Sunglasses are a must-have in the rockstar ensemble. These are accessories which make a person look cool and it makes one face look unique and appealing. They are important in practical sense too, of course. From securing eyes against bright light and flashes to those with vision loss, they keep eyes sharp and comfortable on and off stage.
Every rock star wore them when the genre was first created in the 1950s and 70 years have passed. Sunglasses were always considered attention grabbing, not only because it was fashionable, but because it is what made one stand out.
Read below in this article about the three rock stars who, in addition to their qualities and impact on rock music, also became famous for wearing sunglasses:
Elton John
Obviously, we have to start with Sir Elton John. Very few artists have used so many sunglasses as boldly as Elton John. Since the start of his career in the late ’60s, he’s been drawing attention thanks to his glam rock look alike. Rather than sticking to a single pair, he’s worn a countless number of them with varying designs and details. He played around with kooky designs, rhinestone-encrusted frames, geometric styles, and more; no pair was off limits.
Elton favours designs from top fashion houses like Gucci, Versace, or Paul Smith, which suit his love for flashy and gaudy style. While he’s toned down his eyewear looks in the present, he still maintains a flair for fashion with a variety of candy-coloured lenses or thick, patterned frames. He’s even launched his own eyewear line, collaborating with Walmart and Sam’s Club to launch an eyewear collection that fits his affinity for shades.
Slash
Slash is immediately recognizable thanks to his guitar solos and look. There is hardly a concert without the Guns N’ Roses guitarist wearing a top hat and sunglasses. He’s worn various frames for many years over the course of his career, but he is wearing sports designer sunglasses more often. He normally chooses the Ray-Ban Aviators — it’s a look that’s been around for decades, but it’s trendy and classic.
The glasses keep him icy cool for a rockstar of his caliber, but they’re also functional. They protect the eyes from harsh stage lights or cameras so that his eyes are not uncomfortable. They also create privacy as the face is kept just out of sight. Slash even carries the sunglasses around in his spare time out of habit after making them a part of his look for so long.
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain was probably the best rock superstar of the 90s. Ironically, Kurt wanted to be anything but famous. He hated the mainstream and ended up being a victim of Nirvana’s success. But what will go down in history is the music he wrote for Nirvana and how it endures 30 years after the singer’s death. In this article, we also highlight the impact he had on the world of fashion.
Kurt’s sunglasses became one of his signature products, but his best-known pair were the white oval frames made from heavy acetate. These Christian Roth CRS00050 frames entered his oeuvre later in his career, as the grunge uniform was transitioned from knit sweaters and ripped jeans to more dramatic looks. Kurt Cobain had these sunglasses (along with a fluffy animal print coat and a muffler har) in a photo shoot in 1993 that became one of his best-known images.
In the late 2010s, those shades came back into style. Known as “clout goggles” they went viral in hip-hop and are better than ever.
