Saint Laurent LouLou sunglasses

Far from the dollar store pair you brought as a kid, this year we saw luxury retro heart-shaped sunglasses popping up in collections from Christopher Kane to Gucci. But ultimately, it was Saint Laurent’s LouLou sunglasses that stole the show, ranking as one of the world’s hottest products this quarter.

Available in three shades; a signature red, white and black, the exaggerated heart-shaped LouLou frames are made from glossy acetate and winged for a cat-eye effect. Despite the frames luxury pricing, the LouLou may prove to be a wise investment piece. Anthony Vaccarello has a track record of creating cult sunglasses; last year’s Kurt Cobain–esque plastic frames also caused a surge in searches. Fast-forward to this summer and it’s the LouLou that every influencer has been reaching for. First spotted on Avenue 32's Roberta Benteler, we then saw the LouLou crop up on the street style scenes of both Australia and haute couture fashion weeks, before being Instagrammed by everyone from Giovanna Bataglia to rapper Ty Dolla $ign.

Alongside the obvious Lolita connotations, inspiration for the LouLou frame came YSL’s design archives. The heart motif was loved by Yves Saint Laurent, who before every couture show, would choose one model or his favourite outfit by finishing it with the Yves Saint Laurent heart, a dramatic pendant necklace by jeweller Roger Scemama. It is not surprising then that Vaccarello choose the heart to be the central motif in his debut 80-themed collection for the brand; an era that is also known to be Yves Saint Laurent's heyday at the design house.

Fast forward to 2018 and heart prints have been trending all summer. The lovable motif has been featured on Gucci sneakers, skirts and accessories, and Rixo London introduced a new heart print line. Saint Laurent’s LouLou frame is the ultimate heart hero product, stocked by Cettire, Mytheresa and Shopbop.