New Sunglasses to go with a leather jacket

[bvbellomo2]

I just bought an Aero cafe racer jacket and a BMW convertible. I feel like I should have a nice pair of sunglasses, not looking to break the bank on this (like I did with the jacket and car) but something a solid step up from the nicest that $20 buys at the corner drug store. I know most of the 'nicer' brands are owned by Luxottica, but I don't know if I should avoid them or seek them out. Non-Luxottica brands, especially in my price range, might be cheap knock-offs, or better quality. I am probably buying online.

 

[MichaelRhB]

What is your price range?

 

[bvbellomo2]

$100, but could go up considerably if value is there

 

[MichaelRhB]

You will likely have to double that figure, or nearly so, to get a quality pair of glass lens sunglasses.

Randolph Engineering is a brand I've been wearing since '83, but their prices have skyrocketed over the decades. Serengetti is a solid choice that is cheaper with glass lenses, and Persol has a quality product.

Persol hasn't had anything I really like in over a decade, but I have a few of their older designs.

Ray-Ban is a fall-back and they have classic, solid designs that have been around for decades. The aviator is almost a cliche though, but they still sell a lot of them. I wore them a long time ago, but I usually steer clear of the pair that I have unless I'm at home.

You didn't specify the lens material, but if I'm spending nearly $200 or more on sunglasses, they will have glass lenses. I won't pay that much for plastic.

 

[bvbellomo2]

$1000 is too much unless they have xray vision and can see through walls or weld steel shooting rays from my eyes. $20 won't get me anything better than I can pick up at the corner drugstore. So really anywhere between those numbers is in consideration.

 

[Edward]

When I last looked at non-prescription sunglasses, Raybans were what appealed most to me - particularly Clubmasters. I like Wayfarers too, but while they go great with leather and denim, they can also look a bit much with a suit. I don't always want to look like Jake or Elwood. As I need prescription glasses, I have one pair of those with photochromic lenses, and one pair currently of prescription sunglasses with a permanent dark tint. These were significantly cheaper than the Raybans because they're my opticians' own brand, but the quality is every bit as good. Of course, Raybans would be wasted on me unless I was going to only wear them with contacts, the real value in them being the quality of the lenses. Upshot of this, it's always worth looking at one of the many sites that do vintage style spectacle frames (Shuron.com is a classic), and considering having a pair of those made up with non-rx dark lenses. Gives a much wider variety of choice, especially if (as tends to be popular in these parts) you want a pre-1960 look to them.

As to lenses, I wore glass lenses for years until plastic became a norm. I never much noticed the difference in weight - early adopters used to rave about how much lighter plastic is - but as long as you're careful, plastic doesn't scratch that easy nowadays, and it's a real joy not to have to replace a smashed lens every time you accidentally drop them.

 

[bvbellomo2]

I should probably have said that I have uncorrected vision.

I do like the idea of real glass.

Rayband and Randolph's websites are horrible. That probably shouldn't be such a turn off, as I won't need to use their website every time I wear the glasses. From what I can find, Randolph gets me a nice, although somewhat overpriced Aviator with few/no other options. Rayband has everything under the sun, and I probably need to know which model before trying to find it.

Serengeti looks great for the price, but has so many options, many of which are pretty far out designs. If I do go with aviators, are Serengeti worth it? Or should I stick to Rayband or Randolph?

I like Wayfarers, but I feel like you need to listen to ZZ Top and wear cheap knock offs, and $150 on real RayBands is like putting a dead-head sticker on a Cadillac. I am not a fan of clubmasters.

I am not young, but young enough the first sunglasses I saw were polycarbonate. Anything vintage other than aviators looks weird to me. I'm in my mid-forties in a black leather jacket driving a mid-life-crisis convertible playing mostly 1970's music - throw on a pair of pre-1960 vintage glasses or a new ultramodern design, and I don't think I can pull off that look.

There is no requirement I own only 1 pair of sunglasses, although I probably only want 1 $200 pair. A cheap Wayfarer knockoff and an expensive Aviator pair might be a good mix.

 

[bvbellomo2]

I would also like to avoid the mirrored look. My mother always told me they creep out women, as you imagine eyes are going where they shouldn't.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

I just bought an Aero cafe racer jacket and a BMW convertible. I feel like I should have a nice pair of sunglasses, not looking to break the bank on this (like I did with the jacket and car) but something a solid step up from the nicest that $20 buys at the corner drug store. I know most of the 'nicer' brands are owned by Luxottica, but I don't know if I should avoid them or seek them out. Non-Luxottica brands, especially in my price range, might be cheap knock-offs, or better quality. I am probably buying online.

Welcome to the lounge.
Your bio says 44 yr old.
You broke the bank on the BMW and Aero so i say break the bank on sunglasses and get the f**king glasses you know you want!
You’ll wish you did every time you put on the settle-fors.
B

 

[bvbellomo2]

I am reluctant to spend money because glasses will get lost or broken, probably before the car hits 50,000 miles and maybe before the jacket even breaks in. An I am not sure what size to buy either. I am between medium and large, so anything other than small won't be too bad. But, for example, spending $300 on a Serengeti Carrara or Tellaro means I might wish I bought the other, and even with returns, I pay shipping and spend time.

Does anyone know if I can try these on at a local retailer? We have a Sunglass Hut, but I don't think they have Serengeti or Randolph. I bet they have Ray Bands and Persol, but probably limited to the cheaper models without real glass.

 

[MALF]

I just bought an Aero cafe racer jacket and a BMW convertible. I feel like I should have a nice pair of sunglasses, not looking to break the bank on this (like I did with the jacket and car) but something a solid step up from the nicest that $20 buys at the corner drug store. I know most of the 'nicer' brands are owned by Luxottica, but I don't know if I should avoid them or seek them out. Non-Luxottica brands, especially in my price range, might be cheap knock-offs, or better quality. I am probably buying online.

Hi Maybe late into the convo, but you should check brave vision. They are a Canadian company producing in Japan. Their craftsmanship are pretty impressive for the price. They are limited edition so, maybe you wont be able to have the one you like but you should definitely check them out.

 

[PatinaPen]

As someone who drives a German convertible (Mercedes) while wearing a black leather jacket (Schott), I have had pretty good luck with a sunglasses company called Spy.



https://www.spyoptic.com/us/mens-sunglasses/

 

[Dbtk44]

I bought a couple pair of these, thinking they'd be my knock-around, wouldn't care if I broke the or lost them sets...didn't want to lose my Ray-Ban aviators.
But to my surprise, these are actually very good shades! Polarized, great UV protection, strong but flexible frame, honestly cant think of a single thing i dont love about them. 2yrs later I still wear them and the Ray-Bans are sitting in my desk drawer.

Pro Acme Polarized Aviator Sunglasses for Men and Women 100% UV Protection, 58mm https://a.co/d/1Q26NOn

 

[davyjones007]

Oaklys have been my go to sunglasses for decades. I know some folks are not into the tacticool look, but they have so many frame and lens options. They have a selection called Wire. They are more of your classic sunglass style. Metal, not plastic. You can find them onsale and in so many stores. Wiley X and Smith are great choices too.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

I am reluctant to spend money because glasses will get lost or broken, probably before the car hits 50,000 miles and maybe before the jacket even breaks in. An I am not sure what size to buy either. I am between medium and large, so anything other than small won't be too bad. But, for example, spending $300 on a Serengeti Carrara or Tellaro means I might wish I bought the other, and even with returns, I pay shipping and spend time.

Does anyone know if I can try these on at a local retailer? We have a Sunglass Hut, but I don't think they have Serengeti or Randolph. I bet they have Ray Bands and Persol, but probably limited to the cheaper models without real glass.

Well…it’s been awhile, what did you get bellomo??
Let’s see some pics mid-life stylin in a droptop beamer sportin black leather and shades.
Hopefully you didn’t loose them already.
We gotta know!
B