Serge Gainsbourg's dark glasses history- EYESEEMAG

Gainsbourg’s dark glasses are a cult object still to this day. The design that he wore were from the Marly Sport line made by French optician Pierre Marly whose tortoiseshell, leather and wood glasses were much admired by celebrities in the 1950s and 1960s.

Parisian society was often to be found in his boutique on rue François 1er and he designed original pairs for Audrey Hepburn (who wore his designs in the 1963 film Charade) and a pair of glasses shaped like television sets for Sophia Loren. His loyal clientele also included Romy Schneider, Lauren Bacall, Madonna, Marlene Dietrich, Michel Serrault, Michou, Lino Ventura, Michel Legrand, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, César, Jean Cocteau, Brigitte Bardot, Sophie Marceau, Johnny Hallyday, Elton John, André Courrèges, Karl Lagerfeld, Yves Saint Laurent, Jackie Kennedy, Aristote Onassis, Michel Polnareff (the famous rectangular white frames) and of course, Serge Gainsbourg.

Before he died in 2015, the optician helped transform glasses from a simple practical object to a fashion accessory, capable of adding something to an outfit. In 2016, two pairs of Marly glasses that Gainsbourg had worn were sold at auction by Drouot. One of them, a black acetate pair which the singer was often seen wearing in public, was sold for 2100 euros. The other, a brown tortoiseshell acetate pair, had been ordered by the singer but never collected. The Marly optician still exists and sells several luxury brands from its boutique at 50 rue François 1er. In 1978, Pierre’s son Gilbert Marly took charge of the company, helped by his own daughter Camille Marly. Vintage designs from the brand are also available on Ebay and Etsy, but be warned: some rare pairs can reach the heady heights of 1300 euros like those made famous by Audrey Hepburn. You can find these glasses of stars in our article on 14 legendary pairs of sunglasses in film.