Sunglasses Trends Through the Years
All fashion trends come back around, including eyewear: Find out which era your favorite sunglasses style originated in!
The 1920’s:
Sunglasses started gaining popularity in the Roaring 20’s, as celebrities began to wear them as accessories. The dominating style was mostly rounded lenses with dark frames. In 1929, sunglasses began to be mass produced for the first time by Sam Foster and were famously sold in Atlantic City, New Jersey beaches.
The 1930’s:
As sunglasses started becoming more in demand for both fashion and eye-protection purposes during this decade, round lenses remained the hottest look. Sunglasses with polarized lenses started being produced in the 30’s as well. Polarized lenses reduce the glare and reflection, making them perfect to wear on a bright, sunny day.
Fun fact: All WoodRoze sunglasses are made with polarized lenses!
The 1940’s:
While much of the world was in conflict during this decade, pilots began wearing aviator sunglasses. We all know and love this style today! For those at home, sunglasses in bold colors, shapes, and styles became the norm. Out with the small, round lenses of years past, and in with the embellished and statement sunglasses!
The 1950’s:
This is quite the notable era of eyewear fashion, as this was when the iconic cat eye sunglasses took over. Celebrities wore and popularized this style, characterized by the outer corners of the glasses being pointed upward. Cat eye sunglasses are still widely loved today.
The 1960’s:
We all know that things got hippie-dippy in the 60’s. Mod style fashion took over from color blocking and miniskirts, to large, square sunglasses. Fashion icons of the 60’s like Twiggy wore these giant frames in neon colors, always making a statement with their eyewear.
The 1970’s:
Sunglasses trends of this decade moved away from the hard shapes and lines of the 60’s and toward a softer, more mellow look. Most pairs had rounded and transparent lenses with pastel colors. The 70’s were groovy and so was the eyewear!
The 1980’s:
The 80’s were notorious for colorful and bold fashion statements. The hair was big, the clothing was bright, and the accessories matched. Sunglasses of this decade were characterized by sharp shapes, dark lenses, and neon-colored frames. This was when aviators became mainstream, and Ray-Bans were on the rise. Totally tubular!
The 1990’s:
During the 90’s, sunglasses fashion started to come full circle. Small, round, black frames came back in style and were worn by the most high-profile celebrities. Sport sunglasses and colored lenses also gained popularity in this decade. Our Breakers style sunglasses give all the sleek and cool 90’s vibes!
The 2000’s:
We’ve made it into the 21st century! Throughout this decade, bug-eye sunglasses with giant frames practically hitting the cheekbone were all the rage. These styles came in black, white, and every color in between. Also, high fashion designers made luxury sunglasses lines, setting eyewear trends for everyone looking to make a fashion statement with their sunnies.
The 2010’s:
Finally, the 2010’s showcased a lot of the styles we still know and love today. This includes mirrored frames, sharp shapes, small lenses, cat eye lenses, and a range of colors and metals. Sunglasses were featured in fashion shows and street style throughout this decade. Sunglasses were and still are the perfect accessory to tie a fashionable look together!
WoodRoze’s Flaglers and Angelinas fit into this group but with a modern, 2020’s twist.
