Eyewear is probably my unhealthiest obsession, but I thought I'd divulge my current rotation.
Left:
Swan Optical double bridge frames from the 70s or 80s, with 5-barrel rivet hinges. The interesting thing about these is that the frame is cut out of a single piece of thick aluminum rather than acetate, but its 3mm thickness gives a hefty feel. Never wear these anymore though, since the construction makes nosepads nonexistent.
Right:
Thierry Lasry Battery, with gradient prescription lenses.
Middle:
SUPER America Silver Francis. These are the frames I wear most often, because of how stupidly comfortable they feel. Here they are originally as sunglasses:
I love the minimal silhouette of the facet, complemented by the sharp angular lines behind the frames, as well as the mirror finish temples. The construction and acetate are excellent for a sub-$200 frame.
Since carrying both prescription sunglasses and specs are a hassle, though, I've recently acquired a pair of vintage
Bausch and Lomb clip ons that fit the frames fairly well. Much more convenient.
And here's a pair of
Wilkie safety glasses from the 50's, also with 5-barrel riveted hinges. It's difficult to tell, but they're actually composed of some stiff self-healing rubber, so it's near impossible to scratch the frames, but also damn near impossible to adjust unfortunately, so they're not as comfortable as I'd like. Still, they make great beaters.
Lastly, I decided to try out some
Moscot Lemtosh repros because the 7-barrel hinges are to die for, but the silhouette seems a little too rounded out and modernized for my taste, compared to the classic Tart Arnels. I'm selling these if anyone's interested.
I'd like to get my hands on some Cutler and Gross and Masunaga frames next.