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The smartest, most timeless sunglasses?

Messages
10,577
Location
Boston area
Randolph Engineering obviously getting an honourable mention, though they came much later.

Randolph Engineering deserves more than an honorable mention... ABSOLUTELY the best quality, best VALUE for classics available today, bar none. I have had AO originals, B&L Ray Bans, and other top shelf shades, but now the ONLY option for quality is Randolph Engineering. Period.
 

robrinay

One Too Many
Messages
1,490
Location
Sheffield UK
I'm pleased to say that I've owned a number of pairs mentioned here over the past few years - none purchased new - I've picked them up cheap on eBay at antique fairs and in charity shops and car boot sales. It's good to know that others agree with my choices. I've given away or sold most but kept the following types, Tortoiseshell Rayban Wayfarers and Tortoiseshell Rayban Aviators both by Bausch and Lomb the original US manufacturers and a pair of Randolph Engineering Aviators. I've had my own prescription fitted to them too.
You can identify genuine Raybans by using the guides you can find on the web e.g. Codes engraved under the nose bridge, density and feel of resin and of course taking them to an optician who stocks that brand and asking them.
ps if you're in the UK the cheapest Randolphs turn up on eBay.com - I believe most are US ex- military issue ones.
 
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bluesforchallah

Practically Family
Messages
719
Location
Shakedown Street, Seattle
Put me in the Wayfarer camp.

The kid and I screwing around:

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tropicalbob

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,954
Location
miami, fl
Good.

I hate to rain on your purchase but I do A LOT of online shopping and I have been shocked with what Amazon allows to go on.

Besides counterfeit merchandise I think they also allow B grade merchandise to be sold that was either returned to stores by customers or dumped on them by the manufacturers themselves. You should have seen the pair of Levis 501's they tried to sell me ( Shipped and Sold by Amazon). There were stains all over the darn thing.

When you get your glasses go to a local brick and mortar store and have them verify the authenticity for you. Try to locate the same model in store ( Sunglass Hut ) and compare them side by side. If they aren't * exactly the same return them immediately.
I often have my students order their books through Amazon, if only because the college bookstore seems to always get the orders wrong. A nasty habit of Amazon's is to send them the wrong anthology, and if the student cracks the plastic he or she can't return it.
 

bn1966

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,108
Location
UK
RB Wayfarers here too, I was once into Oakley but now am firmly in the RB camp. I currently own two pairs of Wayfarers..one pair being the folding version which is great for travelling.
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,074
Location
London, UK
I was always fond of the shape of the Wayfarer, had a lot of copies of them over the years, my favourites having been a pair with black frame and purple lenses. Still got those somewhere... About ten years ago, I was toying with the idea of laser eye-surgery (having known half a dozen people who did it with great success. Don't mind wearing my glasses, but I hate being dependent on them). Wore disposable contacts a lot then, and bought a few pairs of actual Raybans I wore quite a bit. I liked them a lot. Wayfarers and Clubmasters both. While I started with Wayfarers (because the Blues Brothers - and later Reservoir Dogs - I was always Mr Pink), I later also came to very much appreciate the Clubmaster style as they just look better with a suit, to my eye. Less 'costumey' than the Wayfarer can be sometimes. Then in 2009, I bought myself some Shuron Ronsir Zyl frames - the original browline style, released 1947 - as my glasses, and never looked back. As I've done since I was sixteen and started wearing my glasses all the time, I typically make sure I have at least one pair with photochromic lenses, though that said I realise I've spent the entire Summer this year wearing a plain glass pair, and plan as my lenses need replaced now to have fewer of them with photochromics (I will, of course, purchase the Shuron clip-over 'sunglasses' option). The non-prescription sunglasses now sit in the drawer, unused, and the contacts are once more relegated to their original role: when I'm in costume and "can't" wear glasses.

For the most part, I'm happy with my facewear being Ronsir types, though I also fancy the idea of some earlier looking stuff for when I want a strictly historically correct older look. Considering even having a pair made up as sunglasses, thinking something like this, a la Gary Oldman's version of Dracula:


Top sunglasses type for me, though? definitely the Clubmasters. Such a great look.
 

Short Balding Guy

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,871
Location
Minnesota, USA
Moscot Lemtosch here. My local spectacle shop carries some Shuron, Rayban, Oliver Peoples, Moscot and bunches of others. I got the luxury of trying them on side by side and choose this model for my face and fashion choice.

I have brown, black, black with clear frames with reading glass lenses (1.5X no prescription). When I desired a new pair of sunglasses I looked to the frames and had custom lenses made. Yes they are the same or match. For my taste that works best.

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Yes I do wear the sunglasses with fedoras.

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Best, Eric -
 
Messages
17,190
Location
New York City
Now that I was looking for a picture ( this is 4 yrs ago) I started wearing them again over the last couple of days. Forgot how good this one is.
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A great example of frames fitting a face. You have nice wide jawline and an, overall, strong, full face that the Persols compliment nicely - Persol should hire you to advertise for them. I, on the other hand, have a thin, longer face with narrow, angular bones which makes large frame glasses like these look like I'm wearing my "dad's glasses."

N.B. to SBG, the fedora and sunglass look rocks on you - well done sir.
 

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