As the summer months crept in, it appeared the bravest pair of sunglasses the majority would risk were those with bright-orange lenses (see, the rise of the Aperol-spritz shades). That was before Olympic fever took hold.
August has seen us glued to BBC iPlayer to the backdrop of Clare Balding’s musings, Instagram feeds full of Jules Bouyer, and, as it happens, pictures-upon-pictures of the countless cycling-shade iterations which have filled Paris.
From Oakley to Puma, athletes golfing and running, shooting, volleyballing and pole vaulting all appear to have one thing in common: a shining pair of mirrored shades. They could have been neon orange, green or hot pink and with iridescent, red or steel silver lenses — but they all shared the ability to lurch off the screen. Then Princess Anne doubled down on her love of the style (complete with, on separate stylish outings, fashion editor approved boat shoes and a Paris 2024 bucket hat) and the glasses seemed game, set, match.
But can anyone pull off the sporting hero staple?
Abroad, colourful-mirror wrap-around shades come two-a-penny on beaches, as salesmen walk about flogging them at €10 a pop. While Brits might have remained reserved in their choices (you would sooner see a family kitted out in their Ray Bans Wayfarers, than anything more abrupt), our European counterparts needed no persuasion to lean in. Indeed, they might have been keeping a closer eye on the Spring Summer 2024 fashion month circuit, where a handful of labels put money on the style winning this year’s race.
The biggest backer was Acne Studios, who paired the majority of their looks in Paris with silver, Oakley Encounter-silhouette shades. In London, it was Skepta who sent out aviators with mirrored lenses for his label MAINS, while New York brand RETROFÊTE offered green tinged cycling shades which gave a sporty edge to their cropped, tux jackets and cargo, sequin slacks.
Key to pulling off the Oakley Olympic look (à la Princess Anne) is not to try and sport-ify your outfit to match. Just embrace the juxtaposition.
Ready, set, shop:
For: Lovers of Alex Yee
For: The Acne look
For: The bold
