Designer sunglasses show no signs in losing popularity, even with the recession having taken a chunk out of the economy. Fashion accessories are still one of the growth areas of spending, and people seem keen to make themselves feel good by indulging in a few extras on their appearance. So what’s behind this love affair with the trusty sunglasses, other than the desire to read a paperback on the beach without getting a headache from squinting!

There’s been a huge influence of course, from films. Almost a byword for cinema itself, Ray Ban sunglasses have been adorning film stars both male and female for decades. Celluloid icons such as Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Ackroyd and Belushi in The Blues Brothers have passed the baton on to the digital age, with modern films such as Iron Man making sure Robert Downey Jnr struts his stuff in style.

Getting a major screen star to wear your product is nothing new, but now companies are helping to create the look of a film as well. The X-Men series of films utilised designs of Oakley glasses, and these have appeared in a slew of high budget action blockbusters to reinforce the brand appearance of being an active, sporty accessory. Oakley also has a military distribution, so Black Hawk Down was simply improving its accuracy by including it as part of the actors’ kit.

The great thing about sunglasses is that they are an easy way to be like the stars we watch and admire on film. We may not all have quite the figure to squeeze into an Audrey Hepburn creation. The rugged sci-fi trenchcoat look may fit well with Keanu Reeves, but for others just makes us look like geeks from the 1980s with no social life. It would be great to have Gerard Butler’s abs or Jessica Alba’s curves, if only we didn’t have to spend hours at the gym or monitoring every calorie to do so. Designer glasses however, don’t quite place the same exacting requirements and even if you are not immediately surrounded by confused Paparazzi, a decent pair will make you look oh so much more stylish.