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There are two good reasons to take sunglasses with you on your next vacation. One is obvious: to protect your eyes. Wherever you may be traveling in the summer months, chances are it will be warm, sunny, and bright. Along with your sunscreen and a good hat, if you’re going to prevent eyestrain and discomfort—especially if you come from a place that isn’t normally all that sunny—you’ll need a good pair of sunglasses.

The second reason may be less obvious to some, but may be even more important to others: when you’re on vacation, you want to look good. Squinting every time you step out of the shade doesn’t look good, anyway, but you can make yourself look even better by picking the right style of sunglasses.

One advantage of sunglasses is that unlike other accessories, they’re not quite as trend-driven. You can pick out an expensive, stylish pair that goes with almost any outfit and be comfortable that you’ll still look good in them for years to come. That being said, however, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t trends in sunglasses, and this year is no exception. Three styles are receiving particular emphasis this year, and all are decidedly retro in style. Your preference may well be determined by which decade in the past you prefer to imagine yourself living in.

Cat eyes

Care to step back into the late fifties or early-sixties? Like to imagine yourself in bright floral or animal prints as an extra in a Fellini movie or on Mad Men, or maybe as Audrey Hepburn? Then this is the style for you. Designers such as Christian Dior, Giles, and Jeremy Scott are emphasizing the look this year. Just remember that if your face isn’t shaped like Hepburn’s, long and oval, you may end up looking like a dowdy librarian rather than a movie star.

John Lennon

Perhaps you’d rather be a little more modern? Or maybe just look like a hippie? Round sunglasses, based on the specs Lennon wore, are getting a lot of attention this year from fashion houses such as Prada and Armani. The frames come in a number of ranges of thickness and color. Good, again, for those with thin, oval faces (who, let’s face it, look good in just about anything), and for square faces–the round lenses tend to soften the edges.

Bold and Huge

Yet another ‘70s trend: sunglasses that look as if they might fit on two faces rather than one. These sunglasses tend to have the most varied style, and come in a variety of outrageous, avant-garde shapes and colors. Available from Jill Sander, Fendi, and others, you’ll have plenty of choices in terms of matching them with your face shape and in reflecting your personal taste and style. You can be relatively formal, or go all the way into Lady Gaga territory. It’s up to you.

Sara Roberts is a content contributor for Just Eyewear, an eyeglasses and prescription sunglasses retailer.

With not long to go, the time has come to finish off that all important packing. A dilemma that haunts many a fashionista, holding onto the mantra of “always be prepared for any fashion situation”. Squeezing everything into a block of 20kg is a torturous task, should you add an extra bag onto your allowance? What about all the extra space you were planning on keeping for the way back? Every time you take off on a trip you encounter the same issue, it is time to accept that cutting back is the only solution, lugging around two bags weighing 20kg is not the answer. Just think you may end up having to carry them yourself.

Feeling hot, hot, hot…
Going somewhere hot? The good news here is that warm weather means smaller items. First things first, do your research; find out what the temperature is like day and night. If the weather is warm throughout you will not need a whole array of jackets, cardigans and sweaters. Just think you may not need a jacket full stop! Wear a warm cardigan to travel in and pack a sweater as back up, which will do it, trust me.

Summer wardrobes are such fun and of course you were planning on bringing it all with you. Who could blame you? However, this way of thinking is going to weigh you down. The best way to shed the extra pounds is to think practically. For example, a beach holiday requires comfortable and easy to get out of items. Hot pants and vests are all a girl needs; these items provide maximum tanning exposure for when out and about. They are easy to get in and out of, being left behind buttoning, buckling and zipping will start to grate on you and before you know it you will naturally evolve towards shorts and a T. So cut out the learning curb and leave the soon to be unworn at home.

Shoes, not much to say here, apart from you will not be wearing heels on the beach. Think comfort and versatility.

Come rain or shine
Colder destinations depict images of snuggling up in huge knits covering a range of patterns and colors. The good news is your wardrobe is full of them; the bad news is you are going to have to leave some behind. Taking a similar approach as discussed above needs to be adopted here. If your break consists of taking to the slopes, essential items are your ski jacket, pants, warm socks and thermals. I know it’s natural that these less exciting items will merely pass through your mind and you will be focusing on après ski wear. However, you may find yourself rocking out your ski gear for the majority of your trip. When carrying a spare set of clothes becomes tiring and you find that you can’t actually be bothered to get changed you may start resenting your suitcase of gorgeous clothes that are not only creased but have started to get damp…

If you have accepted that you will not be needing much more than your ski suit, why not make the most of this temporary reoccurring item and get yourself the most gorgeous one you can get your hands on? Admittedly ski jacket and gorgeous aren’t usually paired up so easily, however, once you find yourself living the mountain life, your stylish self will start to see the best in any given fashion situation. So be prepared.

Damaged goods
If you still need further convincing of why less is more, I can solve this for you now: Creased, damp, sandy clothes. I know, it’s an upsetting thought but it is the reality of the situation. Clothes carried around in suitcases to a range of unfamiliar destinations can be harmed or hindered. Imagine this, you pack a number of your favourite pieces, you don’t end up wearing them, yet you get them home and they have been exfoliated by sand, dampened by bikinis and now carry a new undesirable feel and aroma. Of course you can wash them and lay the whole fiasco to rest, but the underlying guilt of putting your best through unnecessary strain will remain.

To help make the right decision when packing think do you really need to take this? Close your eyes and imagine when you will wear it. Ask yourself will this 100% silk shirt enjoy a summer holiday? I think you already know the answer.

Every cloud has a silver lining
Is your suitcase half full or half empty? You can look at this in a range of ways. I would choose one of the following:
1. A half empty suitcase gives half an empty space to be filled (with new clothes)
2. A half full suitcase has space to be filled (with new clothes)

Leaving space in your packing can open a whole window of fashion opportunity; repeat this to yourself while packing.

Additional packing tips:
-Don’t pack items directly into the case, make a collection of piles, and then you can see exactly how much of everything you have. Then go through and take one item off every pile, repeat as necessary.
-Fold items. When you are packing up do not squeeze and shove your clothes in, carefully enter each piece giving it room to breathe. Once you have entered every item you can rest assured in the knowledge that on your return each item can be rolled tightly providing space for your new purchases… Hooray!

Miss A is the Social Media consultant for Kranichs Jewellers. Bringing you the very best in breathtaking Bridal Sets and spectacular Mothers Rings to treat your loved ones with style!