Ray Ban Wayfarer

It dawned on me recently that this year is the 25th anniversary of my owning a pair of RayBan Wayfarer sunglasses.  And, I don’t mean 25 years of always owning a pair, I’m talking about owning the same pair!

Next year co-incides with the 60 year anniversary of Ray Ban introducing the Wayfarer, and since then they have become one of the most recognisable items of eyeware in history.  Every decade since the 1950s has seen the most iconic musicians, movie stars, artists, and fashionistas of the day sporting a pair of Wayfarers, sometimes even becoming a trademark of the person concerned.  Audrey Hepburn, James Dean, Jackie Onassis, Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson, to name but a few, have all been spotted adorning a pair of Ray Ban Wayfarers, not to mention the main characters at the avant garde of cinema and TV encompassing James Bond, Sonny Crocket of Miami Vice, and perhaps most famously of all, Jake and Elwood, better known as the Blues brothers.

People’s reasons for owning a pair of Wayfarers are numerous and varied.  Some like to make a statement, some just simply need the best protection from the sun’s glare.  Ray Ban certainly succeeded on both counts with the Wayfarer.  Whether I’m looking to accessorise a smart or casual look, be it for business or pleasure, I always turn to the Wayfarers.  They seldom leave my face if I’m driving anywhere, for the very simple reason they are just the most relaxing lenses I’ve ever experienced.

Sure, when I first bought my pair, all those years ago, there were those that said “Why spend the money?  You can get a pair that looks exactly the same for £1.99 off the market!”

Well firstly, nothing you can buy on a market for £1.99 will ever come remotely close to the quality and the elegance of genuine RayBan Wayfarer  sunglasses.  Secondly, the people that give you that kind of advice are always the very same people that buy their sunglasses off the market for £1.99.  Forgive me, but I have a lot more respect for myself, not to mention my eyes, and the price of a pair of these outstanding sunglasses is not only relatively small, but a lifelong investment.

So whether you choose the classic black (above), or the ever-stylish tortoise-shell (right), you can rest assured that you now possess one of the “must-have” items in life.  But a word of warning, if you do decide to treat yourself to a pair and you are in a relationship, as soon as your partner discovers them they will covet, beg, borrow and steal them at every opportunity, you may well want to buy that extra pair as the perfect gift!