Summer may fade, but the big shades stay. After the Telfar bag, the Bottega puddle boots, the new statement accessory seems to be sunglasses, no matter the season. In a post-lockdown world, nose and mouth covered by masks, fashion brands suggest big, nearly blacked out glasses to protect the newly found luxury of privacy. From Balenciaga, Gucci to Dries van Noten, the trend does not only conquer borders, but also different streams of target consumers.
With fluctuating stay-at-home orders in the past year, Instagram live, streaming, video calling or any other in-person contact imitating forms of online communication experienced a hike. Jimmy Fallon or The late late show live performances were recorded from home, singer Phoebe Bridgers filmed her Kyoto performance in her bedroom, showcasing her intimate, private safe space, decorated with a Nick Cave poster to the rest of the world. Immortalized on platforms like YouTube, everyone had the chance to see what’s usually kept private – diaries on the nightstand, sentimental clothing, the aged dust on the back of the headboard.
Image courtesy of Dries van Noten
These days, loneliness is rising more than ever, underlined by the existential question of whether what we perceive as normal will ever come back as it was. Social Media has been blurring the lines between public and private for a decade now with the more one showcases their private life, the more engagement they’ll get in return. It’s a trading game, privacy against likes and comments. The recent surge of sunglasses could be seen as a counterculture movement to the world in our phones – a world where the grass is always greener, prettier and softer. After the year of public privacy, faces are covered with masks, eyes are hidden behind big shades, creating a maximum level of privacy.
The desire for privacy within the public eye is nothing new: Margiela did it the last decade, never showing his face with the explanation that he’s not a great performer and he wouldn’t be able to deal with all the attention. The Italian novelist Elena Ferrante is one of the most prominent authors when it comes to fiction novels, yet nobody knows what she looks like, or who she really is. In a world where everything is accessible, inaccessibility sells best. The Italian fashion house Bottega Veneta deleted at the beginning of this year all their social media accounts, embarking on the brands’ you-can’t-sit-with-us era, reclaiming the absolute state of luxury. Taking inspiration from Margiela, Balenciaga’s creative director Demna Gvasalia began sporting a similar mask to Margiela back in the day, reclaiming his traded privacy, together with two of the most recognized celebrities on the planet – Kanye and Kim Kardashian West – creating a new aesthetic out of old references. Accessible through blacked-out sunglasses to the customer, the statement is clear: privacy is the new black, or in this case, the new accessory.
Historically, sunglasses reflect deeper levels of psychology within fashion and style, for example, in the 70s, right after the Beatles’ Shangri-La era of peace and love, they were almost see-through, reflecting the desire for a more open society. The decade after introduced the contrary, with black wayfarer shades by Rayban, the glasses that have over the decades achieved the same cult status as the Tabi shoe by Margiela or the Burberry check. Using the wayfarer as a unique trademark, the German designer Karl Lagerfeld wore them to protect his identity and he was rarely spotted without them. Visual protection in the age of constant threats, maybe that’s what this accessory is for.