A few weeks ago, Fabio Attanasi of The Bespoke Dudes blog offered to send me some of his glasses to review. I was interested in what he had produced – and it was a good excuse to return to the quality aspects of glasses and acetate.
Rather like ties, there aren’t many aspects to the quality of a pair of glasses. Acetate (the plastic that most frames are made of) can be better or worse quality, but this mostly affects the ability to heat and manipulate those frames to fit, and to a certain extent longevity.
Frames are stamped out of a sheet of acetate by machine, creating a rough shape, and then filed down to create the precise design. This is where most of the handwork is: filing down the plastic, creating nice smooth transitions between the various parts, and then polishing the end result. Polishing usually involves both tumbling with various materials and then buffing with a wheel (rather like a shoemaker’s burnishing wheel).
The last aspect is the hinges, which on cheap glasses will be glued on, but on most will be screwed. Doing this by hand can also be more accurate.
So how do the Dudes’ sunglasses measure up? Pretty well. The frames are nicely rounded, with smooth segues between the frame and hinge area, as well as around the bridge. The hinges are screwed on by hand and the polishing overall is good.
The quality is not on a par with the high-end bespoke makers such as EB Meyrowitz or Maison Bonnet in Paris, but they are also cheaper (€135 to €195).
The problem with glasses is that fit is so crucial to the overall look. Get a frame that is just a couple of millimetres too wide, too tall, or leaves your eyes too off-centre, and the effect is dramatic. You often look like you’re wearing someone else’s specs.
In fact glasses probably have the smallest margin for error of any menswear or men’s accessory. This makes them difficult to buy online, or at least can involve a lot of trial and error. Even when made bespoke, this can go wrong, as I discovered with by commissions from Tom Davies in London.
The Dudes’ glasses come in two widths, but both were too wide for me. They may still work as sunglasses, where the position of the eyes matters less (given they are covered) and only the proportions of the head need to be borne in mind.
That would be nice, because the designs are appealing. As Fabio is happy to admit, they are nothing original. The panto shape is a classic of the 1950s and 1960s, particularly in America, with its rounded rims and keyhole bridge. But Fabio’s colours are nice and the Pleat line includes highly practical clip-ons.
Fabio should also be applauded for supporting a small, traditional manufacture (Mazzucchelli Varese) in line with the makers he writes about, and giving them a digital outlet.
When buying (corrective) glasses, it’s worth keeping in mind that one will wear them literally all of one’s waking hours for many years. The only other item to which this would conceivably apply is a watch, but the face is obviously more central to the overall appearance than the wrist. So, with glasses, any additional expense for the sake of looks, quality, functionality etc is arguably more justified than with any other item of menswear.
Good point, well made
This is fascinating. My sunglasses of choice over the last many years have been Persol 649. They are available in many sizes ( lense/arm length/etc) and, given that one of these fit me perfectly, it is then only a question of choosing frame and lense colour/pattern combinations. To date, I have 7 different pairs.
How flexible and robust is the bridge on these Simon? I’ve had a pair of Moscot Arthurs which have a very thin bridge (no additional support in the form of a metal insert for example) and they soon simply snapped without any fault of my own (they simply fell apart in my hands one day). Moscot was happy enough to supply a second pair (I had to return the fault ones back to their HQs in US), but since then I’m overly paranoid and take great care in not putting too much stress on the bridge.
I’ll be looking to moving to something better made soon and will definitely give BD a look when shopping around.
Cheers,
T.
They seem fine Tom (though no extra support), but then I haven’t worn them regularly so I couldn’t give any recommendation on their sturdiness
It’s also worth looking at the eyeware brand Lindberg whilst not bespoke the component design aspect allows for a bespoke design (frame, lense shape, hinges, bridge design etc.).
More a personalised design, or made to order, rather than bespoke
Somewhat off-topic, but would you have any recommendations of where one would seek help with having their vintage (read very delicate) classes fixed? I have a pair of vintage glasses made with acetate lense frames but metal bridge and hinges. Unfortunately the bridge is ever so slightly misshapen so the lenses aren’t “in line” which makes one lens further from the eye then the other, which in turn makes them impossible to wear – gives me headaches. I love the frame though and would appreciate any advice on getting it fixed.
Not personally I’m afraid, no
Hi Simon,
Thanks very much for this blog! It’s an absolute goldmine
I’ve got a question that I would value your advice on, please. I’m getting married in April and have a pretty modest budget. The bride is wearing ivory, and the bridesmaids are wearing grey and pink. I’d like ideally to wear my best current suit, which is charcoal, single-breasted, with notch lapels. I’ve got a pair of black Crockett & Jones Hallams to wear with it.
How do you think I could accessorise my suit to look as wedding-y as possible? The shirt, tie and pocket square combination are presumably key, but I also wondered if there might be scope to wear something like a waistcoat which tones with the suit… dangerous ground perhaps.
Any advice would be very gratefully received!
Edward
I’d avoid an odd waistcoat if you can Edward. Nothing wedding-like about them, despite modern tendencies to fancy ones.
Go for white shirt, grey Macclesfield tie (look up my pieces on weddings, and wedding ties) and white linen handkerchief. And perhaps a pink flower in the buttonhole (small, and in it, not pinned on top) to pick up the bridesmaid dresses
Lovely, thanks very much Simon! (And Wooster as well). Pure dapper scenery will be my (lengthy) middle name!
Wouldn’t a buff coloured waistcoat fit the bill Simon?
It would be the one colour of waistcoat I would pick, but without knowing more about the suit and rest of the wedding, I’d be afraid it would be too fancy for the rest of the outfit. And the room should always err on the side of caution. He is meant to be purely dapper scenery for the bride after all
Shoe height for the very tall gent.
Do you have any recommendations for lower heeled shoes, both formal and casual please? I have a preference for Edward Green but at 6’6″ I find I’m simply too tall with an inch heel; in a suit it’s ok but I think (and feel) unbalanced in a simple shirt and trousers. Your help would be much appreciated.
I don’t, but let me think about it. If it’s any consolation, some of the guys at the party in Stockholm – eg Patrik Lof – were that height and they looked fine in a standard shoe heel
Very interesting. Can you provide more details on how exactly glasses should fit? I have to confess I’m not really sure what aspects I should be looking at…
Sure, worth a longer post. Briefly,
Your eyes should be pretty central, or just above the halfway horizontal. They should never look lost on the frame
Simon-Mazzucchelli are the largest manufacturer of acetate for eyewear in the world but do not make eyewear for Fabio or anyone else. These sunglasses look like they are made in China. Mazzucchelli has factories in Italy and China where they make acetate.
Thanks Tim. I’m going off what Fabio says – I don’t have any further information on the manufacture. I will ask him to respond, and perhaps give details on the precise company making them.
Dear Tim,
Mazzucchelli is the producer of the acetate that we use for our frames. And, for the record, our glasses are completely made in Italy by one of the best eyewear manufacturers, located in Cadore, Veneto, Italy. Not China…
Thanks for the clarification Fabio. And by the way Tim, as with any such review this was based not just on my opinion but on conversations with several people in the eyewear industry – all of whom I showed the glasses to
Simon, what do you think about the glasses Gold & Wood (Luxemburg)? Judging from the video, production process have very good attention to detail and passion to making it from a wood. Very rare production in Luxembourg. Is it high-end maker?
Hi,
Are Bespoke Dudes sunglasses fitted with polarized lenses?
Regards,
Mick
Simon, I was wondering whether you could recommend any remote bespoke eyewear maker? For many people (like me) who live in mid-sized cities, accessing an in-person bespoke eye glass maker is not an option, but local places only have RTM glasses. Thanks!
To be honest Stephan, I really wouldn’t recommend doing it remotely. My experience is that glasses are one of the hardest things to do in that manner, because small changes make such a huge difference
That’s good to know — thank you!
Hi Simon, since this post have you had any experience with Moscot?
Some of their frames look great, but the trustpilot reviews are terrible.
Plus for the price, to be made in China instead of USA feels a rip off. I know where an item is made shouldn’t matter but that plus the reviews does give me second thoughts on buying a pair.
I haven’t, sorry