page_title: Aviator sunglasses
section_title: Ray-Ban Aviator
hierarchical_section_title: Aviator sunglasses / Commercial history / Ray-Ban Aviator
caption_attribution_description: English: General Douglas MacArthur surveys the beachhead on Leyte Island, soon after American forces swept ashore from a gigantic liberation armada into the central Philippines, at the historic moment when the General made good his promise "I shall return" 1944. 26-G- 3584 Français&#160;: Le Général américain Douglas MacArthur supervise la tête de pont sur l'île de Leyte, peu après que les forces américaines ont débarqué d'une gigantesque armada de libération au centre des Philippines, au moment historique où le général tient sa promesse "Je reviendrai". Octobre 1944. (traduction directe de la légende de la photographie rédigée par le gouvernement américain). Русский: Американский генерал Дуглас Макартур на острове Лейте (Филиппины), 1944 г.
context_page_description: Aviator sunglasses are a style of sunglasses that were developed by a group of American firms. The original Bausch & Lomb design is now commercially marketed as Ray-Ban Aviators, although other manufacturers also produce aviator style sunglasses.
context_section_description: The sunglasses were redesigned with a metal frame in 1939 and patented by Bausch & Lomb as the Ray-Ban Aviator. According to the BBC, the glasses used “Kalichrome lenses designed to sharpen details and minimise haze by filtering out blue light, making them ideal for misty conditions.” In 1936 Ray-Ban had been founded as a civilian division of Bausch & Lomb. This style of sunglasses is credited with being one of the first popularized style of sunglasses to be developed. In its military usage, the sunglasses replaced the outmoded flight goggles used previously, as they were lighter, thinner, and “more elegantly designed”. Writing about the transition of aviators from military gear to a commercial product, Vanessa Brown wrote that, “The War was a … revelation of the sheer might, scale, power, and horror of the modern world … [which] necessitated a new kind of military demeanor and gave rise to new definitions of the heroic stance which was to have a profound influence on modern fashion.” Eventually, the aviator sunglasses produced by Bausch & Lomb were trademarked as “Ray-Bans”.
  Aviators became a well-known style of sunglasses when General Douglas MacArthur landed on a beach in the Philippines in World War II and newspaper photographers snapped several pictures of him in October 1944 wearing them that became a lasting image of the Second World War. Bausch & Lomb dedicated a line of sunglasses to him in 1987.
  The first advertisements for Ray-Ban Aviators stated they would provide “real scientific glare protection” and were sold as sporting equipment. At this time, they had not yet taken on their name of “aviators”, the Second World War having not yet begun. In addition to popularity in the 1950s, aviators were popular in the 1970s and 1980s, being worn by public figures like Slash, Michael Jackson , George Michael, Tom Cruise, Freddie Mercury, Jeff Lynne, Roger Waters and Elvis Presley. During the 1950s, aviator sunglasses were a part of the cultural style, mimicking military style.
  Besides flexible cable temples and bayonet temples non-military issed glasses often feature traditional skull temples.
caption: General MacArthur's signature look included his ornate hat, corncob pipe, and Aviator sunglasses.[12][13] (1944)
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