There’s simply too much going on right now—global politics, a barrage of notifications, eye contact. Fortunately, the closest thing we have to a socially acceptable invisibility cloak—oversized sunglasses—are back. What better way to shield yourself from environmental stressors and people you don’t want to deal with than a pair of gigantic sunnies?
The spring/summer 2026 collections—shown last September and October—made it official that we’re over the era of skinny, office-siren-inspired frames. At Balenciaga, models hid behind majorly oversized bug-eye frames, while Loewe leaned sporty with shield styles. Over at Gucci, the eyewear shifted with each of Demna’s archetypes: there was the logo-scarf-wearing ‘V.I.C.’ (Very Important Client) with a rather large pair of tortoiseshell frames, the ‘Bastardo’ outfitted in white knickers and giant black metal aviators, and so on. Meanwhile, Balmain doubled down on thick, high-gloss acetate. Designers across Celine, Chloé, Dhruv Kapoor, and Fendi, too, seemed to agree and delivered everything from sculptural goggles to bold, assertive wayfarers that occupied significant facial real estate.
