CAT-EYE, Y2K SUNGLASSES ARE THIS YEAR'S AIDILFITRI FASHION CRAZE

KUANTAN, April 13 (Bernama) -- After a month of fasting and moderation, Malaysian Muslims celebrated Hari Raya Aidilfitri yesterday, ushering in the 1st of Syawal together with their families and friends, with the majority of them dressed in their finest, some eager to show off the latest in fashion trends.

Many, especially the young, took to social media to share their many selfies, wefies and other photos showing off their outfit of the day, featuring various fashion styles at unique locations, in a trend that is unlikely to abate anytime soon, at least not for the first week of the month.

An interesting thing to note this year is that many of them are sporting various accessories,  not only the traditional favourites of bracelets, bangles and earrings for women, and the tanjak and sampin for men, but also a vast assortment of sunglasses as well.

Some are going for the large framed half-moon sunglasses or even the rectangular version, while others are striking a sporty look, but according to accessories entrepreneur Noor Halieza Zainuddin, this year’s Aidilfitri trendsetter and bestseller among women has turned out to be something more ‘eye-catching’ - the cat-eye sunglasses, with its retro vibe, while the men have chosen yet another blast from the past - the oval y2k sunglasses.

“We found that women prefer the vintage trend, the 60s look and because of that, the cat-eye has become the most popular sales item we have, compared to other styles, such as the aviator, large frame, angled glasses or micro-glasses, with the leopard motive being the crowd favourite for the cat-eye.

“Besides the leopard motive, other crowd favourites include blush, white or light green for a totally different look, while for men, it’s a blast from the past as they reviit the late 1990s and early 2000s with the y2k sunglasses, that admittedly, makes them look more dashing and sporty,” she said, attributing the cat-eye craze partly to a viral video of a parody song entitled ‘Alamak Raya Lagi’, among other things.

Noor Halieza, who runs the accessory business with her friend, Fatin Elina Omar, 33, on a part time basis in Pasor Dinda, also shared that demand for sunglasses had outstripped other accessories this festive season.

“Maybe because of the current hot spell, many are looking for sunglasses to prevent their eyes from glare from the sun, but honestly, it’s such a great accessory that can really accentuate one’s looks.

“Sunglasses really completes a person’s dressing style, especially during Hari Raya. People nowadays say that if you accessorise but lack sunglasses, you definitely will lose out, especially when taking photos,” she told Bernama recently.

Although it is good to follow trends, Fatin cautioned that sunglasses need to match the face shape of its wearer to obtain the best effects, as not everyone has the same facial contours and would end up not looking their best if they just followed trends blindly.

And that is the reason that their stall carries various types, sizes and shapes for a certain model, and these enterprising young women also offer advice to their customers on the most suitable styles that would fit their customer’s facial features before a purchase, something they claim has garnered them a loyal following.

“We’ve been in business since 2021 and we’re lucky to have survived till today. We do stock a lot of variations of sunglasses to ensure that our customers can buy one that really suits their face,” Fatin added.