The singular Marianne Faithfull has passed away at the age of 78. The formidable musician and actor, a muse to many but so much more than that moniker allows, a style icon, and a megawatt star of the Swinging Sixties—with the coolest eyewear to match.
A doyenne of flower-power fashion, Faithfull’s wardrobe was Brit designer-forward, spanning python two-piece suits and collared mini dresses from Ossie Clark, thigh-skimming skirts via Mary Quant, and diaphanous, big-bowed shirts by Jean Muir, later of Yaeger. She set the reigning aesthetic for the ’60s, and as the era grooved on, Faithfull incorporated more of a sleek rock ’n roll glam, ensconced in sumptuous furs and velvet suiting, or clad in leather trousers and knee-high boots.
Faithfull was never one to dim her light, but her collection of playful and shapely shades helped her propel through the kaleidoscopic era in style. Eyewear was her go-to accessory. Often, she swapped pieces with boyfriend Mick Jagger and even Keith Richards—his tiny, circular blue sunglasses were swiped more than once. Later, she was a muse for Chloé, Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, and Hedi Slimane’s Saint Laurent; A delightful shot of Faithfull and Kate Moss sees them front row at Chanel’s spring summer show in 2004, both smiling wickedly behind their opaque sunnies.
Another iconic image captures Faithfull leaving court where her then-boyfriend Mick Jagger was sentenced to three months in prison on narcotics charges. She wears a woollen, elegantly lapelled coat, a ruffled shirt, and belted suit pants; she stays cool and composed in her striped butterfly-shaped sunglasses. In one photo, she nabs Roy Orbison’s own trademark, matte black pair to pose. On the set of the erotic and electrifying Girl on a Motorcycle, Faithfull sits beside co-star Alain Delon in a full leather fit and oversized sunglasses, her tousled hair grazing the bugged out eyes. It’s a look that’s ready for the drag races, or a Batgirl audition.
Faithfull was silhouette-agnostic, donning heart-shaped lenses, cat eyes, and brow-tipping sunglasses in colorful shades. A photograph taken of Faithfull during recording sessions for the Rolling Stones’ Their Satanic Majesties Request sees a spaced out looking Faithfull in far-out, insect-like sunglasses, an arpeggiated fringe brushing the rims. Have the picture colorized and it could be a shot from a Demna Balenciaga campaign. She loved color and patterns too, from tortoiseshell to plaid and amber toned frames.
Her eyewear was usually cushioned by her coiffed blonde hair; her beauty aesthetic built intentionally around ‘notes on bangs’: From side-swept to feathery wisps, thick curtains, and a pixie fringed trim. This face framing and eschewing made her alluring, and unknowable. And for Faithfull, sunglasses were both mystery-building accessories and armor, for someone who had to battle back against the misogynistic music industry that sought to erase her as an artist in her own right. Keeping her eyes shaded kept everyone else guessing.
Who is the sartorial successor today? Everyone from Julia Fox to Jennie Kim experiment with their eyewear, mixing the ultra feminine and the masculine, playing with silhouettes and sensuality. You could take a trip to London’s Camden market and peruse the vintage and bespoke numbers from General Eyewear, or trawl the stalls of west London’s Portobello Road for a treasure trove of Faithfull-esque frames. Seek out era-appropriate brands: Alain Mikli, Mary Quant, Biba. I’m sure in the coming months we can expect to see the ’60s oversized shapes take hold, and maybe some of Faithfull’s more cartoon-like silhouettes too.
Of course, eyewear is just one lens to focus on the inimitable life of an icon. As she told British Vogue in 2004: “Marianne Faithfull is not fashion. Marianne Faithfull is a constant. Marianne Faithfull is a design classic, like a Ford Mustang.” Authentic, fearless, ready for the revolution—behind her opaque frames, you couldn’t read her, couldn’t ever tell what she was focused on next. And that’s just how she liked it.
