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A Thread for Sunglasses (High End and Rarities Welcome)

Kyoto

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Ill get some photos up hopefully tomorrow.

Am looking at the Retrosuperfuture website atm...they have some interesting frames, and the quality looks reasonable.

The steel frames look similar to some of the low to medium end vintage West German stuff (Dunhill, Ferrari, etc and to a lesser extent Alpina) in terms of fragility.

The acetate ones look to be somewhere between Ray Ban and LGR.

Definitely worth a look in! Thanks to whoever posted that link...

Can you comment on Zeiss lenses? Im guessing pretty decent based on their optics reputation?
 

Tsujigiri

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Here are a couple examples of Mykita's work with mirrored lenses. They became interested in the idea of making similar color lens and frame combinations around the time they started communicating with Bernhard Willhelm about doing a collaborative collection. The creative input from Mykita and Bernhard Willhelm spawned the famous gold Franz frame. Below is the gold "Xaver" frame from the same collection. Also below is a platinum edition Mykita "Peer." The platinum editions are plated in platinum and were made to commemorate Mykita's 8th anniversary. They were limited to 300 pairs per frame. The Peer is also from Mykita's Lite collection and is available in other non-limited colorways. The Lite collection has a simplified version of Mykita's hinge that does away with the retainer clips and results in a lighter and simpler frame.



 

LucasFilms

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Very interesting thread. I am passionate about sunglasses. Oliver Peoples Aero have similar design to the Benedict.

As for Luxottica, Persol seems to have, in general terms, better quality than Ray-Ban.

What do you think of Moss Lipow's designs?
 
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papillo

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Really informative thread. Thanks for starting this and i look forward to reading more posts and hopefully contributing to it. I am a huge sunglasses fan and own more pairs than i really should.
 

Tsujigiri

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Been a while since I posted, but I'll add a few recent additions in case people are still reading.

Chrome Hearts is a very high end biker-goth brand known for their gaudy designs and extensive use of sterling silver adornments in their frames. They are made in Japan and use Zeiss lenses. While no one denies that they are high quality, their distinctive style can be difficult to pull off for most people, and I often find the effect jarring when I see people pairing their products along with conventional clothing. I did, however, eventually find a more toned-down frame that I quite liked and wasn't named after male genitalia, with the added bonus of being foldable. Not the most practical pair of shades, it doesn't fold as compactly as many folding glasses, and the frames are heavy. But they certainly look nice and feel well-made.

Chrome Hearts Zombie Germs:




 

Tsujigiri

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Here's an example of a more compact folding pair of sunglasses. Unfortunately discontinued, the IC! Berlin Pair Annihilation folds into a diminutive pouch that comfortably fits into the palm of the hand. If you like the shape, the non-folding version, Black Body, is still being made.





 

Tsujigiri

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Lindberg is a Danish brand that was one of the pioneers of ultra light metal frames. Minimalist, but deceptively plain, the air titanium frames are made of titanium wire that's bent in a way that requires no screws or solder points. The titanium must be heat treated to 3 different hardnesses at different areas, so that the frame will hold shape where it needs to but flex to fit the user. Unfortunately, the wire is thicker than Mykita or IC! Berlin's sheetmetal, so the lenses must be made thicker to accommodate the frame. The overall package still ends up being about the same weight as Mykitas or IC! Berlins, but they feel more front heavy. Due to the thick lenses, Lindberg doesn't offer their rimmed wire frames in non-prescription sunglasses, so if that's what you want, you will have to get 0 magnification lenses ground for them just like prescription lenses would be, like I did.

Lindberg Lars:



 

Tsujigiri

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Götti is a Swiss optical manufacturer that makes their frames in both Switzerland and Japan. Most distinctive is their "Spin and Stow" series, which features arms that swivel to allow the frames to fold up more compactly. The frames are light and comfortable, and tend to have a more sporty aesthetic.

Götti Xanadu:





 

Tsujigiri

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Kuboraum is a younger brand that has gained attention due to their avant-garde styling. Based in Berlin, the frames and leather cases are made in Italy. Mine also came with an additional cloth carrying case. Unique to the brand is their "burnt" finish, a treatment that renders the frames rough and charred. According to them, this process is more complicated than simply burning the frames, but they've been cagey about the details. The frames are made of wire-core acetate and feature hefty 3 barrel hinges. The nosepads could use some work, but I haven't had much of a problem with them slipping down my face. Despite their oversized and thick looking frames, they tend to be designed to fit average to small faces.

Kuboraum A3 burnt:





 

Tsujigiri

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Here are a couple of Mykita's more adventurous 3d-printed Mylon sunglasses. In my experience, the earlier frames have more sealant applied to the surface and a smoother feel than the newer ones. The Romain Kremer collab features unusual zero base lenses (completely flat) and the Moncler collab has polarized glass lenses from Barberini. While the optics on the glass lens pair are very clear, the mirrored coating seems to have caused strange reflections within the lens to appear when looking at bright objects.

Left: Mykita x Romain Kremer Gordon, right: Mykita x Moncler Achille



 

Tsujigiri

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Here are a couple examples of Salt Optics's new titanium frame design. The new design features monolithic titanium arms without acetate or silicon arm pads, and metal nosepads. Instead, the arms taper to be thicker towards the tips and hinges, allowing them to be flexible but sturdy. Normally I prefer silicon for its grippiness, but these frames are so lightweight that I haven't had any problems with slipping. The design has the added bonus of being more durable on the long run; silicon and plastic nosepads often have to be replaced due to degradation. Some other manufacturers like Oliver Peoples have been introducing frames like this, but Salt's quality and optics are still at the top of the heap in my experience. These frames are supremely comfortable and have become one of my favorite metal frames. They have recently switched their lens contractors, so many new models like these feature amber antireflective coatings that I've found to be more effective than the more typical blue-green coatings (especially when matched to a brown lens).

Salt Optics Odin in tempest / G15 and Fransisco in rose gold / crimson gradient:



 

Exdeath

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This is a really, really useful thread.

Any experience with Randolph Engineering and Serengeti?
 

Tsujigiri

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This is a really, really useful thread.

Any experience with Randolph Engineering and Serengeti?
Glad you like it! I could have sworn I posted about them earlier, but apparently I forgot to add them.

Serengeti is one of my favorite mid-range brands, especially the titanium models with the proprietary flex arms. The pair I had was very comfortable, and the optics are exceptional (better than many higher end brands). They specialize in polarized photochromic lenses with precisely designed tints. The darkness transition is not very noticeable, but in theory the minor changes reduce the amount of strain on your eyes. FWIW, I found that their customer service is very good, too.

RE is built solid and utilitarian. I can't really fault them for anything, especially at the price they sell them at. They're not as refined as higher end offerings, but they feel better built and more precise than the Ray-Bans that are in the same price range. I'm told that American Optical is almost the same quality for a lower price, but I haven't owned their sunglasses for comparison. I prefer the military surplus models like the one I have, which doesn't have the lens logo etching.
 

Tsujigiri

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nice pieces!

my collection (Barton Perreira, Masunaga, Cutler and Gross, Oliver Peoples, Moscot, Tom Ford, Matsuda)




Sweet collection, thanks for posting it. How do you like the Masunagas? Those are on my wish list, but I haven't tried them out yet.
 

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