It was enough for French President Emmanuel Macron to wear a pair of glasses with blue lenses at the recent meetings of the World Economic Forum in Davos to spark the curiosity of the international fashion press and fashion addicts. The mystery was soon revealed: it is the Pacific S 01 model from the Doublé Or Laminé collection by Henry Jullien (as seen in the opening image), produced and assembled by hand in the French factories of Lons-le-Saunier using the ancient gold lamination technique, and fitted with lenses, also French, by Dalloz. Unlike gilding, the Doublé Or Laminé technique consists of creating an inseparable bond between the gold and the metal, thus ensuring a longer-lasting finish. Suffice it to say that the creation of each frame requires no fewer than 279 steps and as many as 4 months of workmanship!

The fashion of blue lenses is renewed every season and is certainly not new, but its interpretations and nuances are undoubtedly new. Do you, for example, remember the story of Police glasses by De Rigo Vision? In the 1990s, designer Bruno Palmegiani gave the brand a new connotation by introducing mirrored blue lenses. The new collection includes a special Zac Efron x Police capsule collection created in collaboration with the American actor, which includes the SPLU82 model with a completely sustainable core. It is made of Acetate Renew, with bio-based Nylon lenses, naturally blue. Zac Efron’s signature stands out on the temple, while the studs inserted on the front bear the peace symbol.

A low rectangular shape, sculpted and boldly contemporary, instead characterizes the Icon 0029/S sunglasses model by DSquared2, with a wide temple featuring the three-dimensional iconique logo in blue silicone. Thinner but always very determined is the Belvedere 2 model by Talla, in HDCA (High Density Celluloid Acetate) with knurled stainless steel temples, a key bridge, and a vaguely retro air.

But it is above all in combination with thin metal that the blue lens fully releases its calm, cool, and refined light. An example is the Verlaine sunglasses model by Jacques Marie Mage, which naturally draws inspiration from the French poet Paul Verlaine and the spirit of the 19th century. Outlined by an octagonal perimeter, it is enriched with exclusive details such as custom monoblock hinges and winged temple tips. In a limited edition of 400 pieces, it is made of 100% Beta Titanium with silver palladium accents, while the lenses are Armorlite, with backside anti-reflective treatment.