The series finale of Downton Abbey is here! As I struggle to come to terms with the end of this magnificent show, I decided to do a period drama fashion post on an accessory essential: sunglasses. As in my other Downton Abbey posts, there are no plot spoilers here, just stylish pictures!
I’ve never really thought of sunglasses as a period drama fashion staple. I mean, unless it’s set in the 40’s onward, sunglasses don’t seem to make much of an appearance, which is why I was pleasantly surprised to see Lady Mary wearing some sleek shades in episode 7 of season 6. Sunglasses in the 20’s? Leave it to Lady Mary to be ahead of the fashion curve.
Lady Mary is sporting round-frame sunglasses. Round frames are usually synonymous with 60’s hippie or mod style, so it was interesting to see a pair in Downton Abbey. Turns out, retro-style round sunglasses have been stylish since the 20’s, and the round sunglasses craze from the 60’s was actually borrowing from a 40 year old trend. The newest version of The Great Gatsby, for example, features some round-shaped sunnies.
Coincidentally, round-frame sunglasses are having a moment in the fashion world right now. It really is true that past trends always seem to come back in style. Celebs certainly seem to love round-shaped shades. Lady Mary would approve!
If you want Lady Mary-inspired sunglasses, look for black, round shades that have thinner frames. Thick ones weren’t en vogue in the 20’s.
Get the Look:
As Lady Mary proves, round shades aren’t just for hippie-inspired outifts. They can also be rather polished and sophisticated. Downton Abbey may be ending, but timeless style never does. After all, what goes around comes around, and that includes round sunglasses!
Do you like round sunglasses? What’s your favorite sunglasses shape?
Presents of the Past 
Actually round sunglasses have been around at least since the Victorian era.
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Oh yes, I knew that! I only stated that they’ve been stylish since the 20’s. They have been around since the Victorian era and actually earlier than that, but they didn’t start becoming “en vogue” until the 20’s. One of my favorite period dramas “From Hell” which is set in 1888 features a character wearing round sunglasses 🙂
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Love Lady Mary and her style on Downton. Nice blog, found out about yours through Ruth’s and I am also a lover of period pieces. 🙂
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Lady Mary is definitely the most fashion-forward of the bunch! I love her style as well. And cool, I love Ruth’s blog. It’s always nice to meet fellow period drama fans 🙂
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Awesome! Yes I love her outfits, have you noticed Lady Edith really has stepped it up this season too? Are you liking this season so far?
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Yes, I have. I did a fashion post on her too. She’s been killin’ it!
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They really do such a good job on that show!
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I love drawing inspiration from TV shows! I haven’t watched Downton Abbey yet but I’ve heard a lot of great things about it.
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You should definitely watch it when you get the chance! It’s great!
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I’m a fan of round sunglasses, but good ones are definitely hard to find. You’d think that there wouldn’t be so many different ones of the same type, but there are! Also, I love your MK & A photo caption
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Love the theme of your blog! Very unique.
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Thank you so much!
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Round sunglasses always look so cute, but they never seem to work with my face shape. I like large, squarish sunglasses. Still, I never knew these were in during the 20s!
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I’m kind of the same way. I love how they look on other people, but I look better in square-shaped sunglasses. However, I’m gonna try and pull them off again!
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