In Review: J. Crew’s new Aviator Sunglasses

J. Crew “Jack” Aviator Sunglasses – $98.00

Much like their insanely-pricey “Mougin & Piquard” quartz watches, these new sunglasses from J. Crew look pretty darn good. Unlike their insanely-pricey quartz watches, some of you might actually spend the cash to get your hands on a pair of these.

J. Crew’s new sunglasses line has been excluded from codes so far. And while they are made in China, and they can’t compare in value to, say, the USA Made AO Original Pilot, they do feel sturdy. Ray-Ban like (which are made in Italy). Comfortable too. So if you’re used to spending around a hundred bucks on sunglasses (say from Ray-Ban or Warby Parker), and you like the blue lenses seen here, or another styling point on their other models? Then they’ll be worth a shot. If somehow, someway they come up for a code and drop into the rare-for-sunglasses $60-$80 range? Then absolutely.

Again, made in China. No real surprise there. But these aren’t chintzy gas-station shades. They don’t rattle, the hinges have a nice tension to them, and the spatula style ear pieces don’t cut or dig into your ears. The design is true to the classic aviator shape, without drooping too low at the base of the lenses. Lens width is 60mm, so these are best for guys with bigger noggins.

The arms taper just slightly from the lenses back to the ear pieces, and the only branding is a tonal stamp on the inside of the left arm. The blue lenses are a nice design choice. It sets them apart from the pack, since blue lenses are a tough thing to find in the world of sunglasses (think of Steve McQueen’s Persols and how iconic those became).

They aren’t polarized, so some glare is gonna cut through.  They do come with a nice, hard sided case/box as well as a cleaning cloth. The “Jack” model also comes in a pretty standard gold frame/greyish-greenish lense combo, and a less expected black frame with amber lenses. They’re also making a couple of different acetate frame styles for $118 a pop.

They aren’t cheap. And some guys will point to the American Made brands of AO and Randolph Engineering and simply not even consider these on principle. But they also feel a bit better than their competitor’s in-house shades (think BR and Brooks Brothers). If you like the blue lenses? Then have at it. It’s just a question of whether or not waiting around for an applicable code, or for them to hit the sale section, is a fool’s errand.