80s Sunglasses

80s Sunglasses - Black Wayfarer and Neon Asymmetric

Retro 80s style shades are very much in fashion, once again, and these particularly include Ray-Ban Wayfarer style, mirror lens and aviator frames which are great for everyday fashion. Robot/cyclops and shutter lens glasses look fantastic at fancy dress parties and clubs.

The cool thing about most of these retro style shades is that they are unisex, too, although it takes a brave man to wear some of those brightly-coloured wayfarers!

So let's take a look at what we were covering our eyes with back in the 1980s.

Aviator Sunglasses

Wayfarer Sunglasses

Monoblock (Cyclops) Sunglasses

Shutter Shades

Neon Glasses (separate page)

Aviator Sunglasses for Adults

Aviators were originally designed by Ray-Ban for pilots back in the 1930s, but quickly became available for the public to buy. This style became very popular in the 70s and 80s and they featured heavily in TV shows and movies of the time. From Starsky and Hutch to Tom Cruise in Top Gun, they rarely seemed to lose their popularity and they are still a popular retro choice today. While the movie stars were wearing Ray-Bans, most of the general public bought cheaper replicas. However, if you're feeling flush, then nothing quite beats the feel of a pair of real Ray-Bans.

Let's take a look at the different styles that are available...

Blue Lens Aviators Brown Lens Aviators Classic Gold and Green Aviators Gold Mirror Lens Aviators Green Lens Aviators Mirror Lens Aviators Pink Lens Aviators Purple Lens Aviators Ray-Ban Aviators Red Lens Aviators Top Gun Aviators Yellow / Driving Lens Aviators

View All Aviator Shades at Amazon UK

Tom Cruise in Top Gun

Wayfarer Sunglasses

It was during the 50s and 60s that Wayfarers first became popular. During the 1970s their popularity faded, but after the release of the movie The Blues Brothers in 1980 there was a slight boost in sales. However, less than 20,000 pairs were sold.

Out of desperation, Ray-Ban signed a movie placement deal and Tom Cruise popularised them style once more in the movie Risky Business (1983). Hundreds of thousands of Wayfarers were sold and a further boost in sales was experienced after they were worn in the film The Breakfast Club and TV series such as Miami Vice and Moonlighting. With pop stars such as Debbie Harry, Madonna and Michael Jackson also wearing Wayfarer's, sales were in the millions by 1986.

Best rated Wayfarers under £5

Top Picks by SimplyEighties.com

You don't have to spend a small fortune on a pair of Wayfarers. We've hand-picked these shades which are not only available at low prices, but are also highly-regarded by customers. Please note that prices are subject to change, but hopefully they won't!

Multi-coloured Wayfarer Sunglasses Collage

Amazingly, these colourful Wayfarer style shades by ASVP shop are not only available at a bargain price, but have been receiving very positive feedback from customers. There are 31 eye-catching designs in a wide range of colours.

More Neon Glasses

Neon Green and Orange 80s Wayfarer Sunglasses

Classic Black 80s Wayfarer Plastic Sunglasses

Pink clear lens Wayfarers by Boolevard Cosmetics Ltd

FashionLDN® Vintage Retro Style Oversized Black Frame Nerd Geek Clear Lens Classic Glasses

This pair of low-cost, clear lens vintage Wayfarers is available in 12 colour choices and are less than £5 including delivery.

Available in 4 styles and a big choice of magnification strengths, these classic, tortoiseshell reading glasses have received lots of five star ratings and cost less than a fiver!

Most Eye-Catching Wayfarers

These shades are not only highly-rated, but are also real head-turners. Take a gander at these...

Retro 'Madison Ave' style Clubmaster Sunglasses - Tortoiseshell

Neon Wayfarers

80s Block Colours Wayfarer Classic Unisex

Rasta Jamaican Color Rockers Reggae Wayfarer Sunglasses (Rasta)

Clubmaster Wayfarer VTG 50's Sunglasses Retro Glasses Green reflective lens Mens Womens (5002)

Neon Two-Tone Colour Mirror Lens Half Frame Wayfarer Sunglasses

Round Wayfarers

Ray-Ban Wayfarers

Of course, there's nothing quite like the feeling of wearing a real pair of Ray-Bans. This was, after all, the company the designed them!

Ray-Ban Men's Wayfarer Wayfarer Sunglasses, Black

Ray-Ban Unisex Sunglasses Clubmaster one size

Ray-Ban Sunglasses New Wayfarer 2132 671/71 White Grey Gradient 55mm

Ray-Ban 2140 1158R5 Spotted Blue Havana 2140 Wayfarers

Ray-Ban Unisex Adult New Wayfarer Sunglasses, Havana, One size

RB4175 ClubMaster Oversized 609219 57mm

Tom Cruise wearing Wayfarers in the eighties film Risky Business.

View ALL Ray Ban Sunglasses

Monoblock Sunglasses

Sometimes described as Robot and Cyclops style sunglasses, these are just so 80s and match perfectly with the advent of the home computer age, robotic dancing and electronic synthesizer music. The brilliant video clip above features a robotic dancing competition from 1983 (being judged by Metal Mickey) and if you look carefully you will spot some robot style sunglasses, especially at 1:05.

Futuristic Design Chrome Cyclops Novelty Shield Sunglasses (gold, green and purple available))

Futuristic Cyclops Neon Shield Mirror Lens Wrap Sunglasses (choice of colours)

Glasses Roboto Silver Mirror

Blue, Red or Silver

Futuristic Wrap Around Monoblock Shield Sunglasses

Shutter Shades

These slatted sunglasses are also known as venetian blinders. Shutter shades were created purely as a fashion statement and don't offer any eye protection, although some now have proper UV resistant lenses with the plastic shutters over the top of the lens.