Bonnie Clyde Glasses is an independent label from Los Angeles that has quietly become the go-to brand for the internet’s biggest style icons.
Everyone from Hailey Bieber to Beyoncé has been seen sporting a pair of Bonnie Clyde glasses!
But why have these glasses become a go-to brand for A-listers? Here’s what to know.
Bonnie Clyde Glasses: The Breakdown
Bonnie Clyde Glasses’ frames are handmade, and for most of their designs, they use a plant-based bio-acetate material. It’s a cotton-based material that feels sturdy and smooth in your hands; not at all cheap or plasticky.
Their sunglasses provide 100% UVA and UVB protection regardless of lens color. Yellow, green, pink, and brown lenses protect your eyes just as well as darker tints.
If you’re after vision correction instead, their opticals come with blue-light-blocking, scratch-resistant lenses as standard. And you can upload your prescription during checkout.
The best part? Their frames look and feel ultra luxurious without the ultra-exclusive price tag. At the time of writing, all their glasses are under $300, and most are around $200 to $230.
What’s more, so many of Bonnie Clyde’s most popular designs are available as both sunglasses and eyeglasses. So if you absolutely fall in love with a particular frame, there’s a good chance you can get one of each.
What’s With the Name: Bonnie Clyde?
Bonnie Clyde didn’t get its start in a boardroom, but in the bustling street markets of the Los Angeles Fashion District.
The founders of Bonnie Clyde, brothers Jon and Jeff Yuan, grew up with eyewear being a big part of their lives. Their parents ran a wholesale sunglasses company in LA for over 30 years. Jon spent his childhood playing with colored sample lenses, learning the family trade from the ground up before launching Bonnie Clyde in 2016.
The brothers set up their headquarters inside an old abandoned movie theater in Downtown LA. To this day, Jon designs the frames right there in the theater. He gets his ideas from the things he grew up loving.
Color choices come from the vibrant palettes of the ’90s and early 2000s R&B album covers. Local LA architecture inspires the blocky lines featured in much of the Bonnie Clyde collection. For the hardware and metal detailing that adorn the frames, Jon looks to the metalwork on the musical instruments he played.
The brand has managed to fill a gap in the market with its unique clash of ’90s-kid nostalgia and fresh street-style eyewear.
The Frames We Can’t Keep Our Eyes Off (literally…)
Ready to try a pair of Bonnie Clyde Glasses for yourself? Here are my top picks!
Baby
When Hailey Bieber kept stepping out in the Bonnie Clyde Baby frames, the internet didn’t miss the irony.
She can’t have been entirely clueless as to what she was doing. I mean, she bought multiples of the same frame in different colorways that just happened to share the same name as her husband’s most famous breakout hit?
The Baby is a slim, retro oval silhouette. Paired with an oversized blazer and jeans, this frame is solid evidence that optical-inspired sunglasses are the new way to pull off “effortlessly cool.”
Lucky Star
This is the frame that kicked off Bella Hadid’s obsession with the brand. She was first spotted wearing them out in LA to anchor an all-denim vintage street-style outfit.
The Lucky Star is an ultra-skinny, rectangular semi-rimless frame made from high-grade stainless steel with acetate arms. It has adjustable nose pads and a rhinestone double-heart design on the temples.
Groupie
The Groupie is a throwback to the grunge aesthetic of the ’90s. It leans into the chunkier “more is more” style donned by the era’s rock stars. The frame uses thick (but still lightweight) rounded TR90 frames with angular temples. It’s finished with metal detailing on the hinges.
Coco
The Coco is an oval cat-eye hybrid. Since it’s more oval-shaped than a traditional cat-eye, it works for a variety of face shapes.
It’s arguably one of the most versatile frames in the current Bonnie Clyde lineup. The frames are punchy enough to feel trendy, but still easily toned down enough to wear to the office.
Dagger
The Dagger is a thick, rectangular acetate frame with a chunky profile that sits wide across the face. It feels heavy and substantial, and the construction lets you see the metal wire core running through the length of the arms. The design is finished with metal bead accents on the front corners and temples.
Butter Knife
The Butter Knife is one of Bonnie Clyde’s flagship acetate frames. It pairs a rounded oval shape with a thick nose bridge and low browline. This gives it a slightly chunkier feel than the Baby, but keeps the same ’90s-inspired aesthetic. It also features the Bonnie Clyde exploding-heart metal detailing at the hinges.
Blondie
The Blondie continues Bonnie Clyde’s love affair with slim oval acetate frames, but with a longer and thinner silhouette than most of their designs. It’s one of the brand’s current best sellers and can be bought as both sunglasses and eyeglasses.
I just love these for how ultra-thin the frame is. You’d think this would make them more subtle, but somehow, it achieves the exact opposite.
Jewel
The Jewel is a half-rim titanium frame that offers a different vibe to a lot of Bonnie Clyde’s current acetate lineup. They look similar to these popular oval Miu Miu sunglasses.
I like this frame because it feels a bit unexpected. From the front, it’s quite understated, but then you notice the accents on the temples (Tortoise, in this case) and its half-rim construction. The tiny exploding-heart bead on each arm is a really nice touch, too.
It’s got a lot of character, but without trying too hard. It’s another one of those “effortlessly cool” frames that Bonnie Clyde does so well. Oh, and it also has adjustable nose pads.
Swimming
The Swimming uses a full-rim oval frame made from titanium with translucent layered-red acetate temples. I chose to showcase this specific colorway precisely because of its unapologetic shade. The glossy, candy-shell finish gives a cheerful contrast to the quietness of the silver-toned titanium.
I also love the temples that (to me, at least) resemble the Elder Wand out of Harry Potter. They’re dotted with these little sculpted metal and pearl knots, creating a silhouette that looks a bit like it was carved from an enchanted tree. They have adjustable nose pads and the brand’s signature exploding-heart at the temples.
Princessa
The Princessa draws from the oversized styles that became iconic in the late 1960s and ‘70s. The silhouette gained traction during a decade of burgeoning paparazzi culture. High-profile figures reached for massive eyewear lenses to serve as a protector from the camera lenses.
The black-on-black colorway pictured above isn’t your only choice, though. As with the rest of Bonnie Clyde’s collection, they offer the same glasses in a multitude of frame and lens combinations.
Get them with brown lenses for a slightly less intimidating look. Or try the Layered Purple frames with a paler brown lens to lessen the visual weight and showcase your features.
Note: At the time of writing, these are only available for pre-order but are expected to ship in late July. You can also explore similar oversized frames, such as the Celine Triomphe or the Ralph RA5310U, for a comparable statement-making look.
TL;DR
- Bonnie Clyde is an independent Los Angeles eyewear brand known for its handmade, trend-driven frames.
- Most frames cost between $200 and $230, making them more affordable than most luxury designer brands.
- Their sunglasses provide 100% UVA/UVB protection, and a lot of styles are also available as prescription-ready eyeglasses.
- Celebrity fans include Hailey Bieber, Bella Hadid, and Beyoncé, who helped put the brand on the fashion map.
- Bonnie Clyde’s designs draw inspiration from ’90s and early 2000s fashion, LA architecture, and music culture.
- Our favorite Bonnie Clyde frames include the Baby, Lucky Star, Groupie, Coco, Dagger, Butter Knife, Blondie, Jewel, Swimming, and Princessa.
