Glasses occupy a strange spot in the annals of fashion – because technically you either require them or you don’t and style needn’t come into it.

But fortunately for those who us who cannot see without them, they have evolved into something sleek, smart and surprisingly trend-setting.

So, don your reading glasses as we explore the intriguingly opaque origins of the ordinary spectacles, and track their journey from schoolboy’s nightmare to must-have accessory.