OH HEY SEXPOT WHAT UP
I went sailing two weeks ago. Upon returning to the marina after a rather successful day at sea (no one died and we got pretty drunk) we managed to come in hot when entering the slip and damned near hit another boat (lots of yelling and pushing off of shit with long poles was involved). Then we almost hit the dock and I jumped off the ship to help guide us in. It was in this moment as I bent over to tie off to a cleat that my lovelyish Paul Smith sunglasses fell from my head and into the murky depths. Despite a valent attempt by one of the boats owners who donned snorkle gear and mounted a hell of a search and rescue operation, they were still lost.
No matter, they had their drawbacks. They had rather small lenses (that were brown). They slipped off my face a lot, a fault that would ultimately lead to their demise. Above all, you couldn’t really do anything athletic with them. So I went out in search of something new, and less prissy and expensive (that was a big deal).
The solution, American Optical Original Pilots. They’re the original aviator sunglasses, designed back in WWII for fighter pilots so that sun wouldn’t get in the way of killin’ Nazis. If you’re an idiot like me and feel like the shit you buy does, in some way, define you (or at least your outward appearance) whether you like it or not, than you know that owning something that was fundamental in Nazi killin’ is a good thing.
The glasses cost about $40.00, which is a steal. They’re made in the USA and appear to me to be of fine quality build. The lenses kick the shit out of any pair of glasses I’ve ever owned. They’re glass and the optical clarity is amazing. Rather than having really slim curving sides that hook the ear they’ve got sizeable plastic ends which flex a bit but are curved inward, the result is a much grippier feeling, without the sensation that your temples are being slowly pierced.
I went on a 3 hour bike ride yesterday and while they’re clearly not proper sporting sunglasses (they don’t look like spacemen would wear them at all) they preformed admirably. As an added bonus I looked like a complete badass (in my mind) as I streaked (huffed and puffed and nearly vomited) through the hills of Southern California.
So final verdict, 9/10. Easily. They’re no-nonsense sunglasses with a heritage I can respect. You could go buy a pair of Oliver Peoples Aviators, but essentially you’re buying fancied up version of the original. The style was functional before it was fashionable, so why not go with the real thing.
(Added bonus, Don Draper wears them. Not that I’m into it or was even aware of that prior to ordering them… I swear to God…)
