According to the TikTok counsel: Oversized glasses are out and ultra mini librarian-core glasses are in. The common consensus seems to be that the sexiest accessory to don at the moment are a pair of Bayonetta glasses. And if you’re confused on what exactly Bayonetta glasses are, we don’t blame you. The term ‘Bayonetta glasses’ only started to float around earlier this year, as the Y2K corporate dressing trend popped up on TikTok with bespectacled influencers wearing tight pencil skirts and white button ups, cosplaying as office vixens (think: Gisele Bundchen in The Devil Wears Prada).
The term Bayonetta glasses refers to the tiny rectangular frames that ruled the early 2000’s, to which, nearly everyone and their English teacher owned a pair. Flattering or not, there’s no denying that these sleek frames were the go-to at the optometrist during the early naughts. That said, ‘Bayonetta’ actually refers to a Japanese video game where the titular character named—you guessed it, Bayonetta, wreaks havoc in a world where angles and demons battle it out. The virtual vixen wears a signature pair of slim rectangular spectacles, which thanks to TikTok, is now lovingly referred to as Bayonetta glasses.
The return of tiny glasses may have been a 2023 wild card, but considering the revival of all things retro on TikTok and on the runway, it does’t really come as a surprise that even celebrities were rocking a pair of Bayonettas’ for themselves. Street style savant Bella Hadid did it first, as she stepped out in NYC in a bloke-core reminiscent ensemble. It wasn’t too long after that fashion-tok promptly picked up on the accessory, and welcomed it back into the fashion annals of 2023. It seems more than anything, looking smart has become the new sexy.
Let get this straight: Bayonettas’ aren’t just a fashion accessory, they’re a statement. For girls everywhere, choosing to put on a pair of Bayonettas over a pair of windscreens says that you don’t care about being conventionally attractive. It’s about channeling your inner boss-bitch. And that’s precisely the energy that speaks to Gen Z. Unconvinced? Just turn to the runway—Miu Miu’s FW23 runway was corporate dressing at its best, complete with small framed glasses on models. Even Gentle Monster gave in to the trend, adding their own twist to it as they dropped the dainty Gentle Monster x D’heygere collaboration collection—which promptly sold out.
At the end of the day, while the trend still has a tight chokehold on the fashion girlies of TikTok, it hasn’t exactly picked up in the mainstream. The eyewear trend speaks to an extremely niche audience, and at that, only handful of people can really pull off the small frames like Hadid. It’s a nuanced trend that brings to life a nostalgia that only a handful can truly appreciate, and with that, we’re picking up a pair for ourselves to embody the corporate weapon that we are.
Below, find our edit of Bayonetta glasses that’ll give your ‘sexy secretary’ outfit the justice it deserves.
