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Autopilots: Our Top 10 Aviator shades

By Christopher Blomquist April 21, 2016

autopilots our top 10 aviator shades barl — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Aviator sunglasses: It’s not a case of them being back today because they’ve literally never had a bad landing since they arrived – perfectly on time – in 1936 when eyeglass manufacturer Bausch & Lomb introduced them to get-the-sun-outta-my-eyes pilots in the armed forces.

These sunglasses’ very eclectic path into men’s fashion iconography/history ranges from General Douglas MacArthur wearing them as he stormed the beaches in WWII to the 1980s’ favorite Toms – Selleck and Cruise respectively – donning them in “Magnum, P.I.” and “Top Gun.”

And although the general public’s love for the above-mentioned trio may have faded quite a bit since, the eyewear they totally rocked at the time has not. Aviator-style sunglasses are indeed eyewear that isn’t flying off the radar any time soon.

So consider these 10 Aviator shades – in a wide range of prices – that will accentuate your face and make you feel like a badass controller of your life’s current (or next) destination….

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Aviator Sunglasses by Abercrombie & Fitch, $48

Barl — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Hawkeye Square Navigator Sunglasses by Barton Perreira, $445

Dita-con — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Condor by Dita, $395

Dita — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Mach-Two by Dita, $700

Ray-ban — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Original Aviator by Ray-Ban, $150

Shwoo — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Medford by Shwood, $189

Sunday — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Parker by Sunday Somewhere, $370

Thom-Browne — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Aviator Sunglasses by Thom Browne, $675

Toms-M-not-401 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Maverick 401 by TOMS, $159

Warby-Parker — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Dempsey by Warby Parker, from $145

Christopher Blomquist

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Christopher is a native New Yorker who lives and works (mostly) in Manhattan. A longtime fashion journalist, he served as…

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