Wearing: New York inspired Illesteva Leonard sunglasses
Sunglasses to me are like - well - sunglasses to women. I want a new pair every week (slight exaggeration for effect) and I can't seem to tell myself that I already have many, many pairs and the question I should be asking myself is - do I need another pair? My sisters out there will understand.
So that's me, I have a slight problem with wanting more killer shades. Don't tell me you don't have some sort of addiction? I'll be out and about doing things and find myself ducking into sunglasses stores, trying on different shapes, frames and styles and staring at myself in the mirror hoping they'll suit my face and I'll soon be walking out with my next favourite pair. On that note - just before my lady friend and I jetted off to New York late last year I was thinking to myself this trip to one of the fashion capitals of the world warrants a new pair of frames. I've gotta be style appropriate. I've got to look fashion. It's a mandatory investment.
Good - I'm convinced. Easy enough first step. The second step was to do some desktop research on some of the most popular sunglass brands that I hadn't yet come across and after a few clicks, some light reading and screenshotting a stack of options I had finally settled on a pair and guess what, they're from a New York-based brand called Illesteva. It was meant to be.
Illesteva sunglasses are handmade in Italy from family run factories and immediately when I got my hands on them, I could tell the build quality was solid. The frames were thick, the screws tight, and they were extremely comfortable. Style-wise, there's a real vintage feel to these sunglasses that really attracted me to picking these frames. The Leonard features a rounded silhouette, a keyhole bridge and with my particular colour choice of tortoiseshell they form a classic look that'll work with everything, from a day at the beach to lunch in Ponsonby.
These Leonards are my first go at wearing tortoiseshell and I must admit I was a little unsure if I'd be able to pull it off as it was an online purchase, but these are fire and I haven't seen anyone else wearing them. Bonus! I've had a good look around and the best place to grab your pair from is from one of my favourite online shopping sites - Matches Fashion for bang on $200 NZD which works nicely as that fits under the import duty allowance of $220. There are loads of variety (37 to be exact) under The Leonard frame, so I do encourage you to check them out, including a variety of different lenses.
So I've come to terms that I've got too many sunglasses and it's all a bit ridiculous. The deal now is that I sell a few pairs that barely get any use and these in turn fund a new pair that may just capture my eye in the near future. That's smart I reckon.
jb
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Jaheb wearing // Tommy Hilfiger wool jacket, Ralph Lauren cotton long sleeve shirt, Illesteva Leonard sunglasses, Meadowlark ring, Mr Simple chino pants, Marc Jacobs bag & Common Projects chelsea boots.