From XXL frames and retro references to shield shades, Vogue Scandinavia's eyewear expert Betty Bachz is revealing the eyewear trends that will shape the new year
"Do not go gentle into that good night... rage, rage against the dying of the light," posited Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. And if the SS22 runways are any indicator of what is to come for the new year, be prepared to go big or, well, stay home. For the past year, we've seen consumers leaning into mindful shopping, opting for easy, versatile styles made out of biodegradable acetate - the so-called everyday sunnies. This sentiment seems to have gone out of the window with the resurgence of statement eyewear. Whether it's OTT retro at Versace and Saint Laurent or Cyberpunk futuristic at Vetements and Gucci, your eyewear should be loud and proud in 2022.
While our collective pining for groovier times hasn't waned, the dystopian future is also making its presence known. This tug of war between the past and the future was evident at fashion's most needle-moving shows: Gucci alternated between 50s-inspired cat-eye sunglasses, 70s-inspired aviator styles and futuristic shield shades with apparent ease, and Louis Vuitton's Nicholas Ghesquière manifested "the figure of a vampire who travels through the ages, adapting to dress codes of the era," albeit not without a futuristic twist.
Below is our roundup of the biggest eyewear trends of the SS22 runways:
Balenciaga spring/summer 2022.
Prada spring/summer 2022.
Stella McCartney spring/summer 2022.
Sporty shades
The influence of sport on fashion has grown beyond the occasional hybrid collection. From alpine-inspired eyewear at Gucci to cycling-inspired shades at Stella McCartney, this trend has evolved to the extent that it deserves its own sub-categories. Demna Gvasalia has made sport an integral part of Balenciaga’s brand proposition and can always be relied upon to inject some adrenaline into the runways: for spring it's all eyes on the oversized bug-eye shapes with nods to Y2K sports eyewear. Meanwhile, Prada and Max Mara lean into a more relaxed form of athleisure aesthetic with pastel-coloured full-framed rectangular styles that are certainly easier to embrace than a full year gym membership.
Versace spring/summer 2022.
Saint Laurent spring/summer 2022.
Salvatore Ferragamo spring/summer 2022.
Oversized 1970s inspired frames
Size matters this season: your eyewear ought to be oversized, on the borderline to the absurd. The runways embraced the ode to the 70s with Versace’s big bright-coloured sunglasses and Salvatore Ferragamo’s oversized round frames. Victoria Beckham gave us 70s-inspired shield sunglasses with callbacks to Andre Courreges’ the Avant Garde 7853 style. At Saint Laurent, retro bug eye styles got contemporary upgrades with an added bridge, setting them up to become the hero-style of the season that is equally suited for sun-drenched days and disco-fuelled nights.
Vetements spring/summer 2022.
Balmain spring/summer 2022.
Gucci spring/summer 2022.
Cyberpunk-inspired shield sunglasses
As we head towards another year of the pandemic - expect the unexpected. Cyberpunk-inspired eyewear has taken over the runways and not since the 90s have shield sunglasses been this sought out: new sleek takes on this Sci-Fi staple appeared everywhere from Gucci to Balmain. Nowhere was the cyberpunk-influence clearer than at Vetement, where reflective, futuristic shield shades set the tone for the collection. Not surprisingly, this trend boomed after a season where Balenciaga released Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow, a walking simulator which doubled as the Balenciaga AW21. Perhaps, it’s time that we all stepped out in the real world looking like our computer generated avatars.