Alex O'Brien

Sunglasses through the ages

The likelihood is that you currently own a few pairs, have previously owned many over the years, and that in your lifetime you will own, well, too many to count. In fact, if you recounted and thought about all of the styles you’ve had in your collection over time, you could probably chart the evolution of the popular accessory.

I am sure you’re familiar with style’s big players – the 1950’s cat eye channelled by Audrey Hepburn and the teashades championed by Ringo Starr – now on-trend with the grandkids. But have you ever navigated through the archives and uncovered the real codes of the stylish duo that perch below your brow, disguising those tell-all up-and-down glares and rolling eyes?

Sunglasses, I’m sure you’ll agree, have been on our radar for longer than we’d care to remember. A firm fixture since the 1900s, their evolution is almost as remarkable as the artsy forms they’ve taken today. The earliest note of any form of sunglasses came courtesy of the Roman emperors who manipulated semi-precious stones into smooth, transparent panes of protective glass.

Fast forward a few decades to 1936 and sunglasses, as we know them, began their journey to cult-accessory status, as style came into play and Hollywood took hold. Once polarised lenses were introduced – courtesy of Edwin H. Land – the functional side of sunglasses was complete, paving the way for style to take centre stage.

Come the 1940s, they were officially considered a fashion accessory. The “aviator” has its glory moment as the first style to gather pace and popularity through celebrity, championed equally by Hollywood’s elite and the general public. By the early 1950s, 1952 to be precise, the “wayfarer” made its debut. The trapezoidal lenses that were famously worn by James Dean, came in trademark black frames with silver hallmark diamond – they style that half a century later still exudes the same err of cool. Cat-eye sunglasses also had their heyday in the 1950s. Frames were exaggerated, winged and smattered with rhinestones or made from glitter-dusted plastic. Icons of the times, Jackie Kennedy, Sophia Loren and Marianne Faithfull all championed the drawn-out frames reinforcing their cult status.

Come the 1960s the aesthetic of wire-rimmed teashades became a hit with colourful-mirrored lenses radiating the carefree approach of the times. Mick Jagger and John Lennon quickly propelled them into the spotlight making them the style hero of the decade.

Today fashion has done a style 360 and the current favourites see the clock turned back to those iconic styles of 50 years past. Like Nero, the Roman Empire, who used to watch his gladiators through polished gems, we’ll be keeping an eye on this season’s offerings through the on-trend gilt-framed look.

Tags:

specsavers, sunglasses, sunnies