It’s difficult to imagine a time before sunglasses. These tinted specs are such a key part of modern menswear, shielding our eyes from problematic UV rays and the rest of the world from our problematic hangovers. They’re a Hollywood hallmark, a universal symbol of cool, and one of the few ways a man can add a bit of flair to his day-to-day looks.
But such a time did exist. Before Bausch & Lomb created its now-iconic aviator frame, sunglasses were mere tools, not the stylish accessories we know them as today. It was the aviator that paved the way for sunglasses to go mainstream and without them,