Last month during New York Fashion Week, I found myself crammed into the back row of a buzzy designer’s show (name withheld to protect my already tenuous industry relationships), frantically searching through my tote bag while simultaneously trying to appear nonchalant. The lights were dimming, the music was starting, and I couldn’t find my phone to document the collection. As I emptied the contents of my bag onto my lap—lip balm, notebook, approximately 17 crumpled receipts, a granola bar from 2023—a realization slowly dawned on me: there was something else missing, something that had been a constant companion at fashion events for years.
My sunglasses. I had stopped carrying them.
And looking around the room at my fellow editors, I realized I wasn’t alone. The sea of fashion insiders was noticeably lacking the signature accessory that had been our collective armor for at least a decade. The giant, face-obscuring, statement sunglasses that once perched on the noses of every editor, buyer, and influencer were… gone. Not a Celine oversized frame or Loewe geometric shape in sight. Instead, what I saw everywhere were headphones—specifically, the kind of high-quality, noticeably branded over-ear headphones that make it abundantly clear you don’t want to be bothered.
“When did this happen?” I whispered to my colleague Taylor, who was sporting a pair of very obvious Bang & Olufsen headphones around her neck despite being in active conversation with me.
She looked at me like I’d just asked when people started wearing shoes. “Like, at least a year ago? Sunglasses are over. They’re giving 2019 energy.”
And just like that, I realized I’d missed a major accessory shift. Sunglasses—the quintessential fashion editor accessory, the ultimate “don’t talk to me” signal, the perfect way to hide your exhaustion during the 9 AM show after the 2 AM after-party—had been quietly dethroned. In their place reign headphones, worn as visibly and deliberately as any statement necklace or designer bag.
The evidence was suddenly everywhere. The fashion director of a major magazine arrived wearing massive Bottega Veneta green headphones that perfectly matched her Bottega clutch. An influential stylist kept her custom Apple headphones (complete with her monogram, because of course) around her neck throughout an entire presentation, occasionally putting them on when conversation with nearby attendees seemed imminent. Even Anna Wintour’s usual front-row companion had a pair of sleek, all-black headphones resting around her neck—though Anna herself remains loyal to her signature sunglasses, because icons don’t follow trends, they transcend them.
Once I started noticing, I couldn’t stop seeing it. At market appointments, at collection previews, even at fashion week dinners—the headphone had replaced the oversized sunglass as the accessory of choice for the industry’s most influential tastemakers.
To understand when and why this shift occurred, I conducted a highly scientific research study (texted everyone I know in fashion and stalked the Instagram accounts of key editors). The consensus? The changeover began gradually about 18 months ago but reached critical mass around January of this year. The reasons behind it vary, but several key factors emerged.
First, there’s the practical angle. “I realized sunglasses were actually ridiculous at indoor events,” admitted Mia Chen, accessories editor at a publication I’d be fired for naming. “We were all wearing sunglasses inside, at night, trying to see runway collections in already dimly-lit venues. It was objectively stupid.” She now sports a rotation of designer headphones, including a vintage pair of Chanel headphones from the 2014 collection that she found on The RealReal and refuses to tell me how much she paid for.
The functionality of headphones also offers a legitimate excuse for ignoring people, something sunglasses only pretended to do. “With sunglasses, everyone knows you can still see and hear them, you’re just pretending not to,” explained Tyler Jones, a stylist whose work you’ve definitely seen even if you don’t recognize his name. “Headphones create an actual barrier. People have to physically interrupt your music to talk to you, which most won’t do unless it’s important.”
There’s also the matter of cultural relevance. Sunglasses—particularly the oversized, blackout styles favored by the fashion crowd—carry decidedly pre-pandemic associations. They evoke a time of aggressive street style peacocking, of conspicuous fashion week chaos. The headphone aesthetic, by contrast, suggests focused work, careful curation, and selective engagement—values that feel more aligned with fashion’s current, slightly more subdued moment.
“Sunglasses say ‘don’t look at me,’” observed Emma Wright, creative director and longtime fashion week fixture. “Headphones say ‘I’m busy creating.’ It’s a subtle but important difference in the message we’re sending.” She’s recently invested in a pair of headphones from Master & Dynamic’s collaboration with Automobili Lamborghini, which retail for approximately the same as my monthly rent.
The shift also reflects broader changes in how the industry operates. With so much fashion content now created for social media, particularly video content, sunglasses became a liability rather than an asset. They hide too much expression, create reflections, and generally make it harder to connect with an audience. Headphones, meanwhile, can be slipped on and off as needed, or worn around the neck as a styling piece without interfering with content creation.
“I need people to see my eyeshadow on TikTok,” said one beauty editor who asked not to be named, presumably because admitting you care about TikTok still carries a faint stigma in certain fashion circles. “Sunglasses hide half my product placement. Headphones don’t cover anything important and actually look cool on camera.”
The specific types of headphones matter enormously, of course. This isn’t about subtle AirPods or discreet earbuds—the trend explicitly favors large, visible, statement-making over-ear styles that function as recognizable status symbols. The leaders in the fashion headphone race include Apple’s AirPods Max (often in the more unusual colors like sky blue or pink), Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay range (particularly the lambskin models), Master & Dynamic (especially their collaborations), and vintage finds from fashion house collaborations past.
What doesn’t work: gaming headsets (too aggressively masculine-coded), basic black models without visible branding (what’s the point?), or anything that could be mistaken for the free headphones handed out on international flights.
“I bought a pair specifically to wear between shows,” confessed a junior editor at a major publication. “I don’t even listen to anything most of the time. They’re just not connected to anything.” She then made me swear on my career not to reveal her name, which feels a bit dramatic but also completely in line with how seriously fashion people take their accessories.
The entire shift is remarkably similar to what happened around 2010, when oversized sunglasses replaced the statement necklace as fashion’s accessory of choice. These cyclical accessory revolutions tend to occur when an item becomes so ubiquitous that it loses its impact. Sunglasses had reached such a saturation point—when interns and first-time show attendees are wearing the same accessory as the editor-in-chief, it’s time for the inner circle to move on to something new.
What makes the headphone ascendancy particularly interesting is how it aligns with fashion’s ongoing flirtation with technology. We’ve seen numerous attempts to merge fashion and tech over the years, from the spectacular failure of Google Glass to the limited success of smart watches. Headphones represent perhaps the most natural integration point—they’re already an accessory by nature, with established luxury players in the space and plenty of opportunities for fashion branding.
Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, and Balenciaga have all either collaborated with headphone companies or released their own branded audio products in recent years. Saint Laurent has an ongoing partnership with Beats. Chanel included headphones in their Fall 2014 runway show. The ground was already prepared for this particular accessory shift.
For those looking to participate in the trend without spending four figures, there are entry points at various price levels. The Apple AirPods Max represent the middle of the market at around $550, while brands like Marshall and Urbanista offer fashion-conscious designs for under $300. For the full fashion editor effect, though, it’s worth investing in something with clear luxury signifiers—visible branding, unusual colors or materials, or recognizable design elements.
Or you could take the approach of Zoe Davis, fashion director and street style regular, who wears vintage Sony headphones from the 1980s that she found in her father’s attic. “They don’t actually work anymore,” she told me at a recent fashion week party, “but they look amazing with everything and no one else has them.” The ultimate fashion flex: wearing technology that doesn’t function but looks cooler than everyone else’s working versions.
What about those of us who’ve invested significantly in designer sunglasses over the years? Is our carefully curated collection now obsolete? Not entirely. Sunglasses haven’t disappeared completely—they’ve just been relegated to their original purpose: actually shielding your eyes from the sun in outdoor settings. They’re now viewed as practical accessories rather than fashion statements, worn when genuinely needed rather than as a style signature.
“I still wear sunglasses outside during the day,” noted one editor who has fully embraced the headphone trend. “I just don’t use them as my ‘don’t talk to me’ accessory anymore. For that, I need something more effective.” She then deliberately put her headphones on and ended our conversation, which I have to admit was impressively efficient.
What’s particularly interesting about this accessory shift is how clearly it signals a change in fashion’s relationship with accessibility. Sunglasses, for all their attitude, are fundamentally welcoming—you can still make eye contact (sort of), still hear when someone speaks to you, still engage if you choose to. The rise of headphones suggests a desire for more complete isolation, a more effective barrier between the wearer and the world. It’s fashion’s version of setting your Slack status to “Do Not Disturb.”
I tested this theory at a recent industry event, alternating between wearing my old standby sunglasses and a pair of borrowed headphones (thanks, Taylor). The difference was immediate and undeniable. With sunglasses, people still approached regularly, tapping my arm or simply starting conversations despite my covered eyes. With headphones, the number of interruptions dropped by roughly 70%, and those who did approach started with an apologetic “Sorry to interrupt” rather than launching directly into conversation.
The message was clear: headphones create a more effective force field. In an industry increasingly overwhelmed by content, events, and networking obligations, that extra layer of protection has authentic value.
So what does this mean for the average, non-fashion-industry person? Should everyone rush out to invest in statement headphones? Not necessarily. Like many fashion-editor-specific trends, this one reflects the particular needs and context of the industry rather than broader style currents. If you don’t regularly find yourself in situations where you need to signal “important creative person at work, do not disturb,” oversized headphones might be overkill.
That said, the trickle-down effect is real, and we’re already seeing the influence of this shift in street style and social media. The specific aesthetics—high-quality materials, visible branding, fashion collaborations—are likely to influence headphone design at all price points in coming seasons. If you’re in the market for new headphones anyway, considering their visual impact alongside their audio quality isn’t a bad approach.
As for me, I’ve dug out an old pair of Bang & Olufsen headphones that I bought years ago for plane travel and never really used. They’re not the latest model or the most fashion-forward color, but they’re recognizable enough to signal that I’m at least aware of the shift. I wore them to a press preview last week, and three different people commented on them approvingly. Not quite the same approval rating as my former statement sunglasses used to get, but it’s a start.
The ultimate irony, of course, is that by the time this article is published, fashion editors will probably have moved on to some entirely different accessory. That’s the nature of these industry-specific trends—they move quickly precisely because they’re adopted by people whose job is to stay ahead of the curve.
For now, though, if you see a group of fashionable people wearing elaborate headphones at an indoor event in the middle of the day, don’t be confused. They’re not all listening to the same podcast. They’re just sending a clearer message than sunglasses ever could: unless you have something really important to say, save it for the Instagram DM.
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