One of the best things about fashion is accessories. Great accessories can take an outfit from ordinary to extraordinary. Here in sunny San Diego, we need sunglasses year round, so for a stylish Southern Californian, they are an important part of any wardrobe.

Last weekend, I was in sunglass heaven at the International Vision Expo. This world class yearly conference in Las Vegas, featured the hottest trends and technologies for eyewear. There were over 13,000 attendees at the Venetian Resort sizing up this season’s fashion forward trends. My job at the Expo was to assist the staff of Dr. Foyle’s optometric office in Solana Beach to buy the very best sunglasses and eye glasses for their practice.

While Dr. Foyle investigated the latest in technology and attended various seminars, his business partner, Denise, and I were on a mission to shop for eyewear to sell in their store. We started at the Luxottica booth, which owns some of the top designer lines in the world: Dolce&Gabbana, Prada, Ray-Ban, Burberry, Ferragamo, Versace and Vogue to name a few. We met with Donna Valentino, the rep for Versace, and perused gorgeous sunglasses and eye glasses. I was so impressed with the collection, it made me not dread soon needing reading glasses. Next up was D&G, Ferragamo and Vogue with Ed Trgovac, who expertly guided us through the vast selection of beautiful lenses.

The hip and happening Marchon booth was our next destination. Marchon owns Michael Kors, Coach, Calvin Klein and Fendi eyewear, among others. The music was playing, the champagne was flowing and so were the M&M’s, which definitely made it worth the visit. But the real reason we were there was to see Theresa Maduzia, the rep for Michael Kors, which is a very fashion forward line. We liked every frame she showed us and really loved their reasonable price point. Theresa told us oversized sunglasses are here to stay but there are some new colors like deep purple and green.

The next day, we finished our task back in the Luxottica booth. We purchased a new line for the store-the very fashionable and in demand Burberry label. Supermodel Kate Moss endorses the line and her ads can be seen in all the top fashion magazines. All of their glasses come with signature plaid cases, which are so cute you’d consider buying the glasses just to get the case.

Barbara Schroer, the Dolce & Gabbana rep, shared her “sophisticated, sexy and alluring” line with us. Just like everything Dolce & Gabbana, most of the frames feature their iconic leopard print either inside or outside the temples.

Next, it was perennial favorite, Ray-Ban. According to sales rep, Susan Garrison, Ray-Ban has a great history. It was launched in 1937 and was used by pilots for the Allies during WWII. Ray-Ban is the most recognizable brand of sunglasses in the world and still favored by most pilots (and my husband, Dennis, who scored a pair for himself). Our last stop was with Prada rep, Kurt Bilben, for the top selling designer eyewear line. Like all Luxottica frames, Prada is manufactured in Italy and like their other accessories, they are fabulous.

Jack Dampier, the regional manager for Luxottica, shared a great fall trend report with me. They say vintage rounds, cateyes, horned rims and oversized Jackie O’s are a hot trend for the coolest people. Aviator style sunglasses are timeless and an essential accessory for men and women. Today’s variations range from edgy to luxurious and have enduring popularity. Another fun trend is “Geek Chic”. These dark rimmed plastic frames are businesslike in a nonconforming way. Metal sunglasses reflect the metallic trend in fashion this fall, as do crystal embellishments for those who want to glow brilliantly. Also drawing inspiration from fall trends, are transparent eyewear designs. They are featured in many collections and are elegant and understated.

There are four International Vision Expos each year in different locations. The next one is in Paris later this month. Maybe it’s not too late to convince Dr. Foyle’s office we should attend.

See More Pictures of Vision Expo West 2007»