(Picture Instagram/Elton John)
If you ever catch yourself worrying it's gonna be a long, long time ‘till touch down brings you round again, persevere. If you find yourself thinking that you’re not the person they think you are at home, try having another think. Burning that fuse of yours in your own way isn’t always such a bad thing. Be yourself, be yourself proudly, and be yourself behind a pair of 100% stupendous, outrageously outrageous glasses. Just take a look at eyewear super force, Sir Elton John...
While Elton does a pretty good job of wedding disco floor fillers and lion-themed sing-alongs, we reckon over the years he’s done an even better job of flying the flag for the empowering power of a well-picked pair of fabulous frames.
Right-back when he was a Buddy Holly-inspired whippersnapper, throughout about a gazillion career-defining performances on Top of the Pops, and right up until this day, Elton has always brought a properly impressive pair of specs or shades out and about with him. So, we thought it was about time we hailed him as the out-and-out eyewear hero that he is.
We’ve trawled through some of the Rocket Man’s most fantabulous all-time looks and have come up with a handful of his massive style cues that we think you should try to squeeze into your own wardrobe...
Don’t be afraid to go big…
It was the start of the 80s, the decade where everything was big and beautiful when this snap was taken. These two chaps didn't know it at the time (that’s Cher on the left, by the way) but their music was going to continue to be as big a part of the Big Decade as it had in the one just gone. Big on Elton, big on Cher, big on big choruses, and big on doing stuff like you really, really mean it. Don’t you miss it?
Well, in case you’ve not turned on your fax machine for a couple of years and have missed the memo: big is back in a big way, at least as far as eyewear frames go. Bringing a bit of the oversized statement-making back into your look is now as easy-peasy as it was when Elton was singing about Little Genie. And what’s better, thanks to the boundary-pushing of contemporary eyewear brands, like Garrett Leight and Thom Browne, you can now do big more stylishly than you could even back then. From oversized aviators to chunky round frames, take a tip from Sir Elton and have a flick through our selection of oversized eyewear frames here.
Be Pretty in Pink…
...or yellow, or blue, or green, or all of the above. Not everyone’s a flamboyant, piano-bashing pop star, but just because you spend more time during your working week across the office from HR than you do on stage at Madison Square Gardens doesn’t mean you have to reach for those greys and monochromes. Branch out, discover colour. Find something that’s a bit more you.
Yeah, a sparkling pink suit might be a bit of a push for next Tuesday’s sales meeting, but even bringing a little pinch of Elton’s panache for colour could spruce up your suit or uplift your uniform; and what better place to start than with a subtle splash in your frames? Do you look more passionate in pink? More cool in clear? You don’t know ‘till you give it a try.
Know your face shape, and roll with it…
Did you know, knowing your face shape can be a good place to start with glasses? The shape of your face can sometimes dictate what glasses work for you. For example, it’s said that if you want to accentuate your square jawline, go for some rectangular frames. If you want to balance out your heart-shaped face, you might want to stay away from top-heavy frames, like semi-rimless. Interesting, eh? (Check out our face shape guide for a bit more info if you like.)
Elton’s face, as another example, is on the wider side of oblong. Wearing round glasses - or oversized rounds in Elton’s case - can help to slim and refine an oblong face, which is why he might be sporting those glittering round frames up there. Either that, or he picked them because he thought the diamantes really worked with his embroidered jade jacket. To be fair, they do do that too...
Know your face shape, but always go for what feels right…
Rules are meant to be broken, though, aren’t they? And if Sir Elton’s anything, he’s a bit of a rule breaker. Just because your face shape’s a whatever, doesn’t mean you can’t have a little bit of fun. Yeah, the guides can be helpful as a starting point but if you’re in love with those spectacular square frames but they’re not supposed to work with your face shape, who gives a hoot? Do what Elton would do and go for what feels right.
Whether it’s pairing some sunset gradient love-heart shaped beauties with his Sunday best for a catch up with songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin, or throwing on a pair of something a little more subtle for a big show, Elton picks out glasses that fit with how he feels, not because he’s supposed to. For that, Sir Elton John, you get a massive thumbs up from us.
Grow old fabulously…
It’s pretty hard to believe, but Elton John is now well and truly into his 70s. That hasn’t stopped him from continuing to release albums, though, or touring the world, or continuing to use his platform for supporting amazing causes like the Aids Foundation.
It’s also not stopped him from picking out his sparkly jackets and matching wayfarer style sunglasses from his probably overwhelmingly sparkly and cavernously huge wardrobe, either. And why should it? If Elton John can grow old fabulously, then you could, and probably should give it a shot too. Elton, you truly deserve to the badge of eyewear icon and we salute you.
