Toronto band the Beaches sport the season’s coolest sunglasses trends

Despite the easterly moniker, the Beaches got their start in Kensington Market. Over the next 10 years, lead singer and bassist Jordan Miller, guitarist Kylie Miller, drummer Eliza Enman McDaniel and keyboardist and guitarist Leandra Earl parlayed a residency at The Supermarket bar into a half-dozen albums and opened for legends like The Rolling Stones and the Foo Fighters.

A decade in, they’re excited to evolve a little: last year, they went independent and are celebrating their newfound freedom with a fresh sound and upcoming U.S. tour. “We’re super excited about our new musical direction and aesthetic for this new record and tour. In the past we felt that our music was a little bit serious, and that didn’t fully click with our personalities,” Kylie Miller says. “We are pivoting from the traditional rock sound slightly and trying some new fun and poppier things in the studio.”

In recent bangers “My People” and “Grow Up Tomorrow,” their usual jangly chords shimmer with a little more sunshine, a little more hope. This was inspired by going out and having fun with friends again. “After lockdown, it felt really good to connect socially again, so that influenced our songwriting,” says Miller. There was also a breakup. “We wanted to have the new record not focus on all the negative aspects of ending a relationship, but the new independence and self-love you end up finding along the way. It’s the most personal record that we’ve ever done.”

The new vibes extend to their tour looks, too. “We want to look and sound like four girls that you’d want to get drunk and share a pizza with after a night out,” Miller says. “We absolutely love fashion and sunglasses. They’re an awesome way to showcase your personality and style. They’re such a useful tool to play with an outfit and just take it up a notch.”

Jordan Miller, lead singer + bass

Wearing: Jenny Bird flat-top sunglasses, $230, jenny-bird.ca. SHOP HERE

Summer style MO: “My style changes a lot. Right now I’m very into mixing preppy clothes with vintage casual pieces, like wearing my dad’s old cardigans with vintage cargo pants. My summer style is anything revealing.”

Summer plans: “I’m a Beaches girl. In the summer you can find me there—I love to paddle board and get Ed’s Ice Cream.”

Kylie Miller, guitar

Wearing: Joe Fresh round sunglasses, $24, Joe Fresh stores

Summer style MO: “I am absolutely obsessed with sundresses in the summer. I find shorts to be really uncomfortable and dresses and skirts allow me the option to move more freely. You can dress them up with cute boots or down with sneakers.”

Summer plans: “I love a morning run on the boardwalk in the Beaches where I grew up, or around Ontario Place. I also love sitting on a patio with a friend and grabbing a beer; Penny’s is a great spot for that.”

Eliza Enman McDaniel, drums

Wearing: Maguire colourful sunglasses, $95, maguireshoes.com. SHOP HERE

Summer style MO: “My style is constantly changing, so it really depends on the day. I might wear shorts and a T-shirt one day or a skirt and a tank top, it really depends on the day and how I’m feeling.”

Summer plans: “I love going for walks by the tennis court and Olympic pool because that’s where I grew up, at the bottom of Kenilworth Avenue.”

Leandra Earl, keyboard + guitar

Wearing: Bonlook aviator sunglasses, $219, bonlook.ca. SHOP HERE

Summer style MO: “Tomboy, skater masc when I feel like it, or femme when I feel like it. I love a good above-the-knee men’s boardshort and also love to rock a bralette because I hate sweating.”

Summer plans: “I love to run by the water either through Ontario Place or along the lakeshore. I also love to skateboard with my skater gorls, Wench 49, in the empty Trinity Bellwoods skating rink or at the empty Wallace Emerson skating rink, which actually got a ton of dope ramps last year.”

Shop the sunnies trends

Colourful

A juicy tint in your frames or lenses will bring a hit of sorbet flavour to your summer outfits.

Round

Keep the ’60s silhouette classic with a tortoise frame or give it an update with a truncated shape.

Aviator

Surfing the ’70s wave, aviators in all manner of frame widths and materials are very much back.

Flat top

Like a monobrow in shade form, this silhouette instantly gives your look a futuristic edge.

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Briony Smith is a Toronto-based freelance contributing columnist for The Kit. She writes about style and culture.

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