Shadow of Her Smile

"Sunglasses now sell faster than lipstick and makeup," says Sea & Ski Corp. President William Randall. "Women buy wardrobes of them, just as they do shoes." And like all fashions, variety is their spice. This spring the vogue is for bold geometries: big, wide rectangles, squares, octagons and ovals, in dazzling op designs. Frames come in all black, all white, one eye black and the other white, black and white stripes, checks, or combinations of both. Just for fun, some glasses come armed with roll-up awnings and huge fake eyelashes; others sport spectacular papier-mache designs glued on to the frames; still others have movable lenses that lift up into a coy wink. In Riviera's new one-way mirror models, the lenses also are decorated; the wearer looks out through a patterned blur, the onlooker is greeted with his own checkered reflection.

Even newer are the shades that really shade: face-size visors reminiscent of the welder's mask or bookkeeper's eye-shield. They were launched 18 months ago by Coty Award-winning Milliner Halston, who was inspired by the green eyeshield worn by his elderly seamstress. Soon they were shown by other designers (Rudi Gernreich, Andre Courreges, Paco Rabanne), but they did not catch on until this year. Suddenly they are everywhere: at the five and ten for $1, at Manhattan's Bergdorf Goodman (home of Halston) for $55.

They come in all sizes and shapes. Visors attach to the head via headbands or ribbons. Short versions just cover the eyes; full-face ones reach the mouth. Women like them because they keep hair in place, protect face from the sun and prying eyes. In fact, for the girl with a great figure but only passable face, they are an unbeatable combination. Let the men whistle: all they will see is the shadow of her smile.

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