For those “in the know” about eyeglasses, Oliver Peoples is an interesting brand. On the one hand, it is owned by Luxottica — that massive corporation that owns and controls about 90% of the eyeglasses market; just about every brand you likely know is owned by them — which would indicate that their frames would follows like most other Luxottica owned brands. Meaning: medium quality, uninspired design, and nothing much to write home about coupled with feeding “the machine.” Yet, OP has somehow managed to maintain quite a nice array of styles to this day. They’re a bit overpriced, but they continue to do interesting things in the eyeglasses world, and still make frames an enthusiast such as my self desires.
For one, their Cary Grant frame has always been a favorite of mine. They have also done various collaborations with Japanese manufacturers — where the best glasses in the world are made today — which is not something you would expect from a Luxottica-owned brand. And then they recently released their latest collection which I had a chance to check out. I particularly like their new “Len” frame (shown above), offered in various intriguing colorways. I like the tortoise and grey the most (the Hinoki was disappointing in person). This is a great example of Oliver Peoples at their best. A solid collaboration, with a great Japanese maker, and the final result of a well-made, uniquely designed, yet eminently wearable frame. If you’ve written off OP for your eyeglasses needs, I would urge you to reconsider.