Celebrity eyewear can be as recognisable as a hit song: Elton John, Bono, Anastacia and Johnny Depp are often identified by their glasses alone. Here you will find out which frame shape is behind each look and how to recreate it for everyday wear.
Key points at a glance
- Elton John stands for oversized, colourful glasses, Bono for tinted lenses, Anastacia for bold frames with coloured lenses and Johnny Depp for vintage shapes.
- A celebrity look usually relies on one strong feature: size, lens colour or a bold frame.
- To recreate it, choose a shape that suits your face and borrow one detail from your idol.
- With sunglasses, UV protection (UV400, CE) and the right filter category matter more than the name on the arm.
Famous spectacle wearers: how glasses become a trademark
Poor eyesight can affect anyone, celebrities included. Many stars used to rely on contact lenses. Today, celebrities who need glasses wear them openly, and some even wear frames with plain lenses purely as an accessory.
Glasses sit right in the middle of the face and appear in every photo. Stick with one style for years and it becomes a trademark, much like a hairstyle. The glasses habits of celebrities differ, though: some wear their frames every day, others mainly on stage or on the red carpet.
Singers with glasses: three signature looks
Elton John: the singer with the most extravagant glasses
Few singers that wear glasses are as famous for them as Elton John. Since the 1970s, the British superstar has appeared in oversized frames, coloured lenses and eccentric shapes, often with plenty of sparkle on stage. Some fans even search for Elton John’s eye colour, which is hardly surprising: his tinted lenses often keep his eyes out of view.
How to get the look: large round or geometric frames with lenses tinted pink, blue or yellow. For everyday wear, one element is enough: round sunglasses with coloured lenses or an oversized shape in black. Find out more about big frames in our article A Classic: Oversized Sunglasses.
Bono: tinted lenses, even indoors
U2 frontman Bono is known for glasses with coloured, tinted lenses, which he also wears indoors. It is not just rock-star attitude: Bono has said publicly that he has had glaucoma for many years and that his eyes are sensitive to light.
How to get the look: lenses tinted blue or violet rather than jet black. A medium tint (category 2) suits changing light, while very light fashion tints (category 0 or 1) work indoors. If your own eyes are sensitive to light, have the cause checked by an eye doctor. Tinted glasses are no substitute for an examination.
Anastacia: bold frames and coloured lenses
The singer behind “I’m Outta Love”, often searched for as “Anastasia”, has made glasses part of her image since the start of her career. She wears both sunglasses and prescription glasses, and her frames tend to be eye-catching and extravagant, usually with coloured lenses.
How to get the look: a statement frame in a striking shape, combined with coloured or gradient lenses. If you need a prescription, many frames can also be fitted with prescription lenses.
Johnny Depp and other famous people with glasses
Johnny Depp: tinted lenses with a vintage touch
The versatile actor, known to many as Captain Jack Sparrow, has been wearing a wide range of glasses for years. Two styles stand out: blue-tinted lenses and dark frames, often in a panto shape, plus round models. What they all have in common is a vintage touch.
How to get the look: a round or panto frame in dark acetate or thin metal with lightly tinted lenses.
More famous glasses wearers
- John Lennon (died 1980): his small round metal glasses are so closely linked to him that they are often simply called Lennon glasses.
- Buddy Holly (died 1959): thick black horn-rimmed frames that are still a classic today. More in our article Horn Rim Glasses.
- Karl Lagerfeld (died 2019): the fashion designer was rarely seen without dark sunglasses, a white ponytail and a high collar.
- Iris Apfel (died 2024): the fashion icon’s oversized round black frames became famous worldwide.
Celebrities with eye problems: glasses out of necessity
For some celebrities with bad eyesight or eye problems, glasses are more than a style choice. Bono’s glaucoma is one example. Among blind celebrities, Stevie Wonder, who has been blind since infancy, is rarely seen without dark glasses, and Ray Charles (died 2004) also made dark sunglasses part of his image. Many other stars simply have bad vision and need glasses, just like millions of other people.
How to recreate celebrity eyewear
| Star | Typical glasses | How to wear the look every day |
|---|---|---|
| Elton John | oversized, round or eccentric, coloured lenses | pick one element: big shape or coloured lenses |
| Bono | coloured, tinted lenses | medium tint in blue or violet |
| Anastacia | bold frames, coloured lenses | statement frame with gradient lenses |
| Johnny Depp | round or panto frames in vintage style | dark acetate or thin metal, light tint |
- A shape that suits your face: angular frames balance a round face, round and oval shapes soften an angular one. The top of the frame should roughly follow your eyebrows. Our guide Which glasses frames suit my shape of face? has more tips.
- One strong feature is enough: size, lens colour or frame thickness. All of them at once quickly looks like a costume.
- Choose the lens colour deliberately: grey lenses change colours the least, brown lenses look warmer, and colourful lenses are mainly a fashion statement.
- UV protection and category: look for UV400 and the CE mark. Category 2 suits changing light, category 3 bright sun, and category 4 is never suitable for driving.
- With a prescription: many sunglasses can also be fitted with prescription lenses, so the look is not just for photos.
Among the current new arrivals you will find classics such as the Ray-Ban Mega Wayfarer, the foldable Ray-Ban Folding Wayfarer and the Oakley Holbrook.
Oakley EYEJACKET REDUX (OO9438 943805)£117.83 P
Ray-Ban BILL (RB2198 129251)£95.61
Ray-Ban CATS 5000 (RB4125 710/51)£95.61
Oakley RADAR EV PATH (OO9208 920847)£115.37
Ray-Ban BILL (RB2198 901/R6)£91.44
Ray-Ban RB3928 001/S2£113.37
Oakley HOLBROOK (OO9102 9102D6)£125.04 P
Oakley EYEJACKET REDUX (OO9438 943801)£91.99FAQ: celebrities and their glasses
Why does Anastacia wear glasses?
Glasses, often with coloured lenses, have been part of Anastacia’s look since early in her career. She wears both sunglasses and prescription glasses.
Which singers are known for wearing glasses?
Elton John, Bono and Anastacia are among the best-known singers with glasses today. Buddy Holly, John Lennon and Ray Charles made glasses iconic in earlier decades, and Stevie Wonder is rarely seen without his dark glasses.
Why does Bono always wear sunglasses?
Bono has explained that he has glaucoma and that his eyes are sensitive to light. For him, tinted lenses are more than a style statement.
