Charles Mossa, Meet an vintage glasses' optician collector – EYESEEMAG

I spent a long time looking for my first folding Persols, the ones worn by Steve McQueen, the ‘real’ 714 from the 1960s. It’s a style that’s very well-known to the public because it’s been re-issued, but originals are very hard to find. The 1960s version is also a little different to the modern one, both in shape and the way it’s articulated.

The Oliver Peoples glasses worn by Brad Pitt in the film Fight Club is also very rare. I only ever found one pair and an American client called me immediately to buy them. It’s funny, because they had been out for a year already without much success before being worn by Brad Pitt and Oliver Peoples had probably not anticipated such commercial enthusiasm, as they didn’t bring the style back out again after the film.

There are also unsigned, yet truly exceptional styles, like the vintage metal glasses from the 1930s that can feature absolutely magnificent guilloché* work. It’s practically silversmithery.

I also like forgotten brands like Amor, a French brand that our parents used to wear, which made very high-quality glasses and had a great deal of style. For me, it recalls the Trente Glorieuses post-war period, when France was a little more insouciant than it is today.

I’m also interested in old work glasses and technical glasses worn by solderers and mountaineers. Right now, we have a pair of driving glasses called La Clairvue (NDLR:the ClearView), sold with its original leaflet. It was designed for night driving and each lens was split into two: the upper half prevented drivers form being dazzled and the bottom boosted night vision.

Some models are so rare that we find it hard to let go when we put them on sale. We often get hold of big lots of vintage glasses, in different sizes, which means we can offer a range of models at various price points, starting from €80. We have a huge choice of shape and style spanning 150 years of glasses history, going right back to very old styles, like pince-nez, for enthusiasts. Today, glasses-wearers look to vintage for a way to personalize their look with unique frames that can be adapted perfectly to their requirements.