Look Like A Movie Star With Ray-Bans From The Movies by:Kate Whitely

Every kid wants to be the hero of the movie

Every kid wants to be the hero of the movie. When we're older, and we've realized stardom might be beyond most of us, we learn to want the next best thing: we want to look like the hero.

Clothes maketh the man, or so the old saying goes. While clothes might not be very good at acting, they do a great job of defining characters. An actor can put so much into a role, but it's that combination of clothes, hats, shoes and such that combine to act as their signature. Icing the cake means getting the accessories right. Most important are the eyeglasses or sunglasses a character wears. It's all about eyesthe windows of the soulbecause that's where we naturally look first. And so often, you'll find that a character in sunglasses has covered their eyes with Ray-Bans.

Sunglasses are a shield for guilty and innocent eyes alike, which is why they can add mystery to a part, and help to define the feel of a movie. Case in point - the Ray-Ban Wayfarer. Audrey Hepburn wore a pair to Breakfast At Tiffany's. In 1992's Reservoir Dogs, bad guys robbed banks in identical black suits with identical black sunglasses Ray-Ban Wayfarers.

It's a testament to the versatility of the Wayfarer design that while they seem to amplify the cold hearted depths of Harvey Keitel's character as he fires away mercilessly at two cops, they manage to bring equal and opposite charm to the characters of Dan Akyroyd and John Belushi in the 1980 classic, The Blues Brothers, only adding to the sheer joy. (Movie geeks will no doubt presume that both films feature men in black suits for a very good reason, but only Quentin Tarantino knows if there is one.)

Although the Blues Brothers boosted the Wayfarer's image as a cultural icon, this didn't translate into sales, and only 18,000 pairs were sold in 1981. Surprisingly, they were on the verge of being discontinued, but in 1982 Ray-Ban signed a $50,000-a-year deal to secure product placements on the big and small screens, and from 1982 to 1987, Ray-Ban sunglasses appeared in over 300 movies or TV shows.

Tom Cruise wore Wayfarers in 1983's Risky Business, and it's probably no coincidence that 360,000 pairs left the shelves that same year. They were just...cool, in an effortless sort of way, slightly retro, black and plastic, but the more they were used in film, the more moods, looks and associations they gathered on the way.

During 1986 they showed up in high profile shows such asMiami Vice and Moonlighting, and then in John Hughes' hit, The Breakfast Club. So is it all just hype and marketing? The cynic would say so, but if that was the case, nobody would be wearing them anymore. Wayfarers have been around since 1951, have picked up enough fans to spawn numerous copycats, and have weathered the highs and lows of the popularity roller-coaster. They may take a dip this year or the next, but rest assured they'll always be back later.

About the author

Kate Whitely lives in Chicago and gets the latest designer sunglasses at http://www.popularglasses.com

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