Sunglasses

These sunglasses, designed by the well-known couturiere Elsa Schiaparelli, are the earliest known example of now-ubiquitous "designer" sunglasses. Tinted protective spectacles were made in Europe as early as the 17th century, but sunglasses did not become fashion accessories in their own right until the 1930s, when Hollywood stars began to be photographed wearing them. In the early 1950s, sunglass design became particularly fanciful, with frames imitating exotic materials, carved in the shape of flames or fish, or decorated with false eyelashes. In 1952, the American Optical Company signed a contract with the Parisian couturiere Elsa Schiaparelli to design the Schiaparelli Lunettes Collection, the first collection of designer eyewear to be launched in the United States. The pleated "awnings" on these shades contribute more style than function to their flamboyant and whimsical design, which hints at Schiaparelli's interest in the surreal.