Selection: the editor’s favorite sunglasses 🕶

Jerome

To this day, I have a simple pair of Ray-Ban New Wayfarers . It's an ordinary model like you find everywhere and I've been carrying these glasses with me for many summers.

We can say that they have been on all the journeys, that they have suffered all the shocks and even that they have often been lost and then always somewhat miraculously found until now, even in the middle of the Breton forest. . That's it for the little story.

If my sunglasses don't look much, they are quite well marked by time and adventure and that is also what now makes them style. It's something that I like.

But if I ever decide to put them back in my memory box, I will probably opt for one or the other of these models.

1. Vietnam Frames 1970s Blue - Brut Clothing

What's better than vintage for a pair with character and an overall affordable price ? Imagine instead: the 70s, the Vietnam War, the rather khaki dress code of the US Army. For a bit, you could almost hear the purring of helicopter rotor blades and the singing of napalm remixed with the Doors, the Rolling Stones or any great hit of soul music. Except that we are neither in Apocalypse Now nor in the Red Line but at Brut Clothing, this beautiful Parisian address for lovers of vintage, workwear or military style that we regularly recommend.

Certainly, you will find very little information on the sales page: guaranteed manufacturing made in the USA, vintage glasses never worn, blue or green polarized lenses . But don't we come here above all to look for something that simply has style and patina?

If the military wardrobe speaks to you, these glasses are made for you. And if not, don't worry: they can definitely fit into less marked outfits. In short, if you are looking for a pair of inexpensive glasses, with a story and a little something extra to electrify your outfits , these may be the ones for you.

And if I tell you that even a conscientious objector like me can be tempted, it's because we're probably onto something pretty special.

2. Finney smoke gray - Kirk Originals

As I write these lines, the English house Kirk Originals is offering a number of exceptional pairs at reduced prices. Suffice to say that it is a godsend for anyone who would like to try high-end sunglasses.

On a more personal level, it's also a way of getting closer to my first loves.

If you have never heard of the brand, know that it is a family story which has adorned, among others, the eyes of some of the greatest legends of English rock since the early 90s: Mick Jagger, Morrissey or even Paul Weller have all worn Kirk Originals.

If I have a particular fondness for Paul Weller, if only for having worked within a group with the predestined name BG (The Style Council), what I appreciate about Kirk Originals goes well beyond his aura among the stars.

What I like here is the handmade character, the assertive style, the 50s and 60s inspiration and the little cinematic nods.

If it is difficult to choose among all the beautiful models of the brand, the Finney does not lack charm: light color, acetate frame and premium lenses, all handmade in the English workshop of Kirk Originals.

In short, all that to tell you that it makes me dream and beyond its practical aspect (protecting the eyes), isn't that the ultimate function of a pair of sunglasses?

Not to spoil anything: they take their name from a legendary actor that you may have rediscovered not so long ago in Skyfall.

Nicolò

1. Lapel - The Bespoke Dudes

I don't yet have a pair with an entirely acetate frame.

To tell the truth, if I turn more often to metal frames, it is for two reasons: on the one hand it is easier to find smaller ones, which suit my face better because I have the features rather fine. The most common acetate frames tend to be large, oversized models.

And on the other hand, I find that the move upmarket on acetate is more difficult to detect: where metal or hybrid frames have superb details (see my next pair), acetate only varies by two things: its raw material and its color. But we quickly reach a plateau where the move upmarket of the product becomes very relative if you put more, unless you completely double or even triple the investment.

So, if I were to add a more modest pair to my collection, it would undoubtedly be a simple, but high quality acetate pair , such as this Lapel model from The Bespoke Dudes.

On the technical side, we have a beautiful Italian acetate, which doesn't look cheap and should probably last a while. The manufacturing is also Italian, and the brand has a reputation for focusing on quality.

Regarding the style, I appreciate the shape mixing the rounded bottom with more pronounced angles at the top of the frame. This is a design that has already proven itself for me. And obviously, the play of colors between this very contrasting “tortoiseshell” acetate and these brown lenses is very pleasant. I think this is a pair that will suit me best once I get some color.

For the rest, it's simple and effective, we can't expect to find engravings at this price

2. M3057 – Matsuda

I find that this pair illustrates very well what we are entitled to achieve when we start to put big budgets into a pair of glasses: outstanding work on details, without wanting to make bad plays. of words.

For example, we frequently find frames in Japanese eyewear of this price that combine a very thin acetate rim AND metal.

You can also see splendid engravings. The precision on such a small scale is breathtaking: look at the engravings on the "bridge", as well as the extreme finesse of this acetate rim... Itself rimmed with titanium... Itself engraved in turn !
I also recommend that you click on the link, because only the very large-scale photos on the Matsuda e-shop can do them justice.

Likewise, we have the right to expect original design work. This doesn't necessarily mean making alluring and flashy frames: through work on details, you can stay classic while expressing a real "style".

For example, look at the tips of the branches : the metal thickens and curves elegantly before stopping abruptly, as if “sliced” by a perfect knife stroke. I find this simple detail of great elegance. It reminds me of a very beautiful musical instrument, or a modern art sculpture. From the side we see the joining work between metal and acetate on the temples, as well as the engravings on the rim of the lenses.

In terms of shape, after having tried them, I am starting to be able to estimate with certainty the pairs that will suit me : they are always shapes that are generally balanced between height and width, with lenses that combine rounded shapes with softened angles, with quite thin frame, and with dimensions between 46 and 48mm in height for the glass.

Maybe you think that's too specific? Well, from experience, I find that the dimensions of a pair of sunglasses do not tolerate morphological imprecision much more than wearing a suit... If not less, because it concerns the face let's get dressed! So why be less precise?

David

I have a confession to make: I have worn glasses for over 10 years (for my eyesight), and yet I don't know much about the subject.

I currently have Persols for vision that suit me and whose style I like quite well.

As for sunglasses, I have an old pair of Ray-Ban New Wayfarers which do the job and which have the advantage of having solar lenses adapted to my eyesight.

But I know that for my next glasses, I will go for a more high-end frame.

Especially for my glasses, which I wear all the time.

But here, we're talking about sunglasses.

1. Caramel Round Sunglasses – Silbon

For my more accessible pair, I wanted to offer you something other than Izipizi, a rather well-known brand.

So I asked myself: “ which entry-level ready-to-wear brand could possibly offer sunglasses? ”

And I found some at Silbon.

Silbon is a Spanish brand for which I have a little affection because on its formal offer, it manages to offer products of honorable quality, mainly made in Europe, at reasonable prices and with a little appreciable touch of style. .

Here, we have round sunglasses, made of acetate.

Their orange-yellow color is quite nice and appropriate for summer.

The double deck works pretty well here.

You will find the dimensions of the glasses in the size guide.

There is unfortunately not much other information on the sales page , but for 60€, I find them rather visually successful, with a welcome little touch of originality and that's already not bad!

2. Stroget BKGD - Etnia Barcelona

For the second pair, I stayed in Spain with the brand Etnia Barcelona, ​​which a reader mentioned in the comments under the Parlons Clothing Youtube video on sunglasses .

The choice is vast and the prices are the same as many major brands that you will find at any optician.

My preference is this model with a so-called Clubmaster shape, without any thickness on the lower part of the frame. This type of glasses appeared in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

You will find pairs with this shape from many brands, including Ray-Ban.

Here, I find that there is a little something extra:

• We first notice that the glass is beveled at the nose. I didn't find a visual of this worn pair but of a similar model , and I think it works quite well.
• The scaled pattern of the frame is quite successful. The scales have a slightly geometric appearance with sharper boundaries, less round than usual

Jordan

To stimulate your imagination a little about the aesthetic power of a pair of sunglasses, I begin my talk with photographs that inspire me.

There you go, that was my introduction. If you feel shaky or even feverish, this is completely normal. This is the effect that men who know how to wear sunglasses have. Come on, I'll show you my selection in two stages.

1. #C Khaki Green - IZIPIZI

I just came back from holidays. Let's get along, it's not to taunt you. I intend to develop my point.

These holidays consisted of going in a camper van to the south of France. Moreover, in this new video , I reveal what clothes I brought with me.

Traveling in a van means having to pull out your sunglasses faster than your shadow, realizing that they have slipped under the seat, groping for them and scratching them against the metal structure of the seat while extracting them , it's stuffing them into a totebag along with keys, tubes of sunscreen, Ellroy's latest novel and the regulatory carpet of grains of sand at the bottom.

So, I need a pair of glasses that I'm not afraid to confront the elements of this chaotic life.

Oh and I forgot. It must also be said that I'm the type of guy who forgets his glasses on the picnic table at the motorway rest area. It's time for me to tell you a brief anecdote: one day, I was a teenager, my mother agreed to buy me sunglasses from Super Sport, near Cognac.

When we go to the checkout, I could faint I'm so happy. My heart is Usain Bolt. We leave the store, they are on my nose. We're going out and about. Which consisted of my mother going to look for porcini mushrooms in the woods. Yes, I come from the countryside. We search, we search. We return to the car, our arms loaded with precious mushrooms. I sit in the front. A question from my mother like an arrow to the heart: “Where are your glasses?”

Somewhere in the woods. Next to a beautiful porcini mushroom probably. We never found them. I'm that kind of guy. That evening, at dinner, the mushrooms had the bitter taste of defeat.

So, for any mushroom outing and van vacation, I recommend the IZIPIZI: €35, classic shapes. Effective and inexpensive. Like these for example:

At this price, you can perhaps get a classic and a more original one. Up to you.

2. Politician - Max Pittion

This photograph by designer Roy Halston Frowick stuck in my mind. And for a long time.

This shows how a pair of sunglasses can add character, even mythology, to a person who thus becomes a character. That's the power of beautiful glasses. Here the shape is worked to appear simple, natural but on closer inspection it is both classic and original, which is extremely difficult to achieve. In addition, we feel that the pair of glasses was made with excellent quality materials. It shows.

This is my idea of ​​a good pair of glasses.

And I find it at Max Pittion . It is the latter that I chose to show you to finish my selection.

I particularly like this model. His name is Politician. And it's in the same vein as the pair Halston is wearing above. I could see a John F. Kennedy wearing such a model.

For the record, John Mayer, the musician bought the brand's license in 2013, with an associate, Tommy O'Gara. The first, a big fan of Visvim and collector of beautiful objects, was looking for a pair of glasses and came across the brand. He bought a pair that was unfortunately too small for him and, as the brand was dormant and he couldn't get a pair in his size, he decided to buy the license again, after meeting the Pittion family.

Great care is taken in manufacturing, of course, which is now carried out in Japan. . Details like gold rivets add a discreet touch of sophistication, but it is above all the work on the shape that is remarkable. This is where the pair stands out.

And that's all it takes for me to fall in love.

Benedict

So for the record, I twice found myself in the situation where I had to bring glasses that didn't do much harm:

• my trip to Mongolia, where a friend gave me an old pair of Persols that he no longer wore,
• the Boom Festival in Portugal where I had a pair of Randolphs which gave me complete satisfaction in the face of the sand, the wind and the burning sun of Idanha-a-Nova,

It is possible to find Randolphs on Vinted, Ebay or Le Bon Coin for under €150, but for small budgets, like Jordan, I would recommend Izipizi.

1. #E Peppermint - Izipizi

For €35, you'll get a sturdy pair of glasses with everything you need in terms of style. At this price, you won't cry if you lose it during a frenetic festival day.

I chose the green color because I might as well choose a touch of originality.

I would also have liked to recommend the SuitSupply glasses, but unfortunately, the brand did not release any this year.

The Last Frontier - Jacques Marie Mage

(on the Jacques Marie Mage website page of the link above, subscribe to the mailing list to obtain the password)

Warning warning ! Impossible to make a selection of sunglasses without the most hyped high-end brand of the moment.

I really hesitated to shout out love again to Dita, because I still love my Midnight Special ( tested here ) but I wanted to go up a notch in the know-how.

Indeed, Jacques Marie Mage has released a line of glasses that are even more high-end than their usual prices: count on around $1,500 for a pair from The Last Frontier collection.

For this price, you have absolutely impeccable Japanese manufacturing, an inlay of turquoise stones and completely crazy details reminiscent of Native American jewelry.

Native American jewelry that I like more and more (which I talk about in this video ), knowing that we find them a lot in Japanese jewelry with brands like Goro, First Arrow's or Arizona Freedom.

So when an American brand offers glasses made in Japan with Native American details, it's impossible for me to miss it.

The model is absolutely beautiful, and already sold out. In short, a product reserved for lovers of very beautiful objects, who would be totally uninhibited by the idea of ​​spending €400 on a Japanese silver pendant for example.

Small detail that contributes to the stratospheric price: the case of these glasses is made of vegetable leather, assembled by hand with an authentic Native American fabric woven in New Mexico.

Michael

I would like to warn you: when it comes to glasses, my technical knowledge is limited.

But one day, when it's time for me to get my first nice pair, I'll grab my shovel, my headlamp and dig into the matter.

In the meantime, I trusted my instincts. While reading behind the labels.

1. La Vietri - Jimmy Fairly

Here's a pair you won't find on the average person's nose. And so much the better, since that’s not what we’re here for.

Below the psychological bar of €100, it's a good opportunity to try something unusual.

The unusual thing is this rounded shape but not completely. It's also these gently tinted glasses that will let your guests catch your eye so they can tell you straight in the eye that you have a beautiful pair of glasses.

The fine lines of its frame give it a certain elegance. They result in a very nice distribution of volumes. I really appreciate.

All of this gives it a very confident retro spirit. I also appreciate it.

It is therefore best worn with a white t-shirt and straight bleach jeans. If you spend your weekends in a time machine, set it to the 90s when you wear it.

A pair of sunglasses is supposed to bring coolness and these ones do it very well for a reasonable budget. The mission is accomplished.

To talk about the brand: reputation, Jimmy Fairly, it's good value for money. It's also handmade in France. On the other hand, regarding the materials used, they are not very talkative.

2. Shikker Sun - Moscot

For the expensive pair, I turned to a safe bet: Moscot.

325€. Obviously, our eyes have something to nibble on.

First, take a look at the designs on the metal frame. Did you know that they are different for each pair? Now yes.

Next, I will talk about the subtle association between acetate and gold metal, very well executed. We can say that these two materials go hand in hand.

The shape is more classic, but also more reassuring. Since it is more timeless than the Jimmy Fairly, you are sure that it will fulfill its role as an investment in the long term. Fearful reasoning? No doubt, but that's the thought I would have had in the context of such an expense.

But we are also here to dream and this pair makes me dream. So here it is in my selection.

PS: If someone asks you what you did with your Nimbus 2000 or why Yoko Ono is not with you, smile and that's it.