I can't remember a time when Ray-Ban sunglasses have been out of style. Sure, their popularity comes and goes, but unlike Vuarnets, "goggle" glasses with blinders, and Oakley shields, Ray-Bans always look classic. In fact it's precisely the old-school shape of both the Aviators and Wayfarer styles that makes the look of forties aviation pilots, sixties movie actors, seventies rock stars, and eighties brat-packers still look relevant today.

Because we've seen Ray-Bans worn in such a high profile way for so long, I'm now most impressed by guys who have found new interpretations of the Ray-Ban look. I saw a guy on the street the other day whose sunglasses looked liked classic aviators in every way except the edge of the frames was shaped differently. I asked him if they were Ray-Ban, and he proudly declared they were "street" glasses he bought in Dakar. I also recently noticed a street vendor selling aviators in updated shades of electric blue, white, and bottle-green. You see, the logo really doesn't matter. The idea is basic and repeatable, the very definition of a standard. It's just a little American configuration of glass and metal (or glass and plastic, as the case may be) that has taught a world of men how to go incognito.

I almost didn't recognize Lou Reed looking so clean cut. If it wasn't for the headphones, he'd almost look preppy! 1981. (Photo: Corbis)

General Douglas MacArthur in original Ray-Bans during World War II, 1944. Ray-Ban Aviators were invented (in 1939) to reduce glare for fighter pilots. (Photo: Corbis.)

This guy bought his Ray-Ban-esque glasses from a street vendor in Dakar. Chrystie Street, NYC, 2007.

If you ever doubted that Clint Eastwood was one of the coolest guys of all time, I hope this picture will change your mind. 1956. (Photo: Getty Images.)

I love how this guy makes preppy look newer and sleeker, Wayfarers and all. Bleecker Street, NYC, 2007.

Jazz pianist George Shearing, 1958. (Photo: Corbis.)

Wayfarers, Vans, and a Strand Bookstore bag -- he knows what he's doing. Broadway, NYC, 2007.

Bleecker Street, NYC, 2007.

Black Aviators must have been the Ray-Ban of choice for seventies rockers (Peter Wolf from the J.Geils Band wore them, too). Mick Jagger, Paris, 1979. (Photo: Getty Images.)

A musician in Washington Square Park, NYC, circa 1955. (Photo: Getty Images.)