Marc by Marc Jacobs Vintage Sunglasses

Award-winning American designer Marc Jacobs is known for a pop culture-inspired aesthetic that combines elements of grunge, preppiness and couture for pieces with broad appeal. His vintage bags, jackets and more are sophisticated yet edgy, and he was instrumental in modernizing esteemed luxury house Louis Vuitton. He introduced the company’s inaugural ready-to-wear line for women and men and even reimagined its logo while simultaneously growing his signature brand, which is today celebrated for its innovative reinterpretations of classic designs, bright colors and oversize prints. He introduced his Marc by Marc Jacobs collection in 2001.

Marc Jacobs was born in New York City in 1963. His father died when he was seven years old and he went on to live with his grandmother who deeply encouraged his creative spirit. He attended the High School of Art and Design while working at cult Manhattan clothing boutique Charivari. In his role as a stockboy at the store, he met designer Perry Ellis, who suggested he attend the Parsons School of Design. He did so, and for his senior thesis project at the school, Jacobs designed sweaters emblazoned with Op art graphics that earned him considerable attention from the fashion industry.

In 1984, Jacobs and his friend and business partner Robert Duffy launched the Marc Jacobs label. A year later, Jacobs received the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent. In 1997, Jacobs was named the creative director of Louis Vuitton, a position he held until 2014. He pushed the brand forward through collaborations with major contemporary artists and designers like Stephen Sprouse, Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince and Yayoi Kusama. This cooperative model has become a mainstay of the brand.

While helping the venerable luxury house earn accolades — and scores of new fans — for partnerships that melded fashion with art, Jacobs was also working on his namesake projects. He continued to design for his flagship line and debuted Marc by Marc Jacobs lin the spring of 2001.

The diffusion line was a quirky collection that offered sportswear, drew on military style and streetwear, and targeted fashion-conscious consumers who sought affordable garments. While it was shuttered and folded into the designer’s main brand in 2015, Jacobs has since gone on to introduce beauty, fragrance and children’s lines. In 2020, he launched Heaven. A collaboration with Australian-born Ava Nirui — the art director at Jacobs’s flagship brand — the line comprises gender-neutral skirts, chokers and other garments and accessories that are aimed at a younger audience and are inspired by our era’s renewed appreciation for 1990s fashion.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America named Jacobs the Accessories Designer of the Year four times. The organization named him the Menswear Designer of the Year in 2002 — he was also honored with a plaque on the Fashion Walk of Fame in Midtown Manhattan that year — and the Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2016. 

On 1stDibs, find vintage Marc by Marc Jacobs purses, shoulder bags and clothing on 1stDibs.

A pair of vintage designer sunglasses can be a game-changing finishing touch to your ensemble.

No matter your age or general fashion sensibility, wearing sunglasses may already be part of your regular outdoor routine owing to their practicality. Most sunglasses protect the eyes from harmful UV (ultraviolet) rays — and not merely on sunny days. Glasses that utilize color-enhancing lenses, which feature specific coatings or filter tints, can limit the amount of light coming through, while polarized lenses substantially reduce glare.

So while their usefulness is well known, let’s face it, a good pair of sunglasses can be stylish too.

People have been making a statement with iconic eyewear for a while — sunglasses garnered popularity with the Hollywood set in the early 1900s, when it wasn’t uncommon for a hip actress to be photographed in a pair of her sharpest shades.

Today, we’re still talking about the sunglasses that Audrey Hepburn — the original trendsetter — donned in the opening scene of 1961’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s. She emerges from the flagship store of the legendary luxury house referenced in the film’s title in a pair of glamorous dark tortoiseshell frames designed by London eyewear firm Oliver Goldsmith Sunglasses. The brand was a keeper for Hepburn — in 1967, she famously wore a pair of Goldsmith’s Yuhu wraparound frames in the poster for Stanley Donen’s film Two for the Road.

Indeed, celebrities have long held sway in the sunglasses realm — perhaps you’ve opted for vintage Ray-Ban sunglasses because you’re enamored with Marilyn Monroe’s celebrated Wayfarers or you’ve taken to classic Aviators because actor Jon Hamm wore them in the nostalgic TV smash hit Mad Men. Good frames are a surefire way to take your style to the next level.

When shopping for the right pair of sunglasses, consider the color and shape of the frames (as well as the shape of your face), how dark or light the lenses are — or tint, if you’re leaning toward a chic gradient lens. Take your time, spring for more than one pair because different moods call for different shades and, while you’re at it, make sure you know how to spot a pair of fake Ray-Ban sunglasses before you make that purchase.

On 1stDibs, our collection of vintage designer sunglasses features classics from Gucci, Cartier, Chanel and other brands as well as a wide range that can be sorted by color — find sleek black sunglasses, brown pairs and a whole lot of other eye-catching options, whether it’s sunny outside or not.