Sunglasses- To Buy or Not To Buy

I have been noncommittally in the market for a pair of sunglasses for several years now since I don't really wear the clunky Bottega Venettas my grandma rescued from the discount bin at the optometrist. (Nice leather case but not my style anyway). I don't have many occasions to wear sunglasses but who does- style trumps function in eyewear these days.

Ever since seeing my mom wearing slick black Ray-Bans in my baby photos, I've always wanted a pair. My dad emailed me about a $69 one-day sale on eBay for wayfarers but it just didn't feel right. No matter what presidents and celebs sport them, Ray-Bans are now too ubiquitous to be cool (the prevalence of cap and gown grads in wayfarers comes to mind). I also don't like the logo on the lens and frame which promotes the brand while "elevating" the user, but such is the nature of brands.

I thought about holding out for folding Persols because I misremembered that my mom had a pair of those too. Then I saw a piece on 60 Minutes about an Italian company named Luxottica that designs, manufactures, or outright owns just about every brand name/designer sunglass make like Ray Ban, Persol, Oakley, Prada, DG, Tiffany, and on. They also own Sunglass Hut, Target optical, Peale Vision, and vision-care company EyeMed so they control production, distribution, and even some prescription. This means they control the price. The 60 Minutes segment may be one-sided but it made some good points despite the fact that Lesley Stahl bugs me. She was very soft on Barney Frank but asked pointed questions of Luxottica CEO Andrea Guerra. Stahl's monopoly allegations aside, Guerra consistently oozed insincerity and that rubbed me the wrong way.  

I'm not saying Luxottica doesn't make a quality product; I just don't think it worth what they charge and the CEO did not instill buyer confidence. Is Luxottica a monopoly or just a dominant business with a good product and model? I can't tell you but I'd rather skip the price-fixing and support an indie.

I asked google "sunglasses not owned by Luxottica" and came to this forum which started with a question from a guy also interested in Ray-Bans and Persols. There were many recommendations- Randolph Engineering, Maui Jim, American Optical, Mykita, Derome Berrener, Orgreen, Dita, 999.9, Facial Index, Salt, Reiz, Cutler and Gross. Many of them imitated the wayfarers and had the all-too trendy minimalist black helvetica or gothic on white site design.

I particularly liked Warby and Parker which was mentioned in the segment. It's presentation reminded me of Bonobos or Frank and Oak and it has a compassionate consumerism ethos similar to Toms.

Whatever I decide to buy, I guess it can wait...