The Affordable Sunglasses No One Can Keep in Stock

Cast your mind back to July 2016 (if you can) to a particular shot of Gigi Hadid alighting from a blacked-out car onto the streets of New York City. The model looked every inch the modern-day Marilyn, with a bouffant hairdo, shocking-red lips, a white tee, skinny jeans and—most importantly—a killer pair of extreme cat-eye sunglasses in jet black.

That, dear friends, was the moment when one seemingly simple pair of £75 frames (called The Last Lolita and designed by Adam Selman for his Le Specs collaboration) started its journey from new celebrity pick to cult item that can still not be kept in stock over a year later due to the ongoing demand. Since then countless other celebs have joined the fan club: Kendall Jenner, Rita Ora, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Romee Strijd and Zoë Kravitz… the list goes on.

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

We didn't particularly need further confirmation outside of the fact that we're still desperate to get our hands on a pair and yet fail every time they're back on the shelves, but at Net-a-Porter's S/S 18 trend presentation this week, its buying team really hit the point home: The retailer alone sells hundreds of these in just a few days every time they arrive.

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(Image credit: @romeestrijd)

And the trend is set to continue well into next year, with NAP reinvesting budget in both this silhouette (which now comes in many other colourways, including the summer-friendly white), as well as more styles that riff on the collection's signature sharp edges. Already Gigi has worn the latest iteration on repeat (The Fugitive—a slightly more sci-fi finish with thin wire frames and metallic lenses), and although we're in the depths of winter, Selman's specs continue to fill up our Instagram feeds. Not only that, but you'll find that for 2018, many other designers are going down this extreme cat-eye route to follow the phenomenon. Invest now, we say.

So before they sell out (again), shop them below.

Shop the Sunglasses

Hannah Almassi
Editor in Chief

Hannah Almassi is the Editor in Chief of Who What Wear UK. Hannah has been part of the the Who What Wear brand since 2015, when she was headhunted to launch the UK sister site and social channels, implement a localised content strategy and build out the editorial team. She joined following a seven-year tenure at Grazia magazine, where she led front-of-book news, fashion features and shopping specials as fashion news and features editor. With experience in both print and digital across fashion and beauty, Hannah has over 16 years in the field as a journalist, editor, content strategist and brand consultant. Hannah has interviewed industry heavyweights such as designers including Marc Jacobs and Jonathan Anderson through to arbiters of taste including Katie Grand and Anna Dello Russo. A skilled moderator and lecturer specialising in the shift to digital media and e-commerce, Hannah’s opinion and work has been sought by the likes of CNBC, BBC, The Sunday Times Style, The Times, The Telegraph and MatchesFashion.com, among many others. Hannah is often called upon for her take on trends, becoming known as a person with their finger of the pulse of what’s happening in the fashion space for stylish Brits. Hannah currently resides in Eastbourne with her photographer husband, incredibly busy son and highly Instagrammable cat.