It was 1986 when Top Gun first graced our screens. Tom Cruise as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell left the world swooning and the sunglasses he wore became iconic.
Now we all know that Tom Cruise wore the RayBan 3025 in gold with the classic G15 lenses. But we wanted to bring some alternative options to the table.
We've curated an elite collection of rare original vintage B&L RayBan aviators to get you in the mood and wet your appetite.
We'll kick off with B&L RayBan Shooter Pink Changeables
Followed by the B&L RayBan L2846 WOAW LRG
No aviator blog would be complete without mentioning American Optical (AO), the oldest optical company in America, established in 1833. The sunglasses they created have been worn by pilots, Presidents, celebrities and NASA space crews. These sunglasses are the real deal.
In 1914 AO were the first company to supply goggles to US military pilots. They weren't quite as sleek as Mavericks sunglasses, but were an essential part of the pilots kit.
Photo Credit: AO Eyewear
In 1935 AO were contracted by the U.S. Army Air Corps to create a pair of special sunglasses for aviation, and hey presto the aviator was born. Another frame created was the Original Pilot model, which was worn by Robert De Niro in the 1976 film Taxi Driver.
Don't have Tom Cruises Hollywood budget, fear not. Aerodrome by Mayfair is an original vintage frame manufactured in the 80s. As its name suggests, it was clearly intended to be a pilot style sunglasses frame and at £89.00 it brings a more affordable option to the table.
At the other end of the spectrum we have Cazal 968 in colour 003. As seen on Al Pacino in Donnie Brasco. This model has become an iconic Cazal frame and has made its back into the Cazal Legends collection. Manufactured in Germany, Cazal defined the hip hop styles of the 80s, with frames worn by the likes of RUN DMC. A luxury aviator for the discerning gent.
Given we're aviator fanatics at Retro Spectacle we've built up a huge range of aviator glasses and sunglasses over the years. Whether it's Carrera, YSL, L'AMY or Tiffany we have aviators to suit your style and budget. And don't forget that as we're qualified opticians we can customise our aviator frames to suit your prescription and you can also choose from a range of tint colours and styles.
Back to our hero Tom. Most of us mere mortals will never experience the F-18 Super Hornet’s 8G’s (which is 1600 LBS of force) as we’re posing with our cool aviators, but that’s no reason not to look great.
We hope you’re looking forward to Top Gun Maverick as much as we are. We don’t know whether we’ll be seeing any shirtless beach volleyball scenes but we’re certain the film and soundtrack will be awesome.