It's no secret that I absolutely adore Robert Verdi. I've gotten to know the amazing, multifaceted person that he is over the past couple of years and I have the utmost respect for him. He's super talented in all things design, not just styling, and is a truly genuine person. Naturally when he announced the launch of his exclusive collection of sunglasses on HSN, I had to take a moment and get to know the line a little better. I played with a few pairs at his lounge during Fashion Week and fell in love with how affordable they are - $25 - but I had a few questions I needed to know the answer to, including how sunglasses became his trademark. Check out his answers, below.
I don't think I've ever seen you without a pair of sunglasses on your head. How did they become your signature accessory?
When I first started working in television, I was seriously insecure about being bald, so I put sunglasses up there on my head as a pseudo hairline-slash-hat-slash-wig, and no one ever noticed I was bald again (wink).
You've worked with a lot of celebrities in your career and I have a feeling a few of them have a pair of sunglasses named after them in your line - can you tell me more about how you chose the name for each style?
The sunglasses are all named for fabulous women in my life, and while some of those fab women do happen to be celebrities, they all are uniquely stylish, interesting and inspiring women. When naming the glasses, I envisioned the women in my life who best represent the characteristics of each particular frame, be it tom boy, beach bunny, powerful executive, working mom, fashion editor... or all of the above! Those are the women they are named for. There's even a pair coming out in the next collection named after my first must, who happens to be my sister.
There are some bold colors and prints in your collection - any tips on how to wear those for spring?
For women who are color lovers, this will be a seamless addition to their wardrobe and another way to add dimension and flare to her already colorful style statement. For women who are shy to wear color this is most exciting accessory to buy, because its an easy way to add a pop of excitement and drama in the form of bright, fun color. These bright colors are also great in the spring when women are wearing bright stripes and floral prints, these accessories will coordinate easily. The best thing about these sunglasses is that the various styles can really reflect your personality and let you be who you want to be, and there's something for every spring outfit so you can mix and match to create the right mood/look that YOU are feeling this Spring!
A lot of people don't know that you actually started your career as a jewelry designer. You've since designed handbags and now sunglasses - any aspirations to design clothing or perhaps a home decor line?
I have aspirations to take over the world, Sarah! I'd like to take everything I've learned working across all fields of style - fashion, home design and entertaining - and create fabulous products that make peoples lives easier and more stylish. That is my job!
To catch Robert's debut on HSN, tune in on February 22nd at 10pm and February 23rd at 7am and 5pm, all times EST or be a smart cookie & shop Robert's collection on HSN.com before it sells out!
Join the conversation tonight with me (of course), Robert Verdi (
