway, many the cyclical nature of fashion, but whether or not we know from where this trend has come, it is here and, for the most part, we like it.

Your own Bespeckled has written many articles about celebrities and their personal style, fashion eyewear lines, and more. The nerd glasses have redefined what it is to wear glasses. No longer are glasses a necessity that is only sometimes fashionable. Glasses are now on a plane with necklaces, watches, earrings, and any other item used to add something to your look. Glasses are not strictly pragmatic; they are pure fashion. Even if you need glasses, they are now fashion. One can buy nonprescription glasses at a variety of places, one of the most popular being Hot Topic. There are even varying degrees of nerd glasses: there’s the look of the mainstream Bieber-esque youth and then there’s the vintage, hipster nerd look represented largely by American Apparel. Your own Just Eyewear has a selection of nerd glasses available in a variety looks from modern-nerd to the vintage throwback look.

The nerd look has become fashion. It’s no longer about being unpopular or unattractive. It’s an ironic twist to fashion making one of the most iconic features of the uncool one of the most popular accessories of today. It’s not new, but it’s fresh. And finally we can all unabashedly embrace our inner nerd.

QEII Setting a New Trend? (Image Credit: Chris Jackson-Pool/Getty Images)

Check out these 3D glasses worn by none other than Queen Elizabeth II. No throw-away, possibly contaminated pair would do for royalty, though; these were specially made for the queen, with a Swarovski crystal-studded “Q” on the frame temples. Methinks I need my own crystal-studded glasses!

The funny thing is, the “advanced” 3D video clip Pinewood Studios showed Queen Elizabeth II looks kind of hokey to me. I love a good Bollywood musical as much as the next gal, but I would have gone with something a little more impressive to show the queen. Maybe I’m just missing the coolness because I’m not wearing 3D glasses?

Take the poll at Huffington Post on whether you think the queen looks awesome or just plain silly in her personalized frames.

Justin Bieber proves it is possible to rock huge white (usually unflattering) frames and make them actually look kind of cool. The power of celebrities and glasses! (photo source: posh24.com)

Posh24 posted an awesome article highlighting major A-list celebrities donning—what else?—eyeglasses! It’s proof that glasses really are becoming the new “fashion accessory.” Stars include the one-and-only Johnny Depp, love-to-hate Lindsay Lohan, ever cool Ne-Yo, Emily Blunt (rocking a girl-next-door look), Britney Spears (who needs our tips on picking a flattering pair of glasses), over-cat-eyed Katy Perry, classic Joe Jonas, geeky-chic Justin Timberlake (whose glasses line we blogged about recently)… and the celebrity list goes on and on.

Check them out here.

And just in case that didn’t satisfy your celebs-with-glasses fix, check out the makeunder of Jewel using a fake nose, glasses (woohoo!), and butt padding. I only wish I was at that karaoke bar when this prank went down.

In the Beginning

The hit single “Stay” eventually reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart – an all-time first for any US artist not signed to a major record label. The song’s music video was directed by Ethan Hawk, who is a friend of Loeb, and was simple to an extreme. It featured her in a black dress and her trademark glasses, and used no audio or visual effects whatsoever. Additionally, the video was filmed in just two takes according to VH1 and the song was also used on the soundtrack of the Ben Stiller movie “Reality Bites”.

The LL Collection

Sixteen years have passed since Loeb propelled the “sexy nerd girl” look into the mainstream. Instead of fading into obscurity over the years or becoming a dated style specific to the 1990′s, the librarian glasses she popularized have become as timeless as ponytails, t-shirts and flip flops. In 2010, Loeb is launching her own line of frames with Classique Eyewear called The LL Collection. “People have been asking me about my eyewear style for years,” she told People.  “Finally I decided – why not design my own line – so other people can see the world the way I do.”

Her line includes streamlined frames in black, tortoiseshell and other bold colors as well as frames accented with rhinestones and engravings. The Classique website describes the line as “Flirty. Approachable. Witty. Sincere.” and says that each frame bares the title of one of Loeb’s iconic songs.

Although time will tell how big of a hit Loeb’s line of eyewear will be, one thing is certain – the timeless look she represents isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

In an interview about the new line, Gabbana said “We’re so excited. This further strengthens our relationship with Madonna, and it was a very constructive experience for us. [Madonna] is very exacting and a professional who seeks perfection in everything she does, and this was no exception.”

Dolce, who is also a personal friend of Madonna, added that he knew she was wanting to get into design. “So we thought ‘Why not do something together and unite two very strong and high-profile names?’” he said. Designers Dolce and Gabbana came up with over 50 sketches of different potential styles of sunglasses and sent them to Madonna, who then altered the drawings to add her own personal touch.

Courtsey of MDG

Madonna, The Marketing Mastermind

The ad campaign for the line of glasses, which will begin showing up in magazines and on billboards nationwide in May, was masterminded by Madonna and shot by her favorite photographer, Steven Klein. The photographs are stills from a video of Madonna that Klein shot in a studio in New York. Gabbana said that Madonna was playing the part of none other than herself in the video. “She’s the way people see her – a real star, admired, desired, and spied.” he said.

A Megastar’s Unique Sense of Style

In spite of the fact that this is the first time she’s released her own line of eyewear, Madonna is no stranger to spectacles. On her “Sticky and Sweet” tour she was spotted on stage in “Buddy Holly” specs, a look ever-popular with the younger hipster crowd. Madonna is a natural candidate for rockin’ this style, since the key to success with these types of glasses relies on them being paired as a counterpoint to genuine facial beauty – a strong point for the middle aged but still gorgeous singer. The look has been emulated not just by scenesters in coffeeshops nationwide, but by Madonna’s own daughter.

Madonna in Geeky Glasses

A Family Affair

Lourdes Ciccone Leon, Madonna’s adolescent daughter, was spotted wearing similar glasses after attending a Kabbalah service in New York. Seen wearing thick black rimmed glasses, the girl looked surprisingly like a younger, more olive-toned version of her mother.