One of the advantages of having a supermodel for a wife, as Nicolas Sarkozy recently discovered, is that she knows about style. As part of the French president’s recent makeover, Carla Bruni removed his oversized, face-engulfing sunglasses and replaced them with a more understated pair of aviators. In doing so, she put him in the middle of a new trend exemplified by the even more media-savvy George Clooney, Brad Pitt and P. Diddy.

As it turns out, the A-listers are not alone. According to British department store chain John Lewis, sales of men’s sunglasses are up 39 per cent year-on-year. “Men once perceived accessories as effeminate but are now happily buying products such as bags, fashion scarves and moisturisers,” says Peter Ruis, director of fashion buying for the store. “As sunglasses have become more relevant to men, brands have put more resources into marketing this key area.”