Sunglasses?

[gmm150]

I always see a bunch of celebrities wearing Tom Ford sunglasses. I have tried some on at the store but never cared for them. To me Tom Ford takes a classic sunglass look and tries to change it to make it better or more unique but ends up making it look worse.

[Erok32]

One thing I learned about accessories such as sunglasses and watches is that designer is much less quality than "niche"? (to compare to fragrances). I own a pair of dolce and gabannas an a pair of versaces which are far inferior in craftsmanship and lens quality than my Carreras, oakleys, and ray bans. The same goes for my guess, Kenneth cole, and Armani watches in comparison to my citizen, seiko, android, and movado watches.

[noirdrakkar]

Here are the sunglasses I wear. I have an oddly shaped face, so these are the only sunglasses that look flattering on me, and I love them a lot.

http://www.ray-ban.com/usa/rb2027


Just some points when it comes to sunglasses.

1. Don't go with what's in fashion today. Today, Wayfarers and Aviators are in style, though eventually people will be complaining how silly they look. Go with what looks best on your face, rather than what is the most popular kind of sunglasses.

2. The difference in lens quality between a $20 pair of fakes and the actual $300 sunglasses are minimal. It's like buying 16GB of ram for your PC. The only reason you would need $300, for the quality difference , is if you are a pilot or in active-duty military.

3. The production cost differences are marginal. And even expensive sunglasses break and get lost easily. If you are careful with them, accidents probably won't happen, but they still can. Eventually people buy $20 because they don't feel like buying another $300 sunglasses to replace their broken ones.

It's sort of like buying a $300 niche fragrance, compared to buying a designer (under $100). If having nice shades means a lot to you, and you have the money, no shame in spending it, but you can find great sunglasses at a lower price line.

[calilove]

i wish i could pull off glasses

[hedonist222]

2. The difference in lens quality between a $20 pair of fakes and the actual $300 sunglasses are minimal. It's like buying 16GB of ram for your PC. The only reason you would need $300, for the quality difference , is if you are a pilot or in active-duty military.

Actually no. There is a huge difference in lens and sadly you can't segregate it by brand. For example, Cartier has excellent lenses. Whereas Dior and Chanel have cheap palstic'y ones. Both Chanel and Cartier are non-sunglasses houses and are priced similarly but Cartier clearly, no pun intended, uses better glass.

Bvlgari uses two types of lenses. Some glasses have the cheap Chanel,Gucci and Dior lens whereas some have really good ones. I've noticed that the ones with good lenses are sold in the Bvlgari boutique.

Then you have Rayban which is a dedicated sunglasses house but uses mediocre, at best, lenses.

The same applies to Persol, mediocre quality glass.

Surprising since both are historic sunglasses dedicated brands.
I know for a fact that Persol did at one time in the past use good glass. I saw an old Persol in my father's wardrobe that was really good and a few weeks ago I found a vintage Persol (from the late 80s) that had excellent glass too.

Niche perfume houses water down perfumes, sunglasses companies plasticize lens?

3. The production cost differences are marginal. And even expensive sunglasses break and get lost easily. If you are careful with them, accidents probably won't happen, but they still can. Eventually people buy $20 because they don't feel like buying another $300 sunglasses to replace their broken ones.

Unless you work in the sunglasses industry, I don't think you are at a position to discuss production costs.

It's sort of like buying a $300 niche fragrance, compared to buying a designer (under $100). If having nice shades means a lot to you, and you have the money, no shame in spending it, but you can find great sunglasses at a lower price line.

Actually no. Better lenses will enhance your sight and will protect your eyes (UV rays, Polarized lenses etc etc).

[Firemave]

Aviators or Wayfarers. Only way to go.

Timeless & classic.

[Austere]

Actually no. Better lenses will enhance your sight and will protect your eyes (UV rays, Polarized lenses etc etc).

Dunno how it works where you are. But here, if the UV protection is not up to par, then they are not considered sunglasses and can't be sold as such. I've picked up some great sunglasses that no one else has for minimal outlay that get way more compliments than the expensive labels ever do.

Polarized lenses are good for fishing, but they don't add significantly to cutting out harmful UV rays.

[MikeJ]

Currently trying to decide between the Persol 2939, 007, and a pair of Prada's..this one is a toughie

[hedonist222]

Dunno how it works where you are. But here, if the UV protection is not up to par, then they are not considered sunglasses and can't be sold as such. I've picked up some great sunglasses that no one else has for minimal outlay that get way more compliments than the expensive labels ever do.

Polarized lenses are good for fishing, but they don't add significantly to cutting out harmful UV rays.

UV protection and polarized lenses provide different results/benefits. Neither is better than the other but both are beneficial.
Compliments and price of glasses is very subjective. Let's not discuss this aspect.

Currently trying to decide between the Persol 2939, 007, and a pair of Prada's..this one is a toughie

The 2939s look nice. I like the slanted bridge linking the two lenses.

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i wish i could pull off glasses

Aviators / wayfarers. Guaranteed to fit any face shape amd instantly make said wearer hot. lol

[Austere]

Can't remember the year that Aviators grew out of fashion.

That would be from the early 80s to early this century. They kind of got swept away with the whole hippy aesthetic and became part of the fat-cop-with-mirror-shades stereotype. Personally I'm glad they are back because they compliment all but the widest of faces.

i wish i could pull off glasses

You almost certainly can. Option one would be to try on every style until you find one that you feel suits you perfectly and you can wear with confidence. Plan B is to wear what people of your own age, race and socio-economic standing are wearing. Blending with the crowd is great for confidence. You wont be laughed at behind your back. Another way to go is to find a style that has not been current in living memory, if at all. And wear them with pride. Remember, this is not your whole wardrobe, it is one accessory. You need to bring your own confidence for this one, but once you do, its an instant respect-earner.

Compliments and price of glasses is very subjective. Let's not discuss this aspect.

....

Aviators / wayfarers. Guaranteed to fit any face shape amd instantly make said wearer hot. lol

Hmmnnn...

[gmm150]

Currently trying to decide between the Persol 2939, 007, and a pair of Prada's..this one is a toughie

IMO Persol are slighty higher quality. Just be careful with Persols because they tend to sit close to the eyes on my face and with my eyelashes touch the lenses. I wish I could own a pair but the models I like sit too close.

I do like Prada sunglasses too. Persol give me a classic retro vibe. Prada is more "hollywood" style if that makes sense.

[MikeJ]

IMO Persol are slighty higher quality. Just be careful with Persols because they tend to sit close to the eyes on my face and with my eyelashes touch the lenses. I wish I could own a pair but the models I like sit too close.

I do like Prada sunglasses too. Persol give me a classic retro vibe. Prada is more "hollywood" style if that makes sense.

I noticed that as well. The Prada's I was referring to are the SP5's in 54mm. However, those Persol's keep drawing my attention. Now to find someone who sells them

[Dcampbell]

Disagree completely. If your technology is advanced enough to where the military is willing to sign a contract to use your eyewear in combat, you have my vote. Plus, their sunglasses look great.

Just got my Wayfarer's in, definitely more wearable than my Clubmasters.

You can add law enforcement to that as well. I wear polarized Eye Patch 2

[HAllen]

Ray-Ban Clubmaster is my favorite.

I tried on the Clubmasters last week and they're definitely going to be my next purchase. There's also more of a squarer Clubmaster that came out recently which I like too. It'll be a toss up between those and the original Clubmasters.

[Shanester66]

I wear lots of stuff but I have about 10 Oakleys that I pretty much rotate through.

[hednic]

These are my main glasses:

Tom Ford- 007

Very dignified.