Sir Elton John is rarely seen without a pair of glasses on, and throughout his music career – which has spanned six decades – he’s amassed a huge collection.
The legendary singer-songwriter, who recently celebrated his 75th birthday, said in a BBC Radio 2 interview: “I don’t have an iPod or a mobile phone or a computer. I do have a quarter of a million pairs of glasses but I don’t even have a mobile phone.”
But you don’t need to visit the pop star’s accessories archive to check out his life in spectacles.
Read: Eight celebrities with unusual hobbies
To mark his milestone birthday, here are Sir Elton’s best glasses moments.
Stars in their eyes
The singer-songwriter scored a string of hit albums and singles in the 1970s. He sported these star-shaped glasses in 1974, the same year he released the original version of Candle in the Wind.
’70s sunnies
Meeting the Queen in 1977, the pop star accessorised his checkerboard-lapel suit with a pair of oversized round sunglasses.
Cowboy cool
Pictured at Heathrow Airport in 1982, the pop star chose huge wraparound sunnies to go with his leather jacket, cowboy hat and Watford FC bag.
Read: Iconic fashion items from music
Stripy shades
Worn by the singer in 1983, these asymmetrical striped sunglasses are like something out of a Picasso painting.
Small change
In the 1990s, Sir Elton ditched his signature oversized specs and started wearing much smaller styles, such as these diamond shaped frames seen in 1995.
Feeling blue
He matched a pair of blue lenses with this eye-popping satin suit in 1996.
Purple pair
By the time the 2000s arrived, the micro glasses trend was over, but the singer, who was knighted in 1998, was still matching his specs to his suits.
Sparkly specs
Attending the 2009 Elton John AIDS Foundation party, the pop star showed off a bespoke pair of sunnies emblazoned with diamante crystals spelling out his initials.
Gnome sweet gnome
Pictured at the LA premiere of Gnomeo and Juliet in 2010, the singer – who was executive producer and contributed to the soundtrack – poked fun at his specs-obsession, donning a pair of novelty gnome glasses.
Read: Elton John’s most iconic outfits
Doing the rounds
These days, the pop icon’s fashion choices are a lot more conservative than in his early showbiz years, but he’ll still surprise us with a dazzling pair of designer glasses every so often, like the big round frames he wore on the Graham Norton Show in 2017.
Fair and square
Rewarded for his services to music and charity, Sir Elton was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2021. Accepting the honour at Windsor Castle, he looked dapper in a dark suit and blue tie accessorised with a trendy pair of angular oversized frames.
– With PA
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