After an extinction level event in the noughties, tinted glasses are making a comeback. In 2026, the question is... dare we? |
A couple of weeks ago, deep into the nightly scroll that slowly bludgeons my brain to sleep, I saw a clip of Hacks actress Hannah Einbinder on the Vogue podcast. She's wearing a black blazer, white shirt, her hair tucked behind her ears - all the good, normal stuff. But she's also wearing these glasses. Black-framed, orange tinted glasses. Inside! Curtains drawn! Worn in low lamp lighting! Frantic Google reverse searches brought zero joy. I stalked her stylist's Instagram. I even ventured over into /findfashion on Reddit.
I haven't found them, which is tough. But the thought stayed with me: are tinted glasses cool? Have they always been this cool?
I distinctly remember a phase of the '90s when they were everywhere. On coked-up boyband members, and actors on the red carpet, and Robert Downey Jr anytime Robert Downey Jr went anywhere. They hung around for the noughties, doing a little Y2K-ing. But then the fashion-meteor hit and they just... disappeared. Glasses got clear, tints got darker and wearing sunglasses inside became a universal symbol that you were an irredeemable dickhead. When you wear shades inside nowadays, people say stuff like "All right there, Stevie Wonder?", and it's funny even though it's insensitive. Even now, the thought of wearing non-prescription tinted lenses inside feels the same as wearing, I don't know, ribbed skinny jeans or a low V-neck T-shirt. Embarrassing and outdated. I texted GQ's fashion editor Angelo Mitakos seeking validation, "Is wearing tinted glasses inside kinda lame?" and his response was, "It honestly depends on the person. Ultimately I would say yeah." |
But here I am, still thinking about Hannah Einbinder and her amber glasses. And really, it shouldn't feel beyond me. I wear lots of stuff without rhyme or reason. Last week, I wore a "WAG in Training" T-shirt to a meeting with the sales team. I've worn steel plate armour to a party before.
Maybe I just need to get over myself. But because the fact of the matter is, tinted glasses are cool. RDJ looked sick in 1999, and he still looks sick now. And the situation is improving. Professional hot guy Theo James does it all the time - pairing amber and blue tinted lenses with suits for nighttime premieres. When Michael B Jordan won an Oscar this year, the first thing he did at the afterparty was slide on a pair of frameless orange tints, and he looked fresh as fuck.
In my mind's eye, there's a way to go about it: keep the fit simple, and the shade of the glasses subtle. Blues and ambers? Yes. Daredevil blood-red? Maybe not.
So I've decided I'm just going to dive in. Just as soon as I find those glasses from the Vogue podcast. Hannah, if you're reading this...
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