Ok, Ray Ban is probably the best known sunglasses brands in the world. We all love the classic Ray Ban Aviators and the equally classic Wayfarer, but is that why they are so popular or is it just down to superior product placement? Any list of iconic movie shades seems to be dominated by the brand and although I agree that Ray Ban is cool, there are a lot of other equally great looking shades out there. Fans maintain that Ray Ban sunglasses are beyond trend and transcend taste. I maintain that they have better casting and placement agents than the rest! The evidence?


Breakfast at Tiffany's

A real coup here and the first foray into the glitz and glam of the movies. Helped of course by the elfin Audrey Hepburn wearing Wayfarer sunglasses. The appearance of these shades in this movie is probably what made them so popular among celebrities. Although the overall design of Wayfarers has changed little since 1961 more frame colours have been added to the range.


Top Gun.

Tom Cruise as Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell gave Ray Ban Aviator sunglasses a real macho (some might say homoerotic) boost in the 1986 movie. Similar sunglasses were worn by just about every other character in the film. While it’s unlikely that a genuine pilot would be wearing Aviators with a gold frame and grey / green lenses, the effect was spectacular and another triumph for the Ray Ban product placement team. According to Time magazine, Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses sales jumped 40% immediately after the release of Top Gun.


Men In Black

Again with the Ray Ban shades! In the movie and on the promo posters Will Smith wears wrap frame Ray Ban RB 2030 Predator sunglasses. As if that weren’t enough plugging, they are even mentioned in the title song by Will Smith with the lyric “the black suits with the black Ray Bans on". Tommy Lee Jones wears the same sunglasses and both styles were reprised in the imaginatively titled sequel Men in Black II. Ray Ban reported a huge increase in sales of these particular glasses due to the popularity of the movie. Getting the connection here?


Paul

The science fiction comedy film, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, sees Jason Bateman as shady government agent Lorenzo Zoil wearing – you guessed it Ray-Ban Aviators. Pegg and Frost bump into Paul the alien after a car crash. I’m convinced Paul is actually played by Roger from American Dad and has no need for shades. Don’t despair though! It turns out that Agent Zoil is in fact Paul's friend, meaning anyone who wears Ray Ban must be a good guy!


Dirty Harry

Clint Eastwood’s first outing in the series of five movies to feature Inspector Callaghan gave shades a real bad boy rep. That was achieved by giving the “shoot first ask questions later” cop one the first wrap round styles in the form of the Ray Ban Balorama.


Notable Exceptions

There are some brave exceptions to the seeming Ray Ban monopoly of Silver Screen Shades. In Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig as James Bond wore Tom Ford sunglasses. Since Golden Eye, Pierce Brosnan, Bond’s previous incarnation, preferred Persol sunglasses, but in Quantum of Solace the new meaner Bond opted for Tom Ford and has stuck with them ever since. Arnie as the Terminator looked convincingly robotic in Gargoyles ANSI Classics sunglasses in the original (and still best) Cameron time travel/Sci-fi franchise. In Fight Club, Brad Pitt wore no less than three different types of sunglasses, none of them Ray Bans. They were all by Oliver Peoples: the Aero, the OP 523, and the Sunset. Oliver Peoples re-released Tyler Durden's signature OP 523 sunglasses in 2009, but these shades are extremely rare nowadays and can now only be found on sites like eBay.

Author Bio : Post by John, who is currently writing on Ray Ban sunglasses for DirectSight.co.uk - the best place to find affordable designer glasses and sunglasses online.

 
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