First fashion, now frames: Early 2000s sunglasses are coming back

The late UK fashion designer, Vivienne Westwood, came up with numerous poignant statements over the years – including her famous comment: “I can’t think without my glasses”.

Her thoughts would have certainly raced had she walked into Che Eyewear on Fitzroy’s Smith Street in Melbourne, and she may also have been impressed that the owner, Rose Crulli used her words across the store window.

A selection of vintage sunglasses on offer at Che Eyewear.Credit: Che Eyewear

Inside Che Eyewear, there’s a treasure of vintage glasses, some with lenses and others ready to hit the beach. The large black-and-white photo showing a woman wearing dark round sunglasses and a scarf tied at her chin, complete with dark lipstick and painted fingernails, certainly sets the mood.

Those with a penchant for the 1980s will enjoy trying on the remaining pair of the original Playboy sunglasses, with the gold bunny emblem on one lens and even the original price tag of $65 – now selling for $199.

Crulli, an optician who works with an optometrist, has drawers of sunglasses and frames from the 1950s through to the early noughties. She even has one pair dating back to the 1940s – so small that only a child could wear them. With a price tag of $399, these sunglasses will likely remain a display item.

“The 1960s represented a very classy era, when people dressed up,” says Crulli, who recently watched home movies of her own family visiting the zoo from this period. “People don’t dress up like that now, even when they go out for dinner,” she adds.

If glasses don’t fit, it’s money down the drain.

Rose Crulli, Che Eyewear

Many of the 1960s glasses displayed in Che Eyewear have quite thick frames – with some retailing for $289 to $350 (including GST). There are a few pairs from the 1990s by the Italian brand Allflex and also an extensive range from the early noughties, priced at $199.

“The narrower glass frames (29 millimetres) are extremely popular with younger people. I never really thought of them as ‘vintage’ but I suppose they are 20 years old now,” says Crulli, who sees the best finds coming from Paris or Italy.

Indigo Keane, a luxury specialist at Leonard Joel also sees the popularity of sunglasses from the early noughties, particularly if they are Chanel. “A pair of Chanel sunglasses from this time, and seen as part of a runway collection, elevates them to ‘archival’ status, with a price tag starting in the thousands, rather than the hundreds,” says Keane.

A pair of Issey Miyake sunglasses popularised by the Pet Shop Boys is worth upwards of $5000.

Those not keen to fork out four figures for a pair of vintage sunglasses might prefer those by Christian Dior circa 1960s or ’70s, evocative of those worn by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, at about $200 plus buyer’s premium.

“The popularity of styles is often cyclical, but it’s important that they’re in mint condition and the lenses aren’t scratched. And if you want to resell these at any point, it pays to have the original box,” she adds.

Nick Freeman, owner of Qurated, recently opened his new store on Surry Hills’ Foveaux Street in Sydney and points to the rise in the value of vintage sunglasses designed by Jean Paul Gaultier in the 1980s and ’90s.

He credits late hip-hop rapper Tupac Shakur, who was a poster boy for Gaultier’s glasses. “We’ve sold a few pairs for approximately $900,” says Freeman.

In the Surry Hills store, there’s also a rare pair of sunglasses designed by Issey Miyake in the 1980s featuring a metal grill and worn by pop group, Pet Shop Boys. “These are part of our permanent collection,” says Freeman, who estimates they are worth approximately $5000.

Whether one prefers to feel the 1960s, ’70s or ’80s or bring themselves into the millennium, buying vintage sunglasses goes with the trend of wearing vintage clothing. The “look” might be important but for Crulli, who has been in retail for the past 16 years, “… the fit is as important as the look. If glasses don’t fit, it’s money down the drain”.

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