Because You're Ugly: Karen Walker

New Zealand designer Karen Walker started her clothing line with NZ$100—material for a T-shirt. Thirteen years, eight London Fashion Weeks, four New York Fashion Weeks and three successful storefronts later, her customers include Sienna Miller, Madonna and Björk.

Her latest Spring '08 collection looked ready for a day at the Derby (which, actually, is this Saturday), with wide-brimmed hats, floral dresses and argyle vests—and just a touch of that effortless 1970s Laurel Canyon, free-spirited Hippie child look that's still raging hard on the runways and on the streets.

You can purchase her clothing at stores like Milk, Traffic, Creatures of Comfort and Tracey Ross in Los Angeles, but her eyewear (available at Barney's Co-op in South Coast Plaza) is especially noteworthy.

If you're stuck in a sunglasses rut like me—you're totally over oversized sunglasses and aviators and Wayfarers are just too prevalent—Walker's eyewear line might just be it for you.

Offered in a fun variety of colors like grape, ice blue, light pink and tortoise shell, the sunglasses are all simple but offer just enough of a twist on a tried-and-true classic to make you stand out, like these Wayfarer-but-not “Trixie” sunglasses with just enough of a fun cat-eye shape pictured here.

Karen Walker sunglasses can be purchased at Barney's Co-op in South Coast Plaza or online at KarenWalker.com (watch out for that overseas S&H fee!), letrainbleu.com. Visit Karen Walker for a complete list of stockists.

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