Soak up the spring sunshine with Johnny Depp's screen sunglasses

All the best sunnies as seen on Hollywood's favourite outcast.

Every time a new list of the world’s best-dressed men is announced, there’s always one guaranteed name – Johnny Depp. It doesn’t matter that he’s starred as an angora sweater-loving cross-dresser or a bloodthirsty barber, a 70s drugs baron or a crazy candy maker, he still manages to pull it off. Hell, who else could possibly work dreadlocks, a plaited goatee and a tricorne hat and escape with any dignity? And not just dignity but create one of the most iconic, cool and emulated characters of recent years in Captain Jack Sparrow. It’s pretty impressive stuff.

Okay, so you could argue that Mother Nature blessed him with natural good looks that can withstand skipping bath time, but that’s a bit of a cop out. We all know he’s easy on the eye (so let’s not go on about it), and yet there’s more to it than that. He’s got an innate stylishness that seems to pull off any outfit, however outrageous, ugly or downright daft, a way of holding himself that’s confident without being cocky, cool without being pretentious and fashionable without being a labels slave. Jealous, us? Nah!

And with some of the oddball characters he plays, he sure needs those pretty boy looks. Maybe that’s the reason Tim Burton keeps casting him in his movies (their seventh collaboration, Alice in Wonderland hits cinemas today), as anyone else would just plain nasty in the roles. Would luxury jackets brand, Belstaff have wanted Sweeney Todd to wear one of their leather coats if it wasn’t Johnny wielding the razor? We don’t think so.

Yet while most of his characters live life on the less fashionable side of the tracks, there is one part of his costumes that still manages to look decent – the sunglasses. Sunnies are such a showbiz style staple, loved by stars offscreen when ‘evading’ the paps and onscreen when working their movie magic. They seem to suggest class and cool, with all number of familiar big brands reminding us how good they can look.

And Johnny’s films are no different. He’s worn countless cool sunnies over the years, with cyberspace clogged with people crying out to know which pairs he’s plumped for. So with him everywhere at the moment thanks to Alice in Wonderland (we thought we’d give his Mad Hatter costume a miss – more appropriate for Halloween, but the other 364 nights of the year? Not so much), we’re remembering some of his most memorable screen shades.

We’ve hunted out the Ray-Ban Shooter aviators that are practically permanent face furniture in his trippy turn as Raoul Duke in 1998’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (though they’re not available in his vivid yellow sadly); two different types from sunglasses orgy, Once Upon a Time in Mexico – the Ray Ban Predator II series sunnies (also worn by Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black II) and the Randolph Engineering aviators (again another popular movie brand, if less familiar than Ray-Ban with Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now and Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver both working the look).

More Ray-Bans, this time in their classic aviator style in 70s crime drama, Donnie Brasco and for our US readers some we’re sure Johnny would approve of – the goofy glasses seen on Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Not for everyday wear, but could help you snag a part in the next Tim Burton flick. Maybe.