Hunter S. Thompson had his yellow aviators, Kurt Cobain his Christian Roths, and Audrey Hepburn her cat-eyed lenses: Many icons of the last hundred years have reached their status with a mix of attitude and a really badass pair of sunglasses.
Maybe they first wore their glasses for convenience (in the case, of, say, Jackie O. in Capri) or as a means of protection (V. Stiviano), but no matter: Certain sunglasses are now synonymous with the people who first made them famous. Take, for example, Kanye’s shutter glasses (of the “Stronger” era) and Elton John’s pink-palm shades.
Click through our slideshow of the 50 most iconic — from Lolita to Lady Gaga — because, after all, everyone looks hotter in sunglasses.