2021 is only a few weeks old, and already the fashion predictions for the upcoming spring season are surfacing. While for clothing this includes which styles, cuts, and colors are in (and which are out), designer sunglasses are a bit subtle. Some designer brands, such as Ray Ban and Stella McCartney are already revealing their spring collections. Most of the designs, so far, appear to be a step in a more colorful direction. Considering the colorful nature of oversized sunglasses over the past few years – pink frames with purple lenses, for example – the upcoming trends appear to be more of the same for the revisited retro styles.
One particular style we’ve seen so far gain popularity has been wayfarer styles. Although this look was last popular in the early 1990s, the newer wayfarer styles don’t appear significantly different from those of 20 years ago. But, while black wayfarer sunglasses have a somewhat classic style to them, the trend of 2010 for these appears to be colors. Whether for men’s or women’s sunglasses, having brightly colored frames – particularly those in neon – accents all other updated ’80s fashions. While black or grey lenses still work well with red, turquoise, or neon green frames, other colored lenses are also incorporated into this classic style.
Aviator sunglasses also play up this color feature. While the ’80s aviator styles seen in Top Gun and Cobra had a distinct masculine air, the aviator styles from the past few years are more unisex. Although men’s aviator sunglasses still have the basic black-lenses-metal-frames combination, this isn’t always the cases. Upcoming aviator sunglasses by Stella McCartney, for example, still use grey or black lenses with a gradient style but the frames are blue or red. This style, by adding a bit of color, can compliment a variety of looks for men and women.
Could any style be on the way out? While Lady Gaga appears to be the only one wearing shield-style sunglasses, oversized styles seem to be a thought for many designer sunglasses brands. Some classic oversized styles are still on the market, but the colorful look of a few years ago seems to have been translated to wayfarer and aviator styles instead.