1980s Dior Sunglasses | Archive 0033

An original Christian Dior frame from the 1980s, preserved as deadstock and never worn with its original brown-tint UV-protective lenses. The oversized square silhouette is presented in a translucent amber-brown frame with matching brown lenses, retaining its original vintage character.

Frame Model: 2595 (10)
Decade: 1980s
Country of Origin: Germany
Lenses: Original Brown UV-Protective Lenses
Condition: Deadstock
Measurements: 57-15-125

Historical Context

Founded in Paris in 1946, Christian Dior transformed postwar fashion with the 1947 “New Look,” establishing a house defined by dramatic proportion, femininity, and technical innovation.

Dior’s eyewear history became particularly significant in the late 1960s, when German manufacturer Wilhelm Anger, inventor of Optyl, took over the Dior eyewear license. Early Dior Optyl sunglasses appeared around 1969. The lightweight thermosetting resin could be molded into substantial sculptural forms and produced with unusual transparency, gradients, and depth of color — characteristics that became signatures of Dior eyewear throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

The partnership helped establish Dior as an important name in designer eyewear, with oversized silhouettes and expressive use of color translating the drama of the couture house into eyewear. Vintage Christian Dior Optyl frames from this period remain particularly recognizable for their bold proportions and distinctly European construction.