Enduring Classic

Persol Shades

• FYI: The name is derived from "per il sole," meaning "for the sun" in Italian.

Though they've been worn by old school chaps like Marcello Mastroianni and modern day dudes like Daniel Craig, no one pulled off a pair of Persols like Steve McQueen. He wore a variety of styles, but always came back to the 649s. So today, on what would've been his 80th birthday, we're celebrating the shades so closely associated with the King of Cool. Founded in 1917 in Turin, Italy, Giuseppe Ratti began by creating protective sport glasses and later, in the 1920s, developed the famous smoky amber lenses for sunglasses. The unmistakable silver arrows at the temples are—like so many details found in Italian style—a mix of both fashion and function. They contain the patented Meflecto hinges, which allow for both a flexible fit and added durability. One source for finding the shades (along with vintage, out-of-production styles) on the cheap is eBay. The other is Amazon, which currently carries them at a reduced price.