The best men's designer sunglasses to shop in 2025
Some of the best models come care of collaborations, creating characterful mash-ups. The first that caught our eye, so to speak, is the Ray-Ban x Lenny Kravitz partnership, which has produced a 'reverse' version of the US brand's famous aviators. This style was designed in 1937 for American pilots and has become a classic. Last year Ray-Ban decided to play with it and introduced a concave lens in place of the usual convex one. Kravitz clearly enjoys the idea of reimagining the aviator: 'It's about breaking boundaries, embracing individuality and seeing the world from a new perspective through those innovative lenses.' The models come in black, chrome and a limited-edition gold version, and etched discreetly on the top of the left lens you'll see the musician's signature.
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But if lens bending strikes you as a little out there, why not try a pair of Sunspel x Cutler and Gross shades? A British maker of elegant luxury casualwear for men, Sunspel was founded in 1860 and to this day manufactures T-shirts in its factory in Long Eaton, Derbyshire. The brand is all about quality, simplicity and a certain type of no-nonsense Britishness. It has, for example, made a couple of collections with Paul Weller, which were a modern take on sporty mod knits.
Sunspel x Cutler and Gross Dark Turtle sunglasses, £395, sunspel.com
Enter the Sunspel x Cutler and Gross sunglasses collaboration, a marriage made in British minimalist design heaven. Cutler and Gross is about a century younger than Sunspel, founded in 1969 by Graham Cutler and Tony Gross, who met while studying to become opticians, and its sunglasses are now handmade in Italy. The brand has developed a model for Sunspel with an acetate frame in dark brown, black or pewter with matching tonal lenses, a tapered temple with diamond-shaped rivets and a heavy brow line that gives it an air of old-school cool.
At the other end of the British sartorial spectrum sits Huntsman of Savile Row, established in 1849. A dive into this tailor's ledgers reveals a host of stylish customers: Clark Gable, Paul Newman, Lawrence Olivier, Gregory Peck and Dirk Bogarde — and more recently the film director Matthew Vaughn, the creator of the Kingsman franchise for which Huntsman served as inspiration and location. (Incidentally, Cutler and Gross has an eyewear collaboration with Kingsman too.)
Huntsman x EB Meyrowitz Grosvenor sunglasses, £1,350, huntsmansavilerow.com
Now the Savile Row tailor comes together with EB Meyrowitz, an optician that was founded in 1875 and has its roots in making eyewear for early motorists, mountaineers and aviators. Today EB Meyrowitz is based in the Royal Arcade off Bond Street and handmakes its frames. For Huntsman it has imagined some archetypical designs in acetate: an aviator, a teardrop shape, a rectangular style and a round one. It's a good selection designed to suit different face shapes, and each model oozes quality (witness the three gold pins on the temples of the Savoy and Grosvenor models). The tinted Zeiss lenses protect against UV and there is added back-coating to counteract the sun reflecting from the reverse of the lens into the eye.
By Rosie Davenport
Inspired by the silhouette of the iconic cat eye sunglasses worn by Bob Dylan on tour throughout the mid-1960s, this sleek black frame from Jacques Marie Mage features polarised lenses. The Los Angeles-based brand is also behind a collection of quiet luxury shades worn by the character Kendall Roy in the TV show Succession, which are made in a limited series of about 50 per model and colour. £1,580, Jacques Marie Mage at Harrods
With its leather bridge detailing and signature screws, Cartier's Santos de Cartier pilot sunglasses are a great twist on the classic aviator silhouette with touches of distinctive details taken from the brand's bestselling watch design. £1,035, Cartier at Harrods
Made in Italy, Ferrari's aviator frames have an understated sporty aesthetic in homage to the brand's rich racing history and are crafted from lightweight acetate. £584, Ferrari at Harrods
The peachy tinted lenses on these Brunello Cucinelli gives the pair a retro twist, as do the chunky frames and oversized silhouette. £605, Brunello Cucinelli at Mr Porter
Mr Porter's collaboration with the British eyewear brand Cubitts includes this pair of everyday frames. The rounded shape, tortoiseshell and brown lenses makes them particularly perfect for the sunny summer months. £150, Mr Porter
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Hollywood Vampires is the sensational new book that chronicles Johnny Depp and Amber Heard 's toxic union. Today, in the final part of our gripping series, we chart the bitter unravelling of their marriage – and how Amber's transformation into a #MeToo icon would set the stage for one of the most explosive celebrity trials of the decade. On Monday May 23, 2016, three days after Johnny Depp's mother died, Amber Heard quietly filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. After just 15 months, their turbulent marriage was at an end. The next day, her lawyer sent to his lawyer what would become known among Johnny's friends as 'the extortion letter'. Amber stated that Johnny had been violent toward her three times. 'Although Amber is afraid of Johnny, she strongly insists that we do everything possible to keep this matter out of the media spotlight,' the letter read, explaining that this was why she had not yet sought a restraining order. 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Today, in the final part of our gripping series, we chart the bitter unravelling of their marriage – and how Amber's transformation into a #MeToo icon would set the stage for one of the most explosive celebrity trials of the decade She ended with: 'I'm sorry if I've hurt you. I have nothing but love for you.' She was suggesting she could 'undo' the legal wheels she'd set in motion. But while she was declaring love for Johnny, Amber was also collecting evidence. On Wednesday, Johnny filed his response, rejecting all of Amber's requests for spousal support. Within hours, countless media outlets, from Page Six to Vanity Fair and the BBC, were breaking the news of the divorce. On May 27, Amber filed for a temporary restraining order. She presented the court with multiple photos documenting injuries to her cheek and eye area from a fight at her apartment which had ended with the police being called. 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A few days later, People magazine hit the newsstands with an explosive cover story featuring exclusive photos of Amber's injuries. 'Inside Their Toxic Marriage,' the headline read. The cover showed a pale and forlorn Amber with discolouration under her eyes and a lesion on her lower lip. The photo was credited to a friend of Amber's and dated from December 2015. Bruce Witkin, who was on tour in Denmark with Johnny and their band, the Hollywood Vampires, at the time, remembered the moment they saw the story. 'We're on the road. You know, he was freaked out. And I'm like, 'What is this?'' Bruce thought it looked suspicious. 'Do I think they both hit each other? Yeah. But do I think it was to the extent that she said? Absolutely not.' Johnny later said he 'felt ill' when the People story dropped. 'I felt sick in the sense there was no truth to it. There was no truth in it whatsoever... Then you notice people looking at you differently. 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When #MeToo took off, she became an icon for women sickened by the way actresses had been mistreated in Hollywood. Whether you believed #MeToo was a new dawn for feminism or a new satanic panic, Amber was poised for the moment. Her public persona transformed from silenced, persecuted victim to outspoken survivor and advocate. As a Hollywood activist, Amber's celebrity grew to new heights. In May 2018, she was selected to be a global ambassador at L'Oreal, a role that A-list actresses Dame Helen Mirren, Julianne Moore, and Eva Longoria also held, and which involved, in Amber's words, being 'a spokesperson for this dynamic, world-loved beauty brand that's been telling women 'we're worth it' since before I was born.' The ACLU (slated to receive $3.5million – £2.6million – of her divorce settlement) appointed her an ambassador of women's rights, with a focus on gender-based violence. 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He took to wearing a black fitted cap that said 'FUGLY' in large block letters across the front. In November 2018, the ACLU approached Amber to write an article asserting that survivors of gender-based violence had been made less safe under the first Trump administration. It would debut Amber's new role with the ACLU and conveniently coincide with the US release of her new movie, Aquaman. The film, which had already been released in the UK, was shaping up to be a huge hit at the box office. The ACLU suggested the piece should 'interweave her own personal story, saying how painful it is as a survivor to witness these setbacks' and helped by ghost-writing it for her. The piece was published by the Washington Post on December 18, 2018 under the headline: 'Amber Heard: I spoke up against sexual violence and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change.' Again, she did not mention Johnny's name, but the media was quick to fill in the blanks. 'Amber claims accusing Johnny Depp of domestic abuse lost her jobs,' ran a headline in Elle magazine, while People magazine ran with: 'Amber Heard says she was dropped from jobs after making Johnny Depp allegations.' The blowback came swiftly for Johnny. Two days after the article was published, he was dropped from the forthcoming instalment of Pirates Of The Caribbean. In January 2019, Amber graced the cover of Glamour's final print issue, wearing a low-cut, baby-blue satin suit and leaning against a shiny red convertible. The headline: 'Amber Heard: Silence Is Complacency.' Two months later, she was served with papers. Johnny was suing her for $50million (£37million) for defaming him in the Washington Post. Johnny's lawsuit categorically denied that he ever abused Amber, claiming that her allegations were part of an 'elaborate hoax to generate positive publicity.' 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Here was a powerful male celebrity, who had been publicly accused of domestic violence, not only asserting that the allegations were false, but claiming he was the true victim, and that his much younger wife, a #MeToo advocate, was a systematic abuser. 'I have denied Ms Heard's allegations vehemently since she first made them in May 2016 when she walked into court to obtain a temporary restraining order with painted-on bruises that witnesses and surveillance footage show she did not possess each day of the preceding week,' his filing continued. 'I will continue to deny them for the rest of my life.' The following month, Amber hit back: she was now claiming 13 incidents of domestic violence, described in painstaking detail over 14 pages. Her version of what happened behind closed doors was distressing and graphic. Amber described bloody gashes, being dragged through broken glass, bruised and swollen noses, black eyes, hair pulled from her scalp, being held against the wall by her neck, being suffocated on their marital bed, clothes torn clean off her body, repeated punches to her head, and being dragged up sets of stairs by her hair. Johnny's lawyer called the document listing the incidents a 'public firebomb'. Unless a settlement could be reached, Amber and Johnny would be headed to court in Virginia. But first, they would square off at the Royal Courts of Justice in London for Johnny's defamation case against The Sun. Amber had a trove of pictures, videos, audio recordings and witnesses to support her claims of abuse before the judge. But Johnny's lawyers had unearthed new evidence of their own. In January 2020, two months before the trial was due to begin, Johnny's old friend and colleague Stephen Deuters was on his work computer when a file popped up labelled 'AVM' (for 'Amber voice messages'). He opened the folder and scrolled through the audio recordings, all more than five years old, and totalling more than six hours. 'Holy s***!' he said. He knew he'd found gold. Hours of recordings (consensually recorded on Amber's phone) capturing their bitter fights were now in Team Depp's possession. A Daily Mail headline dropped: 'Exclusive: 'I can't promise I won't get physical again, I get so mad I lose it.' Listen as Amber Heard admits to 'hitting' ex-husband Johnny Depp and pelting him with pots, pans and vases in explosive audio confession.' #JusticeForJohnnyDepp started trending across Twitter and TikTok, and would continue to grow through the forthcoming trials. Amber's Instagram comments, meanwhile, were mobbed by angry Johnny supporters. The internet was starting to take Johnny's side, with Amber becoming the poster child of #MeToo's overreach. More lurid evidence about the couple's life together surfaced in court – including the accusation that Amber had once defecated in their bed (she insisted it was their dogs) – but Johnny lost his case in London. His lawyers accidentally disclosed some appalling texts he had sent to actor Paul Bettany ('Let's burn Amber', 'Let's drown her before we burn her!!! I will f*** her burnt corpse afterward to make sure she is dead'). The judge found Johnny guilty of 12 of the 14 violent incidents to which Amber had testified: therefore The Sun had not libelled him when it called him a 'wife beater'. In November 2020, Johnny began his pre-trial deposition for Depp vs Heard in front of Amber's lawyer, who asked him if he would have felt vindicated if the UK ruling had come down in his favour. Johnny replied that it didn't matter. He lost when Amber made the accusations, the damage was done. 'My continuing to demand the truth is not for me to win,' he explained, 'but it's for the people out there, the women, the victims of this type of thing who are not believed, who are being lied to by your client pretending to be some new messiah of the women's movement. She is a fraud.' The trial would not get under way for a year: originally scheduled to begin in May 2021, it was delayed due to the Covid pandemic. While he and Amber waited in limbo, they both went through big life changes. In April 2021, Amber's daughter Oonagh was born by surrogate. She posted branded content for L'Oreal on Instagram, along with videos chronicling her intensive diet and exercise regimen for Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom, which she'd film over four months in the latter half of 2021. Johnny, meanwhile, unveiled a new vocation as an artist. In January 2022, his artwork entered the world in the form of a digital collection of Warhol-like portraits, entitled Never Fear Truth. As anticipation mounted ahead of the trial, legal experts opined that the odds weren't in Johnny's favour. This time around, he was suing Amber directly, not a tabloid. In order to prove that Amber knowingly made defamatory statements about him, he had to prove a negative – that he never committed domestic violence. It would be a much tougher legal challenge than in the UK, where defamation law should have favoured his case, and yet he'd still lost. Celebrity trials have always captured the public's imagination, playing out like soap operas in the media – and this one was no different, being fully televised. Scores of 'Deppheads' turned the suburban Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse into a freaky festival: there was a pair of stinky alpacas wearing rainbow pom-pom necklaces and countless Jack Sparrow impersonators. Someone even managed to get a truck converted to look like a pirate ship into the courthouse grounds. The sheriff's office tracked the IDs of every spectator who waited in line to get a wristband for entry to the courtroom; they logged driving licences from 41 different states and passports from 15 different countries. During the trial, Johnny gained 9.56million new followers on Instagram, 100 times more than Amber, who gained 91,511. By now, 13 years had passed since Johnny and Amber had met, when she was 23 and he 46, and five years since #MeToo had sparked a global reckoning. But the world had changed since the zealous, hardline early days of the #MeToo movement. The refrains of 'Believe Women' were no longer at a fever pitch. Now almost everyone knew someone who'd been cancelled or de-platformed. To some, distinctions between inappropriate comments, harassment and assault no longer seemed clear or even relevant. To others, frustrations with 'cancel culture', the erosion of due process and #MeToo's perceived excesses simmered. People seemed more willing to acknowledge the grey areas: a relationship simply not working out isn't the same as an abusive one. This time Johnny won his case. The jury found unanimously that he had proved defamation and that Amber had defamed him with 'actual malice'. They awarded him $10million (£7.5million) in compensatory damages and $5million (£3.7million) in punitive damages. The punitive damages would later be reduced to $350,000 (£261,000) due to a limit imposed by Virginia state law. Ruling on Amber's defamation counterclaim for $100million (£74.5million), the jury found just one statement, made by Adam Waldman, Johnny's lawyer, to be defamatory and false and made with 'actual malice'. She was awarded $2million (£1.49million) in compensatory damages from Johnny but no punitive damages. Before, during and after the trial, it was clear that Depp vs Heard had become a vehicle for myriad divergent political and personal causes. The world wanted a black-and-white story: villain vs hero, abuser vs victim, liar vs truth-teller. It had never been that simple. © Kelly Loudenberg and Makiko Wholey, 2025
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Obviously I know there are more important things in this world than the Coldplay kiss cam infidelity-in-action story. It's just that I don't really care. I mean, I do! Of course I care. About death and war and climate change and corruption. I care about them hugely… For the five or so minutes between me realising there's been another incredibly minor yet also absolutely crucial update in the Coldplay kiss cam story. Because this is the single most mesmerising news story on the planet right now, and I know you feel that too, so don't even try it. A summary — for the non-existent group of people who don't yet know what I'm talking about. During a Coldplay concert in the Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts last Wednesday, a camera trained on the audience zoomed in on a particular couple: leaning against each other and swaying, caught up entirely in the music and the magic of the night and one another. Those images were then projected on to the vast screens that surround the stage. 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At best, at our most human, feeling a bit sorry for them — the exposure! — considerably sorrier yet for their respective wife and husband and their kids. But mainly revelling in it, because: this story has everything. Doesn't it? An incredibly neat, made-for-Netflix-type narrative — lives turn on a dime, in public (and Chris Martin's involved). It's got the kind of unnuanced black-and-white morality we can all support, because combing through the knotty braids of actual modern morality, wading our way through all that damn grey? That's such hard work, and always so inconclusive! Busted cheating in public, on the other hand, is not. We the multitudinous observers are now allowed to feel either a giddy, thrilling frisson of 'there but for the grace of God go I' or righteous fury, depending on our life choices. And its got rich people, which means, even if we do feel ever-so-fleetingly sorry for Byron and Cabot, we can stop now. Serves them right — for the cheating, sure, but also for having more stuff than we do, and nicer hols. It's got Coldplay, which adds something elusive but palpable, because Coldplay are so wholesome, so mainstream, so not affairy. Also because we all pretend we don't like Coldplay, yet we actually long to see them live (everyone says they're amazing live). It's got the work-fling angle, the classic trope that we'd feared modern dating and the apps and MeToo had eliminated, but apparently not; and last but by no means least, and in relation to that, it's got human resources! This is perhaps my personal favourite element of the story. Cabot, who is presumably charged with making sure things like this simply do not happen at Astronomer, not ever, who is part of a larger cultural movement intent on making Christmas parties less fun for all, is breaking every last rule she ever implemented, live, and in front of Chris Martin! Never mind those pressing questions newly raised regarding the legitimacy of her promotion to head of Astronomer's HR in November 2024, an appointment Byron himself heralded as rewarding 'Kristin's exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management'. Which is inviting a joke too prurient for even me to make, so I shan't. Are the alarms from stolen Lime bikes the sound of the summer? The Guardian thinks so — it has even named the beep, beep, beep they emit as they're ridden around by some tyke refusing to pay the initial £1 to unlock them, never mind the subsequent 27p a mile to ride, 'Hackney birdsong'. I am inclined to agree — though I take issue with the geographical specificity. I've been calling it the 'sound of Archway' for months now, because that's where I live, and that beep, beep, beep — often accompanied by an infernal clicking — reliably fills the air of my postcode, every late afternoon, around the time of school kick-out. And I suppose it'll only get worse and more sustained now that school has broken up. Oh dear. It's become the No 1 sensory assault of minor illegality round my way, more intrusive even than the lingering smell of weed (which I call 'Archway's signature scent' or 'Arome d'Archway'). To be fair, I find it and its perpetrators marginally less annoying than those middle-aged men on insanely overpriced bikes, clad in full Lycra, who suddenly seem oblivious to the notion the Highway Code might apply to them too, with specific reference to their never, ever stopping at pedestrian crossings. They can't! Because they've got a PB to improve upon, and they're saving the planet anyway, and also they're never going to die. Not them. Too fit. Far fitter than they were at 20. So they'll just speed on through, whoosh past any poor soul attempting to dash across a road, in those paltry designated seconds of paused traffic, because who cares about them?
