| According to the data gathered over a three month | | | | average pair of celebrity sunglasses doesn't cost |
| period from Sept 07 to Nov 07, the most popular | | | | nearly as much as you might think. |
| sunglasses worn by today's leading celebrities include, | | | | Although market research in the U.S. places the |
| in order of 'sighting volume' were Ray-Ban, Oakley, | | | | average pair of sunglasses for both men and women |
| Dior, Gucci, Oliver Peoples, Tom Ford, Prada and | | | | in the under $30 range, men actually spending |
| Chrome Hearts. | | | | somewhat more than women, a huge consumer |
| Over this period 154 celebrities were tracked wearing | | | | market exists for higher end sunglasses and there |
| 51 brands of sunglasses in dozens of models. | | | | are dozens of players vying for their piece of this |
| Repeated occurrences of one celebrity wearing the | | | | enormous multi-billion dollar market. Why else would |
| same glasses were not included in the results. | | | | Luxottica pay $2.1 billion for the purchase of Oakley? |
| For the data driven among you, Ray-Ban with 35 | | | | So what does it really cost to look like your favorite |
| celebrity sightings outpaced their nearest competitors | | | | celebrity? Throwing out the low and high end |
| by almost 2 to 1, with Oakley and Dior showing up | | | | sunglasses mentioned above, the average retail price |
| on 20 celebrities each. No wonder Oakley bought | | | | of pair of sunglasses as seen on America's most |
| Ray-Ban! A detailed grid of the results is shown | | | | famous celebrities was actually only $269. |
| below. | | | | Now for most folks from the heartland that is a tidy |
| The stragglers were Gucci with 18 sightings, Oliver | | | | sum to be plunking down in the hopes that someone |
| Peoples - 17, Tom Ford - 15, Prada - 12 and Chrome | | | | will mistake them for Britney, Jessica, Lindsay, |
| Hearts came in last at 10 sightings. | | | | Angelina or Brad. |
| Considering the average cost of these individual | | | | But considering this youth oriented culture has tens |
| brands (at least for this review) these numbers are | | | | of millions of youth oriented consumers (including |
| not surprising. The average price for a pair of | | | | those aging baby-boomers from the sixties and |
| celebrity Ray-Ban's is about $120. The Chrome Hearts | | | | seventies) who shell out hundreds, even thousands |
| sunglasses are a little steeper, averaging $500 a pair. | | | | of dollars for brand name blue jeans, sneakers, |
| The cost of these sunglasses varied from a low of | | | | t-shirts and jackets, not to mention alcohol and |
| $50, seen on Britney Spears sporting a pair of | | | | sports drinks, make-up, jewelry and handbags, the |
| convenience store sunglasses (Anthropologie's | | | | above price tag looks almost reasonable. |
| Glamorama) to the most outrageously expensive pair | | | | So if everyone will just Digg into your piggy banks |
| from Nefarious called Auric, flaunted by the ubiquitous | | | | and look under the sofa cushions and scrape |
| Lindsay Lohan with a slightly higher price tag of | | | | together about $300 (don't forget the sales tax) we |
| $30,000. | | | | can all toddle on down the our local Sunglass Hut and |
| As many consumers tend to buy what their idols and | | | | spring for another pair of celebrity sunglasses to |
| icons are wearing, supposedly in hopes of recreating | | | | replace the ones you sat on last week. |
| the 'A list' effect, it is interesting to find that the | | | | Here are the detailed results in table format. |