A Word on Sunglasses

Two recent items have spurned me to write a bit on sunglasses. The first is a collaboration between Atlanta-based Wish and Portland-based Shwood Eyewear. The collab was done on Shwood's Govy model, which is essentially a wooden Wayfarer with a more pronounced bridge. Typically the wood for these frames come from East Indian Rosewood or Zebrawood (which bares strikingly little resemblance to a zebra). These bad boys are sourced from nondescript wood from "African countries." I'm assuming it's similar to blood diamonds, but with wood.

Only 50 were made, each individually numbered and hand-everythinged. As such, they are all gone, so if you want them, you'll have to steal a pair or hunt your heart out online.

The second, and far more important pair of shades are Persols (if you know eyewear, you know the name; if you don't, check the link). But these aren't your everyday Persols. These are the Persols favored by the King of Cool himself, Steve McQueen (if you don't know who he is...you need to leave).

Note the extra hinges on the bridge and temple pieces. A questionably necessary addition to increase portability? Certainly. Cool? Absolutely. There's no shortage of these classic eyepieces, and Sunglasses Hut has you covered, starting at $310. Go for the tortoise with blue lenses, McQueen's favorite.

Sunglasses--and eyewear in general--can be tricky. You can rely on the go-to guides for buying them. But what it boils down to is the shape of your head. I have quite a limited range for eyewear, and have landed with these Armani frames. The bottom line with glasses is that you need something that looks good and feels good on you. There's good odds that whatever may be the latest trend for shades just won't look good on you. Don't worry, that'll make the frames you find all the more special. You'll be the guy who people say "Damn! I've never seen those pulled off...but it works on him." Everyone wants to be that guy.  As with all shopping: avoid doing it online when possible, and always bring a friend.

For a daily dose on eyewear, check out FrameGeek.