Ray Ban Aviator

Aviator sunglasses (also known as "Pilot shades") are a style of sunglasses that were developed by Ray-Ban. They are convived to be a male virsion of the infomous glasses that Jackie Kennedy wore, and made a fasion icon. They are characterized by dark, often reflective lenses having an area two or three times the area of the eye socket, and metal frames with either paddles or wire temples which hook behind the ears. Contemporary models are often polarized (although wearing polarized sunglasses for flying is unwise since they may mask the light glinting off an oncoming aircraft).

U.S. Army test pilot F.W. "Mike" Hunter wearing aviator sunglasses, October 1942
They were given their name due to their oblique teardrop shape, which matched those of the smoked-lens flying goggles which Ray-Ban was then selling to the Army and Navy. One undesirable result of wearing these goggles was the mismatched tan (dark on the face, white around the eyes) which developed—the oversized aviator sunglasses would hide the white areas, while allowing a limited amount of sunlight through, thus allowing the skin to tan. Though the early goggles were replaced by 1941, the sunglasses had become popular, especially with Naval aviators. Army/Air Force aviators preferred the smaller, more-squarish American Optical straight-temple glasses, which can be put on and removed even while wearing a flying helmet.

General Douglas MacArthur wearing Aviator sunglasses
Legend claims that the need arose for aviator-style sunglasses because military pilots found that sun and glare protection would be helpful to aid them during day missions and dogfights.[citation needed] However, pilots of the time did not wear sunglasses while flying. The popularity of the glasses sky-rocketed as many celebrities began wearing the style of sunglasses. The style was popular since the 1960s, but hit a peak largely in the 1980s following pop culture references and use by celebrities in films like Top Gun, where Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise sported them. Other notable wearers include:
John Lennon
Kiefer Sutherland
Travis Bickle
Axl Rose
Slash
M. Shadows
Sam Totman
Michael Jackson
Britney Spears
Zac Efron
Madonna
Hunter S. Thompson
Dave Gahan
Irwin Sparkes
Lemmy Kilmister
Johnny Knoxville
Pat Lobene
Freddie Mercury
Roger Waters
Steven Tyler
Kanye West
Jim Morrison
Mas Oyama
Shahrukh Khan
Jimmy Page
John Bonham
Ely Buendia
Jeff Lynne
GG Allin
Zachary Quinto
Bachir Gemayel
P Panju
James Thwaite
The large lenses are not straight as in eyeglasses but bulge out slightly. The design attempts to cover the entire range of the eye and prevent as much light as possible from entering the eye socket from any angle. While still popular with military and civilian aviators alike, the sunglasses work quite well (and were seen as fashionable in the 70s and 80s) and have been taken up by the non-flying civilian population. Law enforcement officers have also taken a liking to the glasses for many reasons,[citation needed] including their excellent cancellation of glare and prevention of eye contact. The design was originally intended for shooting.[1]
The Aviator became a well-known style of sunglasses when General Douglas MacArthur landed on the beach in the Philippines in World War II. Photographers snapped several pictures of him wearing them for newspapers, and Americans instantly fell in love with them[2].
The Ray-Ban Aviator has become one of the most copied styles in history.