The hip accessory of the moment: Harry Styles makes glasses chains cool. The style column by Jan Kedves.
If you’re a man who still wants to cross the border in terms of wardrobe and gender, you don’t have too many options anymore. Painted fingernails and toenails, pearl necklaces, high heels, handbags: all of these styling options traditionally reserved for women have been adopted and virtually normalized by men, especially from the Gen Z age group, in recent years.
Historically, this isn’t the first time this has happened, see glam rock and so on. But: Men seem to shy away from the decorative glasses chain so far. She almost exclusively dangles around women’s necks and noses – while the “Guardian” recently wrote that it was very in again to look “like a quirky librarian” with her, and while “InStyle” called her a “must-have”. “Have with wow factor” declared.
The seat belt for the (sunglasses) glasses
So that it is clear what is meant: The seat belt for the (sunglasses) lies either around the neck, then, hanging from the side of the frame, it creates elegantly curved arcs, as if to accentuate the cheeks and jawline. Or the glasses chain – as demonstrated by top model Bella Hadid – dangles under the chin, then frames the front of the face nicely, but does not prevent the glasses from breaking if they slip down from the nose.
The jewelry option then trumped the protective function, or: the styling was more important than safety. Harry Styles is one of the few men who supports the accessory: part of his gender-neutral “Ha Ha Ha” collection for Gucci was a pair of sunglasses with small eyelets welded to the frame into which a glasses chain can be firmly clipped. The “Guardian” writes that the eyeglass chain became popular in the 19th century, when, on the one hand, glasses became more widely available and, on the other hand, when the jobs that first opened up to working women often required a closer look: librarian , and a teacher.
Maybe that’s why men shy away? Because the strict teacher is such an ambivalent figure? Hated, but also often sexy? Might be. What’s nice about the trend is that the eyewear chain has so far avoided major fashion commercialization. There is also the luxury version for 300 euros from Miu Miu, but the majority of the business takes place on the Etsy and DIY level for a few euros. If you’re a man who doesn’t yet knit your own winter sweaters, you could start by threading your own glasses chain.
This column first appeared in Musikexpress issue 11/2023.