THE $235 SUNGLASSES EVERYONE SEEMS TO BE CRAVING THIS SUMMER
Plus the $15 dupes
Haider Ackermann’s appointment as creative director at Tom Ford last September has already made a noticeable dent in the fashion universe. While his debut collection won’t hit stores until Fall 2025, the streets are already whispering in Ford’s dialect.
Honestly, the timing couldn’t be better. Ford’s Gucci era was quiet luxury before quiet luxury had a hashtag. Yes, it was minimal, but it wasn’t modest: plunging necklines, second-skin silhouettes, silk that moved like smoke, and cutouts that revealed parts of the body rarely seen and now desired. It was the opposite of what you’d expect from early 2000s luxury—and yet, it defined it.
Enter Ackermann, whose ability to seduce with fabric and form has followed him from Ann Demeulemeester to Berluti to, somewhat inexplicably, Canada Goose. His style is sensual storytelling in motion, and it pairs beautifully with Ford’s legacy.
“I hope I seduced you all,” he told reporters backstage after unveiling his first collection for Tom Ford. And seduce he did, showing sharply sculpted suiting with nipped waists and broad shoulders, plus cutouts that harked back to Ford’s first Gucci collection. It felt like a love letter to Ford’s earliest Gucci years, folded into the now.
Buyers are already circling like hawks, but for the rest of us, the Tom Ford accessories have begun their infiltration. Chief among them: the Bronson sunglasses—downward-sloping teardrop lenses that make you look like you just walked off a 1970s film set (or maybe just walked into a really good brunch).
The shape is key. The Bronsons strike that balance between timeless and flattering. A teardrop curve mirrors the natural oval of the face while adding lift, countering the face’s downward slope in a subtle optical illusion. They toe the line between shield frames and something more sophisticated—think less “baseball coach” and more “mysterious art dealer in the South of France.”
If you’re skeptical, I recommend checking out @slmanofficial’s video. It shows them in action—on real faces, in real light—and proves just how much polish they can add to a look.
Still, if dropping $250 to $400 on sunglasses makes you break out in hives (understandable), I found the perfect $15 dupe. And before you ask: yes, there are quality differences, but they’re minor. Perhaps you’re curious about the real ones but unsure if they’ll fit into your daily wardrobe? Start here. Plus, they come in a two-pack, so you can test different lens tints with your skin tone. Or, you know, gift the second pair to a friend and feel generous for once.
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