Rihanna X Dior 2016

It always irritates me when fashion writers use the word ‘futuristic’ about some new style statement. It usually means it’s either a) silver, b) a jumpsuit with a zip or c) something that looks vaguely like a retro sci-fi character would have worn.

In an age where wearable tech is becoming more of a reality, you’d think we’d have all got over that kind of 1950s/60s view of futuristic long ago. But no.

‘Futuristic’ fashion – Forbidden Planet and Barbarella

Cue the new Dior sunglasses that will be launched as part of the deal Rihanna has with the brand. The line will actually be called Rihanna and and is cut wide but not very deep (a big move on from the current obsession with ultra-deep eyewear and worth noting for any sunglasses trend-trackers).

Rihanna says she was inspired by Star Trek’s Geordi La Forge, which means the writers have been trotting out the word ‘futuristic’ like it was going out of fashion (and it really should). Anyway, it beats overuse of the word ‘iconic’.

Star Trek Next Generation, Geordi LaForge

I suppose the writers can be forgiven. They do actually look very different from much of what’s around at the moment and like they should come with some wearable tech element. That makes me think that maybe Google Glass would have taken off if Google had teamed up with Rihanna and made its smart glasses look futuristic-but-cool rather than, well, dull.

The shades themselves come in six colours, silver, pink, blue, green, and red at a ‘cheap’ $840 for the luxury option, that’s 24-carat gold-plated, a snip at $1,950. Ouch.

I’ve got an old (broken) pair of pink Dior sunglasses stashed away somewhere and surprisingly the pink lenses didn’t make me look like I had conjunctivitis. I actually quite like this new version and do fancy looking at the world again through rose-tinted specs.  But short of winning the lottery this weekend I really don’t think I’ll be investing in a pair.

Rihanna X Dior 2016