THE STATUS OF SHADES

With summer around the corner and for those living in London, it seems at last the sun has found its way down to us, a blazing long overdue. This exciting moment of sunbeam proposes an urgent need for shades, disclosing an intricate social positioning.

*The author going for ‘niche’* *Phoebe Philo* *ones, that are released in small batches.*

Now as a child, these sun protectors were a simple experience, something your parents put on you, (something you then threw on the floor, something someone put back on you and so on). However for the more adolescent person, these shades seem to be much more than just protective sunshine gear, they are by themselves a social expression of who you are. By placing these shades on your face, you are not only showcasing your sense of style (or not), but entirely positioning yourself into the social class system.

*Tom Cruise in Top Gun, turning the aviators into old-school goodies.*

Here I’ve categorised a few of these statuses:

The celebrity expression, big shades to hide from all the paparazzi, or the imaginary ones anyhow..
The geeky ones, for the fashion forward crew, don't ask me more..
The old-school ones, Tom Cruise - Top Gun, we owe it to you, aviators forever! (at least for some..)
The speedy ones, you know who you are! Think biking, think Oakley, think fast.
The branded ones, a too large B for Balenciaga, or GUCCI that covers more than the actual glasses, style, is far, far away or is it?
The niche ones, those handmade goodies, that can be discrete but immaculate.. (seen a lot walking down Savile Row)
The cheap ones (sorry no other name, Editor notes), high street lookalike’s, not bad, but lasting not so long, in other words, just cheap but good for those who keep on loosing them.
The green ones, for those more conscious minded, interesting materials will make a statement.

Now the list could go on and on, because face it there are many more social categories out there, but let’s refocus onto sunglasses, they actually have a quite intriguing history. According to wikipedia (sorry google made me), the design we currently know as sunglasses was introduced in 1936 to the U.S. military. However, way before that, to avoid snow blindness, the Inuit’s made and wore snow goggles of flattened walrus or caribou ivory with narrow slits to look through. Not the most stylish but apparently very effective. Turns out it was not always made just for protection of the sun but to conceal facial expressions too. In China in the 12th century sunglasses, made from flat panes of smoky quartz called Ai Tai, were used by judges in ancient courts to conceal their facial expressions while questioning witnesses. Whilst in the naughty courts of Europe it was said that sunglasses gained popularity because of the sexually transmitted (and therefore very common) syphilis’s symptoms was; sensitivity to light.

*The first sunglass fashion designed by the Inuits.*

Whatever the truth, sunglasses today are a big part of our wardrobes and daily positionings into society, both day and nighttimes which the latter we won't delve into now... Guccis newly appointed Art Director Sabato de Sarnos latest campaign Ancora, has made me intrigued by the branded ones. Victoria Beckham the self-proclaimed queen of shades, needs mentioning too as the celebrity categories leading muse.