Join the Cool Boys Club

Sunglasses, for the most part, can be ageless and genderless, but like belts, some footwear, or hats, there are often certain styles, cuts, and colors that are intended and much better suited to be worn by men rather than woman, and vice versa . Now, like most things in fashion, there are no real laws about this; it’s actually more of a personal observation I find interesting.

For example, some men may wear them and rock them quite well, but cat-eye sunglasses are perfect examples of a style of sunglasses that are more often worn often by women as opposed to sunglass styles like schoolboys, wire rims, heavy black frames, and aviators. These styles are more often worn by men. With all of the different retro looks going on, cat-eye sunglasses remain more popular for women, closely followed by the Jackie O style of sunglasses.

As the years go by, more and more folks seem to doing their own thing with clothes and accessories. This summer, “doing your own thing” is right on the money, and timely for fashion since we have been having a retro salute to the 1970s. In the ’70s, it was popular for the sexes to “borrow” items from each other, and it was a big year for unisex garments and accessories. Jeans, shirts, and jewelry were unisex, and so were a couple of hairstyles like the shag and afro. It became quite common for both men and women to wear the same style of sunglasses: oversized frames with bright-colored lenses and frames. These styles are still popular with everyone and have a real ’70s vibe.

Ray-bans tend to swing both ways and look great on both men and women, but there is one style of Ray-bans that seems to be a particular favorite of the guys: the Ray-ban Club sunglasses. Clubmasters have been around for years, but for summer 2012 they seem to be getting quite a bit of play in men’s fashion, especially the celebrity scene.

These sunglasses do look great on women, but I think it’s also nice to let the guys have a little something of their own. It’s an easy way to work some of the cool retro looks without much effort, and it lets you guys even channel a bit of Don Draper from Mad Men. Who can argue with that?