CLASSIC STYLES & THEIR PURPOSE

Mirrorshades

Mirrorshades are sunglasses with a mirrored coating on the surface. They are very popular with police officers in the United States for two reasons. Firstly, they block out most of the road / traffic glare when driving. And secondly, they completely hide the officers eyes which gives them an edge when questioning offenders. There are two popular styles for mirrorshades. One is a dual lens set in a metal frame (often confused with Aviators), and a "Wraparound" style. This is a single, smooth, semi-circular plastic lens that covers both eyes and much of the same area of the face covered by protective goggles. Wraparound sunglasses are also quite popular in the world of extreme sports.

Aviators

Aviators are sunglasses with an oversized teardrop-shaped lens and thin metal frames. This design first appeared in 1936 for issue to U.S. military aviators. Their popularity with pilots, military and law enforcement personnel in the United States has never wavered. As a fashion statement, models of aviator sunglasses are often made in mirrored,colored and wrap-around styles. In addition to pilots,Aviator-style sunglasses gained popularity with young people in the late 1960s and continued to be very popular with only abrief fall in demand during the 1990s.

Navigators

Navigators are a smaller more rectangular version of the aviators. They were made for exactly the same purpose as the aviators, but they just became smaller with the changing fashion trends of sunglasses.

Wayfarers

The Wayfarer design was invented in the 1950’s. They are thought to be the bestselling sunglasses design to date mainly due to how long they have been around for and also because of their exposure in films. In 1961, Audrey Hepburn wore Wayfarers in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. And during the 1950s and 1960s, celebrities including John Lennon, Bob Dylan, James Dean, John F Kennedy, Roy Orbison and Andy Warhol were known for wearing Wayfarers. Though the sunglasses had faded from the limelight by the 1970s, a lucrative 1982 product placement deal brought Wayfarers to their height of popularity. Tom Cruise wore Wayfarers in the movie "Risky Business" and they also made a huge appearance in the movie "Blues Brothers" (hence the nickname 'Blues Brothers Sunglasses'). Since the mid-2000s, the sunglasses have been enjoying a revival.

Teashades

'Teashades' (also called "John Lennon glasses" or "Ozzy Glasses", after Ozzy Osbourne) were a type of Psychedelic art wire-rim sunglassesthat were often worn, usually for purely aesthetic reasons, by members of the 1960’s drug counterculture, as well as by opponents of segregation. Rock stars such as Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Jerry Garcia, Ozzy Osbourne, and Janis Joplin all wore teashades. When teashades became popular in the late 1960s, they were often elaborated with coloured and mirrored lenses. A uniquely-colored or darkened glass lens was usually preferred.

Glacier Glasses

Sunglasses with leather blinders at the sides that protect the eyes by blocking the sun's rays around the edges of the lenses. Typically, these have very dark round lenses. Because they provide extra protection from bright sun and light reflected by snow and ice. They are often used for mountain climbing, or travelling across glaciers or snowfields and deep sea fishing.

Gradient Lens Sunglasses

The gradient lens is darker at the top of the lens then fades to lighter at the bottom of the lens. This means there will be more protection from sunlight the higher you look on the lens, but the farther you look down, the less protection you get. The suns rays come from above so this type of lens is very handy while driving or doing any outdoor activity. The other advantage is that you can wear them inside and not fear tripping over something because you are looking through the lighter part of the lens.

Fit Overs and Clip Ons

Fit Overs are sunglasses that are worn over regular prescription glasses and are generally a wrap around style. They are quite large and bulky but are definately handy for those who can't see without prescriptions. Clip Ons serve the same purpose as Fit Overs except Clip Ons are generally a thin metal frame that clip on to the top of prescription glasses and are simply flipped up or down depending on what the wearer is doing.

Oversized Sunglasses

Oversized sunglasses are purely a womens fashion item and were first noticed in the 1960's when Jackie Onassis used to wear them. They have since been nicknamed the 'Onassis Sunglasses' or 'Jackie O glasses'. Oversized sunglasses seem to go in and out of fashion every 20 years, they were popular in the 60's then the 80's and now in the 00's. When the right lens is fitted in them (ie. one that blocks 100% UV rays) they are actually quite good sunglasses as not much light can get in. But as they are simply worn to be a fashion statement, most of them don't offer much in way of eye protection.

Rimless Sunglasses

Rimless sunglasses are used for a variety of reasons and come in a variety of combinations.

The most common use for rimless sunglasses is sports. Many sports enthusiasts love how lightweight and comfortable they are to wear. For golfers in particular, rimless sunglasses are essential as they don't have frames that can in any way obstruct their field of view.

Rimless sunglasses are also a current fashion style. They are usually oversized with a gradient lens.

Great care needs to be taken when you own a pair of rimless sunglasses. As there are no rims or frames to protect the lens, they can easily be damaged, scratched or broken. Also the cost of rimless sunglasses is significantly higher than most other sunglass styles on the market with some models costing almost twice as much as expensive framed sunglasses. This is because of the manufacturing and fabrication process involved in producing them.

Wrap around sunglasses

For optimum eye protection, wrap around sunglasses are by far the best to wear. This is because they prevent damaging UV rays from getting in through the sides, top and bottom of them. Studies have shown that enough UV rays enter around standard sunglass frames to reduce the protective benefits of the lenses. The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing states that for best eye protection "always wear a wrap around style of sunglasses". But apart from what all the experts say, wrap around sunglasses are also trendy, comfortable and great for sports. Out of all the sunglass styles, these are the most versatile.