With the tragic loss of Michael Jackson, nostalgia for his eighties heyday has been in the news this week. An interesting aspect of eyewear is the way it mirrors fashion and the look of the times but in a relatively subtle way. More people are likely to wear an eighties revival pair of sunnies or glasses then a military suit or a single sequined glove around town!

So how do you catch the look of the moment? With sunglasses it’s easy, as Aviators and huge round frames for girls have been in and out of fashion ever since they were invented. Everyone from Tom Cruise to Prince Harry wears them, and they’re an investment that will serve you well. For girls, ever since Audrey Hepburn peeped over the top of her huge black sunnies in Breakfast at Tiffanys, the look has barely changed. Everyone from Victoria Beckham to Madonna has their variation on the look, but if you want true eighties style make them as big as possible.

Ophthalmic glasses are a different matter, as eighties fashion is hardly anyone’s first choice of a good look! Women had huge frames with very dodgy tints, men had John Lennon round frames or their seventies throw back aviators. We’ve all been enjoying the lightweight joys of small frames for some time now, and most people would not want to go back to heavy, slipping, enormous specs. Second time around however, lenses are lighter, frame materials are thinner and more comfortable too, and frames are gradually getting bigger without the discomfort we suffered before.

So while you’ve got you’ve records back out and your white socks, remember Michael in his heyday, slip on your sunnies or your big specs, and be as Bad as you like!