In the eyewear family, Generation Z is asking for “bayonettas”.
These accessories with serious aesthetics have been making their return for several months, and are now embarking for 2024. To recognize them, nothing could be simpler.
They are square or rectangular, have transparent lenses and black, chipped or metallic frames.
Straight from the 2000s, they have all the intellectual glasses, but are also sexy.
Time, the gentle sculptor of trends, has transformed the perception of this type of glasses.
Like ballerinas, gaiters or Ugg slippers, long condemned to exile, small frames are one of those pieces once considered old-fashioned which are now finding a place as favorites on the fashion scene.
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On TikTok, the hashtag
#bayonettaglasses
alone has nearly fifty-five million views.
The term is esoteric, even for amateurs: “Bayonetta” is in fact a reference to the video game of the same name, in which the main character is a busty witch who fights supernatural creatures.
Hypersexualized in this virtual world, but also a powerful woman, Bayonetta is both an object of fantasy and an inspiration.
Gabbriette, model and singer, is one of the influencers of the bayonetta glasses trend.
Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images
Sociology of glasses
In the office, women who wear prescription glasses have long been subject to gender stereotypes.
Spurred on by pornographic representations, some imagine women with tight buns and professional tailors freeing themselves from these “shackles” under their spell.
The figure of the secretary was, according to a survey published in 2013, the primary fantasy of 36% of men.
And since, according to Roland Barthes in
Elements of Semiology
, "every use tends to be converted into a sign of this use", these fantasies transform the perception of women, who are no longer myopic but temptress.
As the writer and academic Frank Évrard explained in 2003 in his work
The Erotic of Glasses
, it is also about the reversal of a “humiliated reality” (in playgrounds, for example), into a “figure modern seduction.
A somewhat dated symbol, which women are reappropriating today through trends in which they are the protagonists.
Office sirens, chic librarians and sexy secretaries
“Bayonetta” glasses are part of several trends that cross the choppy waters of fashion.
The quintessential accessories of intellectuals in the collective imagination, they embody a sartorial modesty that fits with current preferences.
Particularly, with three social media microtrends.
Frames are thus the favored attribute of what we call
office sirens
(“office sirens”, in French), which designates women revisiting feminine corporate paraphernalia.
Pencil skirts, fitted unbuttoned shirts, high leather boots and pumps are their essentials, in an ultra-neutral palette of gray, blue and black.
Think Meghan Markle in
Suits
, Gisèle Bündchen in
The Devil Wears Prada
, Lara Flynn Boyle in
The Practice,
and other
corporate girlies
from the United States in the 1990s and 2000s.
Also read: From discreet luxury to cheeky pieces: the major fashion trends that will make 2024
Glasses are also a
core secretary
essential, similar to office sirens in spirit and color, but with a more extensive wardrobe, including
kitten heels
, buttoned cardigans and
oversized
blazers. .
Some also associate them with the
librarian core
(“aesthetics of librarians”, in French).
Seeking like the other two to make the nerdy desirable, this trend focuses on the academic.
So moccasins and white socks, tartans, wool and tweed are appropriate.
But where does it come from?
The Miu Miu ready-to-wear fall-winter 2023 show ticks the boxes of all the trends mentioned above: secretary core, librarian core and office sirens.
Imaxtree
It goes without saying that if fashion is cyclical, certain boosts accelerate the reappearance of neglected pieces in the
fashion sphere
.
Luxury brands had predicted (or planned) it.
In the collections presented in March 2023 for the current winter, small frames are everywhere.
Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, Fendi, Maison Margiela and Balenciaga have made it a full-fledged accessory of the season.
Miu Miu, in particular, stood out.
His fall-winter 2023 ready-to-wear show today looks like a prophecy.
In layered cardigans, disheveled, bags in hand, the models followed each other in monochrome outfits made of gray, beige and black.
The only little twist to this balanced look: the absence of pants, also trendy at the moment.
Read alsoThe Hodakova ready-to-wear spring-summer 2024 show revisits prescription glasses
Bella Hadid, who took a break from social networks in 2023 because of her Lyme disease, returned in 2024 in force, glasses on her nose.
Gotham / GC Images
Beyond brands, there are obviously social networks.
The effect of model Bella Hadid (60 million followers on Instagram) on the tastes of 15-30 year olds is undeniable.
According to some magazines, she single-handedly launched the phenomenon of “bayonetta” glasses.
Others, of course, also participate, like the model Gabbriette.
Without social networks, it is not certain that Bayonetta would have been as successful.
It may also be because Generation Z is starting to enter the job market, or because the minimalist aesthetic is gaining ground, bringing a bit of calm after years of streetwear.
In any case, prescription glasses are leaving the clothing
friendzone
and entering the
fashion sphere
.