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Icon(Esses) Of Eyewear
In the previous issue we had carried the ‘Icons of Eyewear’ and it was a bit high on testosterone with men who have made eyewear look cool. But it’s not just men who’ve done this. Women have played their roles too in this phenomenon. Here’s a look at some of these ‘iconesses
We did receive some feedback about how the previous issue might have been a bit sexist with only men featuring as ‘icons’ of eyewear. Especially when women might have played a much larger role in making eyewear ‘cool’. Well the debate about which of the two sexes has made eyewear more popular can be a topic for another section but we all agree that when it comes to being glamorous, there’s nothing that comes close to a woman.
And that by itself is reason enough for us to feature the ‘iconesses’ of eyewear. The list of women that make eyewear look good would actually need more than a whole magazine issue and trying to fit it all in just a few pages was a daunting task. But we were up to the challenge.
So here’s a list of women who made eyewear look cooler.
Audrey Hepburn
The image of Audrey Hepburn who played Holly Golighty in Breakfast at Tiffany’s has transcended the screen to become a piece of pop chic. The sunglass design is still available on Oliver Goldsmith as 'Manhattan - Designed in 1960 - Worn By Audrey Hepburn'
These sunglasses defined cool, stylish and elegance and even though it’s been more than half a century since the film, Audrey Hepburn has passed on an insatiable desire in every woman to be as elegant and cool as the character she played. And we all know when you want to wear something to feel like someone, sunglasses are the best way to begin. She is solely responsible for for the various designs that have been inspired by the original by different designers simply as the Audrey Hepburn sunglasses.
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe is synonymous with cat eye designs. One really can’t place what made the cateye shape work with her face but it definitely did. There was a sense of sensuality that just seemed to appear when she wore them and whether the feline shaped eyewear added to Marilyn’s sensuality or was it Marilyn’s sensuality that made the cateye appear the way it did. I guess we’ll never know.
But the one thing that we know today is that if a woman wants to feel strong and sensual she need not look beyond a pair of cateye designs.
Monroe also helped to popularize the wayfarer style sunglasses and was often seen wearing them with more casual outfits, while her cat-eye frames were utilized for more sophisticated wear.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacky O had style, grace (and money) and she was just a natural at making everything she carried a style statement. Whether it was her bag, her shoes, her clothes or her hairstyle, every woman wanted to have it.
The accessory that the style icon is most famous for are undoubtedly her sunglasses. She bought many pairs of her chic oversized shades from the French brand François Pinton, which even designed a style especially for her called The Jackie 1. The frame is a large, round tortoise shell with a brown lens. These sunglasses are sold today with other classic styles from the original Francois Pinton collection for Jackie O. called the Jackie 2 and Jackie 3 sunglasses.
Angelina Jolie
There’s nothing to beat a picture of strength and power than Angelina Jolie in an aviator. This extremely glamorous and attractive star with a chiselled faced could do no wrong to an aviator. It’d be unfair to say that it was only an aviator that suited her as she did try other shapes like the wayfarers and the oversized ones but there was something about the aviators that made her look so much sexier.
Her role with Brad Pitt in Mr & Mrs Smith was like an advertisement for sunglasses and the yellow tinted aviators that she wore became a rage. And now, Angelina Jolie is back on screen and wears a gold frame Ray-Ban RB3025 Aviator Classic sunglasses in the 2021 movie 'Those Who Wish Me Dead'.
Gwen Stefani
The ‘No Doubt’ star who made it big on her own is a style icon in her own right. Her choices have always been about creating a ‘shock’ value, whether it was intended or not. Right from her lipsticks, her eye make up to her dressing choices there was always an element of surprise.
“I’ve always been a sunglasses junkie,” she shares. “For whatever reason, people see me as a person that would wear anything, so I’ve always had the craziest glasses.”
Stefani says teaming up with the eyewear brand Tura Inc. in 2016 for her lines made her dream of designing glasses a reality. Her go-to optic style? Anything tortoise, which she thinks looks “very rich and expensive.” We agree.
Rihanna
Unapologetic and bold, Rihanna's style in everything she does, extends to her taste in eyewear. One wouldn't really call it classic and maybe the available styles were just not loud enough for her so she had to go ahead and start her own line of sunglasses.
The pop star launched Fenty, a fashion brand featuring futuristic unisex sunglasses and other womenswear with LVMH, one of the biggest players in luxury, backing her history-making (first woman and person of color) fashion house, or “maison,” in their parlance. Rihanna’s sunglasses are loud, unapologetic and talk that talk.
She has the ability to carry off her style and she's in a way responsible for the popularity of the 'tiny' sunglass design which was a runway hit ever since she wore it
Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham has absolutely mastered the art of the oversized sunglasses look. Oversized sunglasses are associated with her signature look and we don't know anyone who pulls this look off better than her today. A self made woman, Victoria Bekham, never looked back since the success as ‘Posh’ of the ‘Spice Girls’. A diva, a prima donna, a wife, a mother and one of the most sought-after fashion icons the world has seen… Yes, being Victoria Beckham may not be as easy it seems. And her idea of style as her nickname in Spice Girls goes, would always be ‘Posh’.
She has launched her own line of sunglasses and it reflects her style and yes, they have shapes other than just the oversized ones!
Preity Zinta
The cute girl of the recent yesteryears could be considered as single handedly responsible for making girls want to wear glasses! Her ‘spectacled’ look in ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’ was a pleasant change for a heroine in mainstream cinema, where stars would wear sunglasses but rarely glasses.
Her personal style seems to be mainly oversized sunglasses and we definitely agree with her off-screen sense of style.
She’s experimented with tinted shades and dark sunglasses and maybe it’s her charm or her cute dimples but whatever she does seems to look good.
Priyanka Chopra
The screen-goddess who can do no wrong, Priyanka Chopra Jones is on a roll. Her appearance in Matrix or her being a part of the Victoria’s Secret, this actress/singer/producer has never really looked back since her Miss World days.
For her taste in eyewear, we’d definitely call it eclectic. Oversized or cat eye frames, colourful Wayfarers, retro tint glasses, oval and square shape glasses are the actor’s go-to when she’s out and about on the streets.
And when someone like Priyanka who knows how to carry it off, does it…
we love it!
