a classic

A design meant to compliment the styling’s of the up and coming 50’s, utilizing the new plastic manufacturing techniques of the decade. Designed to go hand and hand with Cadillac tail fins and Eames lounge chairs, the Wayfarer is arguably one of the most iconic sunglass styles of all-time.

The Wayfarer was made popular during the alternating decades of the 60’s and 80’s. James Dean, Bob Dylan, John F. Kennedy were all known to wear the iconic design in the 60’s. While in the 80’s the Wayfarer resurgence was due to they celebrity diversity of Elvis Costello, Morrissey, Tom Cruise, Madonna and Debbie Harry. Even the song “the boys of summer” makes a reference to the classic Ray-Ban.

It wasn’t until the late 2000’s where it was thought of to be safe to sport the, now decade old, design again. Continuing the trend of alternating peak popularity decades, Ray Ban re-introduced the Original Wayfarer in 2007. The New Wayfarer, and Wayfarer folding series were now to be complimented by the original that inspired them.

I tell this story because it speaks to the timeless design of these glasses. I have spent over a year looking for a new pair of sunglasses. Oddly enough, marking that anniversary was a camping trip to Idaho. It wasn’t until a trip to a local convenience store last week that I spotted a pair of knock-off Wayfarers. Immediately taking to the design, I researched the glasses legacy. Clamoring to find out if the original design fit my face-type, I set out to find a replacement for my fallen Gucci 2455’s. After a tweet in attempts to find a locally owned shop that carried them, I settled on getting them from Sunglass Icon at the Gateway.

Finally, after a year of looking for a pair of glasses that fit my face, were rugged, felt good, blocked a good amount of sun, and we’re not over-the-top expensive; the design I was looking for had been around for over fifty years.

*A large portion of the information contained in this post came from the Wayfarer Wikipedia Entry.
**Picture taken by Emily Toone