Venice, Through The Right Lens
At the 2026 Venice Film Festival, sunglasses stepped beyond the accessory edit, becoming the finishing gesture of cinematic glamour
Venice knows how to make an entrance.
Every September, the Lido becomes a moving picture of silk, tailoring, gondolas and flashbulbs, where Hollywood stars and fashion’s most photographed faces arrive with the understanding that every detail will be noticed.
At the 2026 Venice Film Festival, however, it was not only the gowns and tuxedos commanding the frame. Sunglasses had their own moment. Some were oversized and unapologetic. Others were tiny, architectural or deliciously retro. There were shields that felt almost futuristic, cat-eyes that carried old-school glamour and tinted lenses that turned an ordinary arrival into something cinematic.
The result was not one defining trend, but a collection of distinct eyewear personalities. And on the Lido, personality is everything.
Black Becomes The Main Character
There is something about black sunglasses in Venice. Against sunlit stone, dark water and immaculate tailoring, they acquire an almost film-noir quality.
Maggie Gyllenhaal understood the assignment at the Jury photocall, wearing the iconic black Ray-Ban Wayfarer 2140 901. The familiar silhouette brought an effortless confidence to her look, proving that sometimes the most recognisable frame is the one that makes the strongest statement.
Georgina Rodriguez took the same colour in a more polished direction, arriving in all-black Celine Triomphe CL40194U 05A, while Sam Rockwell brought a touch of house signature to his black Gucci GG0341S, its green-red-green webbing adding just enough attitude.
Then came Maria Borges in black Dior Clover B1I 10A1, bringing a sharper, more graphic energy to the story.
Black, it seems, was never simply black. It was a mood.
The New Shape
Of Futurism
If black was the classic language of Venice, sculptural eyewear was its more rebellious dialect.
Claire Foy made a particularly strong case for the statement frame in Bottega Veneta, wearing the black BV1492S 001 shield style for the Ink premiere. Ahead of the screening, she had also been seen in the house’s yellow tortoise BV1488S, showing just how dramatically colour and silhouette can shift the same fashion story.
George Clooney took the idea further with Even Realities G2 B smart glasses at the screening of Furies. Here, eyewear moved beyond pure adornment and into the realm of technology, quietly suggesting where
the category could be heading next.
A Little Old Hollywood Never Hurts
Then Venice did what Venice does best: brought the past back, but made it feel entirely current.
Amal Clooney appeared on a gondola in oversized tortoise Chloé CH0286S sunglasses with brown-green lenses, an image that could have been lifted from a vintage Italian cinema still.
J Balvin went oversized too, choosing gold Miu Miu MU A56S 5AK90L sunglasses with brown gradient lenses. The effect was louche, luxurious and unmistakably his.
Colour, But Make
It Cinematic
The easiest way to make sunglasses memorable?
Give them colour.
Emilia Schüle brought a vivid blue note to the festival in Miu Miu B14SU Ivresse sunglasses, introducing a cool flash of colour against the more familiar neutrals of the Lido.
Orlando Bloom went in another direction with Porsche Design P 8947 B sunglasses featuring blue mirror lenses, creating a sportier contrast to the polished tailoring surrounding him.
Ricky Martin offered perhaps the most unexpected colour moment in Tom Ford FT1480 sunglasses with violet lenses, turning a familiar frame into something considerably more expressive.
The Cat-Eye, Reframed
Few shapes carry as much attitude as the cat-eye, and Venice gave the silhouette plenty of room
to flirt.
Matilda De Angelis debuted Bottega Veneta’s BV1484S, a pillowed cat-eye in black that brought softness and drama together.
Phoebe Bridgers gave the shape a darker, more directional edge in black Gucci GG2215S 001, complete with the house’s distinctive horsebit detailing.
The Quiet Luxury Of The Details
Not every memorable pair of sunglasses needed exaggerated proportions or a dramatic lens. Sometimes the most compelling choices were the ones that felt completely personal.
Sydney Sweeney offered a quieter interpretation of glamour, strolling through Venice in vintage Gucci Bamboo sunglasses. The archival character of the frame gave her look an effortless sense of familiarity, proving that great eyewear does not need to be new to feel relevant.
Zoey Deutch, a familiar face of Miu Miu, appeared in black Miu Miu MU 04ZS 1AB5S0 oval sunglasses, demonstrating how a classic shape can feel fresh when given a contemporary fashion context.
This was perhaps Venice’s most compelling eyewear lesson: luxury does not always need volume. Sometimes it lives in the bridge, the hinge, the temple, the curve of a lens.
The films may have owned the screens. But on the Lido, the sunglasses had their own close-up.
Daniela D’souza
