Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2021-03-08

71

THE ONE Bloomberg Pursuits March 8, 2021

A limited-edition pair of Persol

sunglasses is easy on the ears

Photograph by Janelle Jones

Golden Eyes

Steve McQueen,
patron saint of guys
who like to drive
fast, was rarely
photographed in
anything other than
Persol sunglasses.
He wore his
favorite pair—
tortoise-framed
714s customized
with blue-tinted
lenses—in Bullitt,
The Getaway, and
The Thomas Crown
Affair. Introduced in
the 1960s as a more
compact version
of Persol’s original
649 model, the 714
was the first pair
of sunglasses to
fold conveniently
inward, ensuring
safe storage in
places as small as a
breast pocket. The

unique pilot shape,

keyhole bridge,

swordlike accents

on the edges, and

acetate frames

are all present in

a limited edition

dubbed 714SM

($790), but it’s the

warm Havana brown

color and alluring

24-karat-gold-plated

lenses that really

steal the show.

THE COMPETITION

• Made in Italy,
  the $445 Fletcher
  sunglasses from
  Tom Ford provide
  a bigger, squarer
  frame for the face.
  They’re available
  in a similarly warm
  Havana option—for
  the frames and
  lenses—as well
  as in black with
  blue lenses.
  
  
  • That other classic
    shape, Ray-Ban’s
    Wayfarer, has been
    around since 1952.
    The black version
    is most closely
    associated with
    Tom Cruise in Risky
    Business, but the
    $204 Classic B-15
    tortoise model is
    a no-less-iconic
    style you can make
    your own.
    
    
    • Dior’s $410
      BlackSuit shades
      are, oddly enough,
      a deep brown.
      The Italian-made
      tortoiseshell acetate
      frames have a subtle
      round shape, green-
      tinted lenses, and
      silvertone hinges
      that resemble
      the stitching
      on the label’s
      signature suits.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

THE CASE

Persol’s 714SM

sunglasses use the

brand’s patented

flexibility to ease

temple pressure

and comfortably

adapt to any

face. A premium

leather case is

included; monogram

engraving is

available, too. The

gold-plated lenses

won’t provide any

extra protection

from road glare,

but they will offer

a talking point for

others on McQueen-

worthy drives,

whether you’re

stopping for a red

light ahead—or

red and blue ones

behind. $790;

persol.com