What kind of sunglasses wearer are you? I hold my hands up, I used to be a massive sunglasses snob. They always had to be luxury and they always had to be the more expensive kind. I was never too worried about variety, I only needed a single pair that I would wear entirely throughout the summer, never too concerned with the trends or even how I was styling them. Classic was always my first choice, because they are so damn expensive and Tom Ford would have always been my preference.
However, it was some years ago when I was buying Tom Ford sunglasses and since then I would say that Celine has become a major contender for the classic and purist sunglasses wearer and a pair of simple black Celine sunglasses are well and truly on my list. The thing is, I feel like sunglasses have massively come into their own over the last few years and it’s no longer entirely about just having a pair of ‘designer’ (I hate that word by the way) sunglasses. They’ve become fun and colourful, ornate and embellished and our choice of sunglasses can now say way more about us than simply how much we afforded to pay for them. With such a variety of styles, designs, shapes, shades, lenses and colours, choosing which sunglasses to wear is now an expression of our style.
In the last few years we’ve seen some pretty extreme, creative and even questionable styles of sunglasses trickle down to the high street, from Saint Laurent’s extreme cat eye sunglasses, to those giant as-round-as-saucers Chloe sunglasses that took over the faces of many a fashion bloggers and the most classic, simple black sunglasses getting a complete revamp with Dior’s DiorClub2 sunglasses that feature a removable visor – which I love by the way. This year pink is a major trend and Chloe, Gucci, Stella McCartney, Ganni and Prada have all added some variation of pink sunglasses to their spring summer 19 collection.
Unlike with jeans, that generally tend to have a trend that peeks then plateaus and kind of hangs about for a bit – years even, it’s kind of hard to call the trends with sunglasses and judge a particular design style’s staying power. So unless you’re sticking with the classics it’s hard to know where to invest and I would argue that you shouldn’t. Since working with a much simpler style these days I am really relying on my accessories to transform and enhance my uniform of jeans and a tee and sunglasses do this pretty effortlessly.
So it means I have opted for a little more style than substance (if substance means spending north of a hundred pounds on a pair of sunglasses), and have been paying closer attention to the design and style of the glasses more so than the ‘designer’ of the sunglasses. I am using sunglasses to bring out the colours in a blouse or a dress, to pick up on the vibe of the location I am heading to (be it beachy or roof top) and to transport my look to eras of the past whether it’s 70s, 80s or 90s – which is all my vibe right now.
If you follow me on Instagram, which you more than likely do if you’re reading this, then you will know I am obsessed with the items you can get lots and lots of wear out of and a £3 pair of sunglasses from Primark might be cheap to buy, but did you know sunglasses are also pretty cheap to make. In fact they are one of the fashion items with the highest mark-up. A pair of sunglasses that cost £30 to make in the likes of the renowned Luxottica sunglasses manufacturer in Italy can be sold for £300. That’s ten times the price it costs to make!
Of course we don’t just pay for the physical design of the sunglasses, we also pay for the artistry and creativity that goes into designing them and of course, the fashion house in which they hail. Let’s be honest, we all know that unless we are buying sunglasses made from gold or encrusted with diamonds, the real cost incurred is all in the name. It’s why you can buy possibly the exact same pair of sunglasses from Zara or And Other Stories, or even Primark that look just like the Gucci or Tom Ford glasses for a fraction of the cost. This tends to be the rule of thumb for most trends, they start from above and trickle down to the high street for a third of the price. It just seems that many of us, myself included seem to be a little more snobby when it comes to our handbags, our shoes and especially our sunglasses. I have got over my sunglasses snob status and broadened my horizons to find so many that I am loving. Right now, I am 100% thinking pink, across my entire wardrobe and sunglasses are included. I doubt the pink sunglasses trend is here to stay, so it’s high street all the way for me.
Take a look at my sunglasses edit, high street
High Street and Premium Sunglasses
Luxury Sunglasses
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