From Joan Crawford to Jackie O, Kate Moss to Kanye West, a pair of sunglasses has long been the accessory weapon of the A list. They are a symbol that says: “I am very famous, and have possibly recently had a facelift.” But, as Kanye himself has recently decreed, “the bigger the better” is no longer the unspoken sunglasses rule. Instead, only tiny ones barely covering your eye sockets are cool now.
Of course, viewers of Keeping Up With the Kardashians would know that already. Kim revealed that her husband, who doubles as her stylist when he’s not busy being the real Kanye, has effectively outlawed big sunglasses. “[Kanye] sent me a whole email like, ‘You cannot wear big glasses any more. It’s all about tiny little glasses,’” she said recently in the show.
Insiders have been reducing the size of their shades for a while now, but the Kardashians wearing them on their eponymous TV show means tiny sunglasses have gone mainstream and – sorry to ruin your summer before it has even begun – that you’ll have to ditch your aviators. This is the latest example of what fashion calls a “tricky trend” – see ugly trainers, vinyl, even skinny jeans – going mass.
The likes of Bella and Gigi Hadid are big fans of small sunglasses. Solange Knowles’s Surface magazine cover, released last week, slays partly because of her skinny red sunglasses. Rihanna wore some on the red carpet last year. None of this means you will have an easy transition to the new shape, however. Even Kardashian, a woman whose physical perfection rates very highly on the golden ratio test, doesn’t look her best pictured in West-approved shades. What hope is there for the rest of us?
Fair to middling, is the answer. These sunglasses should be worn halfway down the nose – Bella Hadid is a master at this – and with a heavy dose of irony (part of the reason Kardashian’s sunglassed shift doesn’t entirely work is that she doesn’t really do irony). Brands to know include George Keburia, which made Solange’s Scarlet Red shades, and Andy Wolf, which did Rihanna’s, though eBay is also worth a look. Your inspiration should come from the late 90s/early 2000s – specifically Trinity in 1999’s The Matrix, played by Carrie-Anne Moss in a pair of spoon-like shades. That doesn’t mean PVC catsuits and floor-length leather macs are set to be the next tricky trend. But, hey, it can only be a matter of time before Kanye decrees it so.
