In Search of The World's Largest Sunglasses

Come, step into the (UV-protected) light. The big sunglasses renaissance is upon us.

Tiny glasses, I have decided, are done for. Looking through lenses barely bigger than my eyeballs has given me such fatigue the only remedy is shades of godly dimensions. I mean colossal. I want frames that dominate so much facial real estate they have to pay a mortgage.

It’s about the mystery: Who is she? What is she hiding? Tears? A deathly hangover? The effects of an edible? Think Charli XCX leaving the Bowery Hotel after a late night, shadowed by her signature wraparound lenses. Or Cher stepping out to the supermarket in a face mask and reflective aviators. Why throw on some mascara when you can throw on a massive pair of shades?

Wearing a humongous pair of sunglasses, after all, is It Girl 101. Think back to former first lady Jackie O, who influenced the masses with her signature bug-eyed shades—a look that remains synonymous with her style today.

She made it clear: Anybody who was somebody would own a pair of mega sunglasses. By the ‘70s, huge lenses were shading the eyes of everyone from actors Sophia Loren and Sharon Tate to disco icons like Donna Summer.

While shades shrunk during the ‘80s and ‘90s, some divas defied the look. Joan Didion favored a pair of large Céline frames that became so integral to her character she later starred in one of the brand’s campaigns at 80 years old. After her death, a stupendous pair of her tortoiseshell sunglasses—also by the French house—sparked a posthumous bidding war, selling for a staggering $27,000.

In 1988, Anna Wintour took the helm at Vogue, marking the adoption of her UV veil (UVeil?). The era also saw Grace Jones—who never subscribed to any trend but her own—alternating between enormous specs and itty bitty ones.

By the noughties, mega sunglasses were established as a way to evade the paparazzi. Stars like Britney Spears, Victoria Beckham, and Lil’ Kim were rarely seen in public without a pair of face-shielding frames; of course, it was Paris Hilton who first said “that’s hot” to the oversized silhouette. For the socialite—who’s said she owns “hundreds of wigs” to disguise herself in public—the camouflaging sunglasses are a way of life. “If you need to roll your eyes but don’t want others to see…wear big sunglasses,” she captioned this 2022 Instagram post.

Mammoth specs went from pop star staple to scene-y status symbol come the mid-00s. Where there was once Jackie O, there was Rachel Zoe, who influenced the revival of mod ‘60s and ‘70s silhouettes via her celebrity styling work. Naturally, it goes without saying the boho revival exploded thanks to Sienna Miller—just check any Pinterest mood board.

(When I interviewed Miller for Harper’s Bazaar last year, she credited Jane Birkin, perhaps the architect of boho, as one of her personal style icons. Game recognizes game.)

Elsewhere, gargantuan shades became the gateway drug for Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen’s elusive lifestyle. The shift into the later ‘00s saw them embrace vintage-inspired sunglasses more befitting of fashion darlings—a sentiment emphasized by their infamously beat-up Birkins.

The ebbing and flowing of trends did away with larger frames by 2015-ish, with barely-there sunnies anointing the new It Girl look. You rarely saw any of the Hadids or Kardashians without a Matrix-esque pair. Still, some silhouettes were practically three-blind-mice adjacent. Give me ludicrous lenses or give me death!

The thing about tiny sunglasses is that they are incapable of matching the grandiose of their wearer. You simply cannot name a diva who doesn’t own a pair of colossal frames.

So, in the same vein as pledging to perfect my blowout and work toward Madonna arms, I began my search for the world’s largest sunglasses. Call it a diva evolution.

One of my favorite invites of the year is always the Kering Eyewear Preview. Last November I had the chance to try on pairs from the spring 2026 collections, including this bug-eyed pink Balenciaga pair, Gucci tortoiseshell shields, and my top choice, a pair of golden Yves Saint Laurent sunglasses, the same pair Bella Hadid wore down the YSL runway. (That said, they also made me realize there’s a thin line between glamorously gigantic and glaucoma-chic.)

This past March welcomed the fall 2026 offerings; another bug-eyed pair, this one from McQueen; a gargantuan pair from Balenciaga; bold Bottega Veneta lenses rimmed in gold. Capital-F Fashion fit for a capital-D Diva.

While I wish I could’ve taken a pair (or two) home with me, these designer frames fall out of my price range—retail-wise, at least. Fortunately, I was recently gifted this rounded pair from Barton Perreira, leaving me no choice but to serve Jackie O realness.

If money was no object? I’ve been lusting after this wraparound pair from Tory Burch’s spring 2026 collection, as well as this ridiculously boho Céline pair that seems to be everywhere these days.

Nevertheless, a diva makes do. A few weeks ago—after racking up some credit at TheRealReal—I found a pair of absurdly sized Victoria Beckham sunnies that reminded me why she once went by Posh Spice. Though it took me a few trial wears to get used to the look, I quickly became fond of their cloaking comfort.

Having unlocked a whole new world of eyewear, I fear I cannot look back. No shade to regular-sized sunglasses—they too have their time and place, such as when you can’t find your big frames.

A new dawn is on the horizon, calling for all the more UV protection. So go big, or go home (so you can put on a huge pair of sunglasses).

In search of your own fabulous eyewear? Consign on TheRealReal using my link to gain $200 in credit rather than the usual $125. Want to see what I’m up to (and what I’m wearing)? Follow me on Instagram and TikTok. Interested in working together? Reach out here.

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Apr 28

In the spirit of spring cleaning (and the desire for spring shopping), I consigned with The Real Real for the first time last month. It felt good to let go of some pieces, and felt even better to earn $150 worth of site credit as a first-time consigner.