At this point, the adage “Men don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses” is laughably old hat—and rightly so. Women are accessorizing boldly without the thought of men’s “passes,” and nothing proved this more than when we spotted not only Kate Winslet but also Patricia Arquette and Cheryl Boones Isaac rocking frames at the 2016 Academy Awards.
Women haven’t always gravitated toward glasses on the red carpet, save for a few winsome exceptions (OG Meryl Streep comes to mind as does the ever-delightful Tina Fey), but we’ve noticed over the past awards seasons that spectacles have been trending hard—a welcome style statement that’s both functional and cool as hell—and very on-trend with this season’s tendency toward geek chic.
See nine women making a case for formalwear and glasses in the slideshow, above.