Prada sunglasses for women have frequently skewed towards masculine styles that alluringly counterpoint their feminine ready-to-wear. Or lady-like, if peculiar, shoes. From aviators to vintage silhouettes, Prada has consistently put their off-beat spin on retro eyewear, making them veritable sculptures for face—very Laurie Anderson on the cover of Big Science, but not Gigi Hadid on the pavement of Beverly Hills.

This season’s Cinéma line, for example, has this shield-and-attract aesthetic positioning. They are clearly designed to protect the eyes from harsh sunlight, but, as they are by no means small, proportioned to draw attention to the countenance of the wearer. These are not easy-to-miss Prada shades.

The circular lenses are a refreshing break from all the quadrilaterals that seem to dominate eyewear design (a trend, in fact, since 2015). What’s even more appealing is that, in the pair pictured here, they are not a perfect round, as if the shape was drawn by hand. But the unusual detail here is the bridge—it is part of the rimless lenses (Prada calls it “incorporated”), which appear to be cut from one piece of acetate. This is then mounted on a half-rim frame, with its own bridge, resulting in a double bridge: the thin lower acting as a sort of underscore for the thicker arch above.

Although the Cinéma line is touted to be ’60s inspired, and the pair featured in the cute Prada-commissioned film to market the spring/summer 2017 collection wouldn’t look out of place in a Visconti film, the latest iteration is the accessory to wear to a Blade Runner-themed party.

Prada Cinema line of sunglasses, from SGD 435 (above), is available at Sunglass Hut and authorised dealers. Photo: Jim Sim