Even though eyewear fashion tends to move a little more slowly than the rest of the fashion world, it still moves, and most styles come in and out of fashion. There are three classic styles, however, that never completely fall out of fashion. Sure, they might be more popular sometimes, but they never fully disappear. These styles are Ray-Ban?s Wayfarer, Aviator, and Clubmaster styles. Although these styles all came out around the mid-20th century, they have a timeless appeal that transcends the sometimes-fickle fashion world. This guide will give you a little background information on each style and it will talk about the face shapes that tend to suit each style most.
All Photos Courtesy of: Red Hot Sunglasses? Ray-Ban Sunglasses Collection
The Birth of the Classic Aviator
Aviators are also known as pilot sunglasses and this name is very fitting as they were first developed in 1936 to function as protective eyewear for pilots in the US Air Corps. In 1936, a general in the military commissioned eyewear specialists Bausch & Lomb to design pilot sunglasses because pilot goggles fogged up and took away all peripheral vision. Bausch & Lomb designed the distinctive Aviator shape so that it protected much more of the wearer?s eyes than other sunglasses, and the lenses were also convex, to allow pilots to wear them closer to their face, thus protecting them from sunlight getting to their eyes from the sides or from above.
Bausch & Lomb designed the original Aviators fo...