Heatwave chic! These are the It

Jul 11, 2023

Shivering as you walk to the tube in the mornings? Sweating in the early evenings as you cradle a cold beer outside your local pub? Getting dressed is no easy feat when the weather forecast is changing every hour. This weekend, however, is a (consistantly) scorchier story, with temperatures set to soar as high as 30C (86F) over the weekend in parts of England.

The first port of call when it comes to heatwave-happy styling? A statement pair of sunglasses - of which there is no short supply of options in 2023.

Big, buggy styles were hard to miss at The Standard Hotel‘s Kings Cross rooftop opening party this year, among a crowd of artists, designers, PR mavens and party girls sipping away on Cosmopolitans (yes, the Sex and the City aesthetic is still thriving 25 years later).

Some looked like visors, others ski goggles, and plenty were just plain Balenciaga and wrapped around the face. It dawned then that we have witnessed an opticals movement — away from the slender appeal of gold round framed Ray Bans towards something altogether more alien-esque.

5,000 miles away in the Californian desert, the same story played out at Coachella this year, too: Kylie Jenner was wearing shark fin moulded Burberry racer shades, Charli XCX posed up a storm in her bubble, metallic Off-White Volcanite sunglasses and Rosalía took to the stage in a vast pair Rick Owens's Kriesters.

The Lyst Index for Q1 of 2023, which ranks the hottest products and brands based off of the shopping and search behaviour of 200 million customers, was released yesterday and confirms the wave.

"We have noticed a shift away from small designs towards bigger, oversized silhouettes from the likes of Prada, Saint Laurent and Gucci," says Morgane Speed, content editor at Lyst. The second hottest product right now, as per the Index, were the Kriester sunglasses Rosalía took for a spin. "It's giving skiwear meets high fashion meets Y2K revival — a perfect storm for TikTok fashion fans at a time when wearing something on our face has become a prime example of self-expression," she continues.

As statement shades boom, more and more the sector is of growing importance to luxury brands. "‘It’ designer sunglasses are quickly turning into a powerful new category for designers: demand rose 57 per cent over the past three months alone," read the Lyst report. Every big label has one (or many) of its own left field designs to catch the market: there are Ottolinger's play-dough Twisted pair, Balenciaga's Batman Gotham style and Loewe's inflated balloon cat-eyes - even Oakley, adored by the golf-playing, finance set, has turned a hand to sci-fi styles, and are stocked at niche fashion boutiques like LN-CC.

The coolest shades come from the lesser known labels. Maustein is a Brazilian eyewear designer living in London, who has worked for the likes of Coperni, GmbH and Alan Crocetti, and since August last year has produced one style of glasses you often spot in Dalston: the Spike, with bio acetate frames that come moulded like thorns. Jourdan Dunn, Meshach Henry and Tom Rasmussen are all fans.

"In the first six weeks, the first drop sold out entirely through word of mouth," Maustein says. "Their popularity among the queer rave scene and underground parties in London and Berlin has also contributed to the IYKYK vibes."

The designer testifies to a seismic change in eyewear design. "People used to focus on finding sunglasses that fit their faces perfectly — that's changed," he says. "Nowadays, it's all about unique designs and embracing daring or unconventional looks."

Here are the It-sunglasses to know this summer...

Spike, £150, maustein.com

Gotham Cat, £465, ln-cc.com

Red sunglasses at Night, £190, lamaskarade.com

Turner, £280, burberry.com

Kato OO9455M, £245, ln-cc.com

Kriester, £565, mrporter.com

Twisted, £365, ssense.com

Wrap around sunglasses, £11.99, amazon.co.uk

Volcanite, £375, off---white.com

Oyster, £285, nicoeyewear.com

Inflated Cat Eye, £310, matchesfashion.com