‘90s style men’s sunglasses 

Summary in 30 seconds

‘90s sunglasses ranged from absolutely amazing and flattering, so let’s pretend that never happened. Sizes, shapes, and colors ran the gamut from classic to barely there. While Lisa Bonet and Justin Timberlake sported tiny oval-shaped specs, iconoclast Kurt Cobain was regularly spotted in oversized Jackie O-type sunglasses.

From ‘90s movies like Clueless to TV classics like Beverly Hills, 90210, what we watched helped amplify the look of ‘90s sunglasses. And then as now, Ray-Ban Wayfarers were a crisp cool classic for men and women.

R-B Wayfarer

Sunglasses

Jump to content:

• Styles from Clueless
• Beverly Hills, 90210, and tiny sunglasses frames 
• ‘90s style sunglasses for men
• Colors and textures to keep an eye out for 
• Shop the look

‘90s styles from the movie Clueless

When a TV commercial inspired by the classic ‘90s movie Clueless aired during the Super Bowl this year, it was clear that the ‘90s style sunglasses were back in a big way. And let’s face it, everyone’s crush Paul Rudd never really left our screens (or our hearts). So let’s take a moment of appreciation for the era that brought us big hair, couture wear, and men’s ’90s style sunglasses for every occasion.

Most Popular Men’s Sunglasses Shapes

Square Aviator Wayfarer Rectangle Oversized Round

A moment of appreciation for Paul Rudd’s sunglasses style

In Clueless, Paul Rudd’s character wasn’t necessarily considered cool. There is one moment in the movie though where Rudd embodied everything swoon-worthy about guys during the ‘90s. Sitting poolside and reading a book by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche gained his character brainiac credibility. But Rudd’s pair of streamlined Wayfarers made that moment memorable. 

Offscreen, Rudd is often spotted wearing similar thick black eyeglasses frames or prescription sunglasses. 

But back to those (mostly) tiny trendy ‘90s men’s sunglasses.

Rx Sunglasses

Sunglasses

‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ and its influence on sunglasses

It’s hard to think of the ‘90s teen drama ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ without hearing the theme credits in your head. (You’re welcome!) But it’s even harder to imagine all the endless shots of its biggest stars, the late great Luke Perry as Dylan McKay in his effortlessly cool Wayfarers; Jason Priestley as Brandon Walsh in tiny Benjamin Franklin-style gold-rimmed sunglasses; and Ian Ziering as Steve Sanders in aviator shades.

Aviators

Gold Frames

The show was a cult favorite for a reason. Beyond the cute cast and fantastic settings, everyone emulated the fashion from menswear everywhere and floppy hats, mom jeans, and sheer tops. More than anything, even if you couldn’t afford the zip code, you could slip on a pair of ‘90s shades and suddenly be transported. Actually, you still can.

Justin, Leo, and Brad’s ‘90s men’s sunglasses style

The fondness for tiny sunglasses for men in the 1990s went far beyond the small screen. Justin Timberlake was almost always spotted in tiny sunglasses with a blue tint. Leonardo DiCaprio jumped on the trend with brown-tinted gold frames and square glasses. And Brad Pitt took the trend a step further with small bronze-tinted aviator sunglasses or futuristic-looking frames.

’90s-era sunglasses are prominent colors and styles

If you need some inspo before shopping for ‘90s-inspired glasses online, here are a few trends to keep an eye out for:

• Small metal-rimmed frames: Look for oval, round glasses, or architectural frames.
• Tortoiseshell frames: If you like your look to pay homage to the ‘90s without being obvious, tortoiseshell glasses are a great place to start. 
• Wayfarers: Also called wayframes, they’re a classic for a reason; though the ‘90s look was a more petite frame than the ones popular now.
• Aviator frames: Unlike the oversized look, ‘90s men’s sunglasses featured smaller aviator glasses.

Shop the look

Unleash your inner heartthrob with these ‘90s men’s sunglasses looks:

• You can never go wrong with a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers

• We find ourselves obsessed with these Ottoto hybrid aviator wireframes. 

• Embrace your inner 90210 fandom with these cool Ray-Ban hexagonal gold frames.