Legendary musician, actress, and eternal muse Marianne Faithfull of the Swinging Sixties has died at the age of 78. Faithfull was much more than a style icon. She was a force of nature, fearless, unshakably cool, and authentically herself. She defined an era with flower-power fashion and rock-roll glam, but her unmistakable eyewear made any Paparazzo an enigma in the public eye.
A Fashion Pioneer of the ’60s and Beyond
Faithfull’s fashion was unashamedly British, preferring Ossie Clark, Mary Quant, and Jean Muir. She had been famous for her python print two-piece suits, collared mini dresses, and thigh-skimming skirts. Her style progressed into the ’60s; fur coats, velvet suits, and leather trousers all started to come. She was at fashion houses, including Chloé, Chanel under Karl Lagerfeld, and, subsequently, Saint Laurent under Hedi Slimane, a muse for her chameleon-like ability to reinvent herself.
Faithfull’s sunglasses, however, were a part of her mystique. She swapped frames (and Keith’s tiny blue lenses) with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Front row at a Chanel show with Kate Moss or traversing London streets, Faithfull’s eyewear collection was as much armor as art.
The Power of Sunglasses: Mystery and Rebellion
The famous image of Faithfull probably comes from the day she left court when Mick Jagger was sentenced to prison in 1967. She was dressed in a ruffled shirt and wool coat tailored to look chic, with mismatched striped butterfly–shaped sunglasses that were unreadable and untouchable. She was a woman who refused to be cut down to a rock star’s girlfriend. She was effortless defiance.
On the Girl on a Motorcycle set, Faithfull cranked up full-throttle glam, side by side with Alain Delon in head-to-toe leather, bug-eyed frames oversized. Donning heart-shaped lenses, cat-eyed frames, or enormous tortoiseshell or amber-tone frames, Faithfull is the one who made her eyewear a signature of hers.
Her sunglasses were a shield as much as a fashion statement. In a male dominated music industry as a woman she used them to keep a sense of mystery about herself and protected herself from the relentless scrutiny of fame.
Faithfull’s Influence on Today’s Style Icons
A new generation of style risk-takers has been influenced by her bold approach to fashion and eyewear. Even Julia Fox, Jennie Kim, and many others utilize hyper-feminine androgynous aspects, as Faithfull did. Her signature styles, from Mary Quant to Alain Mikli and Biba to Portobello Road, can be found among vintage eyewear collectors to this day in London’s Camden Market or Portobello Road.
Always speaking to the cycle of trends, Faithfull’s oversized ’60s shapes and playful silhouettes will surely return. Timeless was she, a revolutionary artist and a woman who would never be categorized with anyone over her. But Marianne Faithfull and her influence are gone: her music, style, and fearless presence are forever a part of cultural history.
Sophia Walker is a fashion journalist who reports on the latest trends, events, and industry news, keeping readers informed about the dynamic world of fashion.
