“I say, I wear my sunglasses at night,” the immortal words of musician Corey Hart. Sunglasses are one of the world’s most common accessories. The most common types we see are aviators, square-shaped, and round-shaped. Like many fashion accessories, sunglasses have gone through many iterations from the most paired down neutral colored pairs at your local dollar store to the bedazzled designer pairs at your finest department stores and fashion boutiques.

The sunglass style having a moment though is one all its own: the campy sunglasses. Before we delve into the popularity of campy sunglasses lets revisit what camp means, although some of you might recall from the 2019 theme of the Met Gala. Camp can be defined as an aesthetic style that is described as appealing because of its over the top or ironic value. There’s often a hefty dose of flamboyance to camp as well, just think of any John Watters film or any episode of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

Campy sunglasses aren’t anything new, however. To rewind the hands of time to the origins of this particularly popular style of sunglasses, let there be an introduction to a little-known musician who goes by the name of Elton John. Perhaps you’ve heard of him? He’s only one a few awards such as a Tony, Emmy, Grammy, and Academy Award. He’s also sold more than 300 million records worldwide, just the little things.

Elton John is easily recognized as a fashion icon, and part of his signature style is his sunglasses. Elton has been rocking his flamboyant sunglasses for decades. In the late 1960s when he first came onto the music scene, his style was more subdued but still ahead of the curve. His square-famed and round-frame sunglasses were often paired with patterned shirts in cheetah print or star patterns.