No brand of sunglasses is as easily recognizable and iconic as the classic ray ban caravan. If you own a pair of Ray Bans, you own a piece of nostalgic history. The brand was created in the 1920s as an answer to pilots’ complaints about frequent headaches caused by sun glare and overpowering hues in the sky. This style is still sold today and has become one of the most popular trends in sunglasses of all time.
I’m fastidious about putting my sunglasses back in their case when I take them off so I don’t break them, so I kept them well charged up. For clarity’s sake, I will herein refer to Ray-Ban Stories as “Facebook glasses,” because that’s exactly what I know you are thinking when you read this. The words “Facebook” and “glasses” are making the hair on the back of your neck stand up, right? Knowing that Facebook is discussing building facial recognition into these things curdles the stomach. They look like fashion objects, like something you actually want to wear on your faces. TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.
The glasses, which Facebook had teased in the past, start at $299 and come in three styles, including the iconic Ray-Ban Wayfarer, and five hues . Initially, they’re being sold at some Ray-Ban stores and at Ray-Ban.com, and are available to buyers in six countries, including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Facebook and Ray-Ban are also playing up the Stories’ audio features. The glasses include two speakers at the bottom of each temple, but they’re not great. They charge when you set them in the carrying case, which Facebook says gives three full charges. As someone who doesn’t normally wear glasses, the clear lens Ray-Ban Stories felt a bit awkward for me during everyday moments, like walking through San Francisco to a coffee meeting or wearing them at dinner with friends.
There’s a quiet “shutter” sound when the person wearing the glasses takes a photo, but it’s hard for others to hear. Even if they do hear it, not knowing what someone intends to do with a recording could cause anyone who is privacy-conscious to worry. Now you can leverage the strength of the iconic Ray-Ban brand to seamlessly upgrade patients in both single vision and progressive lenses.
However, speakers on both sides of the frame can play sound from your phone over Bluetooth, allowing you to take a call or listen to a podcast without pulling your phone out. A touchpad built into the side of the frame lets you change the volume or play and pause what you’re hearing. The Ray-Ban Stories in the iconic Wayfarer style — those chunky ’50s-era frames that still look fashionable today — weigh just five grams more than the standard version.
Wayfarers enjoyed early popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, returning to popularity again after a 1982 product placement. Celebrating 50 years of Sunglass Hut with new collaborations and exclusive styles by our most-loved brands.