Why it's time to embrace '60s style and dust off your white sunglasses
When it comes to shopping for your summer wardrobe, you might be tempted to start with a shirtwaister dress, or a pair of classic tan sandals. But the highest-impact buy has to be your summer sunglasses, since not only do you wear them with everything, but they’re also the first part of your outfit that anyone will notice.
A great pair of sunglasses is an investment - which is why I’d usually advise you steer clear of anything that could look ‘novelty’. But while white sunglasses might not be an expected choice, they’re not a flash in the pan one, either. Thanks to striking impact of a bright white frame, they’ve been a favourite in the pages of fashion magazines as far back as the 30s, when Horst P. Horst shot model Muriel Maxwell in a graphic round pair for the cover of American Vogue.
Mirrored sunglasses, £75, Le Specs; Square sunglasses, £265, Saint Laurent
It was the 1960s, though, when white sunglasses really became the thing. I defy anyone to find anything kitsch about French actress Francoise Hardy’s choice of square white shades. Paired with a trench coat, black poloneck and shaggy haircut, Hardy looks effortlessly pulled together - but that flash of white stops her outfit from veering towards basic.
Fellow Parisian it-girl Brigitte Bardot favoured oval white sunglasses in her off-duty wardrobe, and oversized squared white frames on screen for the film ‘The Doll and the Bear’ - though perhaps Audrey Hepburn wins the prize for the most iconic pair. Her 1966 turn in ‘How To Steal A Million’ was outfitted by Hubert de Givenchy himself, hence the mod-meets-spaceman helmet hat that matched her saucer sunglasses.
Round sunglasses, £10, Monki; Cat-eye sunglasses, £210, Prism
When it comes to wearing white sunglasses yourself (and off-screen, i’m assuming), keep the rest of your outfit low-key. Take your cues from Bardot in all-black for a subtle nod to the 1960s. Block colour pastels - see Diana Kruger in pepto bismol pink - are a safe bet, too, as are delicate florals, but I’d give any more graphic prints (stripes, checks and psychedelics) a miss, lest you look like you’ve wandered out of an Austin Powers party. By that token: no hats, please. Unless you’re planning an art heist, in which case: best make yours Givenchy.
