The Minimalist ’90s Sunglasses Era Is Over—Now It’s All About Big, Bug-Eye Frames
In Jackie O, we trust.
My goal this spring is to be a fabulous little bug. By that I mean, I want to look as elegant as Jackie Kennedy did, as unbothered and impossibly cool as Rihanna does, in big, bug-eye sunglasses.
I’m not alone in liking eyewear that evokes insects this season. From the googly-eyed guests sitting front row at fashion month to celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence and Pamela Anderson going incognito in giant, alien-like lenses, oversized sunnies are very much in favor with fashion people right now. Balenciaga sent massive butterfly-wing-shaped shades down its Spring 2026 runway, which RiRi and Rosalia were quick to wear out into the real world. Saint Laurent and Khaite also showed thick, bubble-frame sunglasses that were quick hits with editors watching from the sidelines, always on the lookout for effective ways to hide their dark circles.
Jennifer Lawrence in supersized, sculptural Dior sunnies.
Rihanna wearing Balenciaga's mask sunglasses.
Fashion month aside, I see women everywhere in New York City wearing sunnies the size of saucers, including indoors and hours after sunset, at J.Crew press events (last Tuesday) and the back corner of cozy wine bars (last Friday). And I’m only human. Which is to say, of course, I’m capable of being influenced and now also want creepy-crawler, 60mm frames.
A bug-eye sunglasses trend is a sharp left-turn from the slim, ‘90s-inspired rectangular frames that have been the defining shape of the 2020s thus far. But the boom of oversized eyewear does align with the fashion industry’s slow creep away from quiet luxury. In recent seasons, the stock of expressive personal style has shot way up. The goal now is to show that you have something individual to say, rather than following the lead of others. Shades that camouflage a third of your face and morph your features into a cartoon are a strong statement—an undeniably glamorous one at that.
I think of the immortal muse for ladylike poise, Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Ultra-round sunglasses were such a strong signature of the former first lady’s style that eyewear atelier Maison Bonnet designed a bespoke pair for her in 1960, and Ray-Ban named its best-selling oversized shades “Jackie Ohh”. I’d also be remiss not to mention the paparazzi-blockers of the early aughts—Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen dodging camera flashes under the cloak of circular shades.
Jackie Onassis wearing her signature Maison Bonnet sunnies.
They say the less skin an outfit shows, the sexier it becomes. I’ll add that it’s the same effect on your face with eyewear. Oversized shades serve as privacy protectors and, as a result, cultivate an aura of intrigue and mystery. You become inscrutable and automatically cool in big, bug-eye sunnies, even if you’re only wearing them to hide a hangover or eyebrows overdue for a plucking. As Anna Wintour said about her trademark large, dark frames, they’re “a prop” that helps her “be seen and not be seen.”
Saint Laurent's goggle-like shades on its Spring 2026 runway.
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy minimalists might find the sunglass shape garish and outside of their comfort zone of clean lines and subtlety. Some may still only want to wear slimmer shapes, no matter how big the bug-eye sunglasses trend gets.
I just ask them to consider this gentle suggestion; if you, like me, have felt your style lacking substance and intrigue lately, sunnies that are more substantial could be the fix. If not from me, take it from Jackie, Rihanna, the Olsen twins, and all the other bug-eyed icons who sit in fashion’s hall of fame.
Shop More of Spring 2026's Bug-Eye Sunglasses Trend
