Cool Glasses: Tom Cruise in Top Gun
This movie has become a classic, and speed best represents the reason that drives the main character of the film Top Gun: Maverick (played by Tom Cruise).
This pilot is always seeking the limit aboard his fighter jet: it is the speed that makes him feel alive, so he always needs it.
Throughout the film, the actor hurtles through the air at breakneck speeds, with determination and passion. It is precisely this particular ardor, this fiery spirit, along with his jokes and his outgoing personality that has made him an audience favorite.
But let’s be honest: what would Maverick be without his essential and unfailing accessory, the classic Aviator teardrop sunglasses?
Most likely he wouldn’t be the same. When he lowered them onto his nose, showing off his intense gaze and winking with a wink, he was really cool!
Aviator Sunglasses: History of a Legend
So can you say that part of the success of the movie Top Gun and in particular Tom Cruise’s character is due to these iconic sunglasses?
Absolutely, yes!
Do not forget, then, that you are talking about truly historic eyewear: the first Aviator model, in fact, dates back to 1937 and was created at the express request of the U.S. Air Force, which was looking for a way to protect the eyes of pilots from the sun’s rays at high altitudes.
Since then it has been an almost continuous success, which still lasts today.
Of course, over the years there has been no lack of imitations, but the original remains one and the same.
It’s the little details that still make the difference: from the particular dark green shade of the lenses (the most suitable for shielding the sun’s rays), to the elegant touch of gold on the frames and arms.
Nothing is left to chance, and the results speak for themselves.
Why should you choose ‘Top Gun’ glasses?
All lovers of this film, who want to be as cool as the protagonist, need to do only one thing: buy a pair of Aviators sunglasses.
You do not need a jet plane or a pilot’s license: with these exceptional sunglasses, produced using only high quality materials, you can feel the same emotions Maverick feels aboard his fighter jet and feel his own “need for speed”.
Can’t you feel the comfortable, lightweight metal frame resting on your nose?
Can’t you see yourself wearing this fantastic accessory already, as you walk, confident and bold, in the sunlight?
You did not watch the movie Top Gun…
Tom Cruise: nice and impossible
Handsome and Impossible, Tom Cruise became a true international star in 1986, when he played the role of Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in “Top Gun” winning over millions of teenagers around the world.
The success continued with the film “The Color of Money” (1986), the light comedy “Cocktail” (1988), “Rain Man” (1988) and “Born on the Fourth of July” (1989).
In 1996 he gained a great popularity with the character of Ethan Hunt in the film “Mission Impossible”.
The receipts of the film were so high that Cruise participates in the sequels of the film and, most recently, in “Mission Impossible fallout” (2017).
Tom Cruise got some great awards at the Golden Globes, as Best Actor in a Leading Role in the film “Born on the Fourth of July” (1989) and Best Actor in a Leading Role in the movie-musical “Jerry Maguire” (1997).
As a timeless icon of charm and beauty, Tom Cruise, in the role of Maverick in “Top Gun”, launched the “Top Gun” style fashion, with an Avirex leather jacket and his own Aviator sunglasses, a model with a classic and timeless style.
Without this accessory, Lieutenant Maverick would not have gained such popularity among the public.
The eyewear worn by Tom Cruise is iconic and has made glasses history…
Why did US Air Force pilots ask this kind of sunglasses?
It was the pilots of the U.S. Air Force that pushed the company to create and patent a model with technologies never seen before. To overcome problems such as glare or dizziness due to strong sunlight, Ray Ban invented the famous green lenses, which still accompany the vast majority of eyewear models today.
Not only the lenses, but also the teardrop-shaped frame designed by the company was able to better protect the eyes from the sun and ensure perfect comfort even when wearing a helmet.
The Aviators were the brainchild of famous airline pilot John Macready, the aviator who stirred Ray Ban’s soul and pushed the brand to create the famous model.
Over the years we find Aviators in new lines and revisited shapes such as the Shooter sunglasses, the Blaze sunglasses and the Aviator Mirror.
In 1986, with the film “Top Gun”, the model returned to its early days thanks to Tom Cruise who made women all over the world fall in love with his charming look and his sensual gaze that could be seen through Aviator glasses.
An iconic character who couldn’t wear anything but Ray Ban Aviator RB 3025, always in search of speed and able to dash madly through the skies with great passion and determination.
What would Tom Cruise have been without his Aviator sunglasses?
He certainly wouldn’t have had the same charm.
Everyone should own a pair of glasses like the ones worn by Maverick; you don’t have to be an airplane pilot or defy speed at every opportunity.
All you have to do is wear a pair of Aviator sunglasses to immediately change your look and look as charming as Tom Cruise in “Top Gun”.
Aviator glasses? Used by Bradley Cooper in “The Hangover”
The famous 2009 film by Todd Philipps stars Bradley Cooper as teacher Phil Wenneck.
To protect himself from the harsh sun of the American West, during the convertible ride between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the charming actor wears a RayBan Avitor Evolve version (orange photochromic lens).
Brad Pitt in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
More recently, Brad Pitt in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (2019), the latest creation from the genius of Quentin Tarantino, also wears a RayBan Aviator Classic 3025.
His character (Cliff Booth) prefers a 70s look with Hawaiian shirts and a white T-shirt.
All paired with aviator teardrop sunglasses.
The variants of teardrop glasses: the Shooter and the Outdoorsman
Immediately after the release of the Ray Ban Aviator, two other models of teardrop-shaped glasses saw the light in 1938-39: the “Outdoorsman” with a sweat shield bridge, specially created for hunting and fishing enthusiasts, and the “Shooter”.
Equipped with a curious headband at the center of the bridge, used as a cigarette holder to leave the shooter with both hands free.
The Shooter teardrop-shaped glasses were fitted with green or light yellow lenses (called Kalichrome), ideal in hazy conditions.
RayBan Shooter teardrop-shaped glasses worn by Johnny Deep in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”
Journalist Raoul Duke (Johnny Deep) is the hallucinated protagonist, along with Dr. Gonzo (Benicio del Toro) of this 1998 Cult film.
In this “journey” on the road, Raoul Duke’s yellow glasses are unforgettable.
These extra-large drop glasses are the Shooter sunglasses with Kalichrome C lenses.
You can see this sunglasses is an icon made legendary from Hollywood and the actors and actress who used during their movies.