Classic Wireframe Sunglasses
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Classic Wireframe
Sunglasses
A butterfly shape drawn in thin gold-tone wire, with a textured block at each hinge. Three colourways.
Polarised lenses with anti-glare treatment and full UV400 filtering on the tinted colourways.
A wide shape with nothing in it
The butterfly is a shape that usually arrives in thick acetate, where the lift at the outer corner has to be carved. Here it is bent out of wire instead: the rim rises to a soft point at the outside and drops away at the bridge, and because there is almost no material in the frame the shape itself does all the work.
Photographed here in the brown-lens finish. The same frame is offered in three colourways.
Bent, not carved
The rim is a single run of thin metal closed around each lens and joined by a slim bridge with nose pads on short arms. The lift at the outer corner comes from the bend in the wire rather than from any added mass, which is why the frame stays light for the width it covers.
A short textured block sits on each temple just behind the hinge, and the arm runs back slim and straight into a moulded tip. That block is the only detail on the whole piece.
Where it sits
- A wide butterfly that lifts at the outer corner and clears the cheekbone
- Nose pads on metal arms set the height and keep the rim off the cheek
- A wire rim keeps the weight low — the frame is barely felt across the nose
- The lift suits a round or soft jawline, which is what the shape is for
- Moulded tips curve behind the ear rather than gripping it
Filtered, not just tinted
The lenses are polarised with an anti-glare treatment and full UV400 filtering across UVA and UVB. Polarisation is what removes the flat white shine off a wet road, a windscreen or open water; UV400 is the protection figure, and it is the number worth reading on any pair.
Gold Frame is supplied with an untinted lens — a frame rather than a sun lens. Brown and Black are the tinted options.
Three colourways, one frame
All three use the same gold-tone wire rim; only the lens changes.
Why it costs what it costs
A wire butterfly is fiddly to build. The bend at the outer corner has to be identical on both sides or the frame reads crooked on the face, barrel hinges cost more than pressed pins, and a polarised lens costs more than a tint. None of that is where the usual shelf price comes from.
We sell direct. There is no shop floor between the frame and you and no distributor taking a cut on the way, so the retail margin that normally sits on top of a build like this is simply not in the price. What that money pays for instead is the lens — polarised with UV400 on the tinted colourways, rather than the good lens being reserved for one finish.
- Sold direct — no retail margin stacked on the frame
- Polarised, UV400 lenses rather than a plain tint
- Metal rim and metal hinges instead of moulded plastic joints
- Nose pads on adjustable arms, so one frame fits a range of bridges
- Three colourways at one price, including an untinted option
| Frame | Metal alloy, gold-tone plated finish |
|---|---|
| Rim | Full rim, butterfly shape in thin wire |
| Hinge | Metal barrel hinge |
| Bridge | Slim bar with nose pads on metal arms |
| Temples | Slim metal with a textured block and moulded tips |
|---|---|
| Lens | Polarised with anti-glare treatment (tinted finishes) |
| UV protection | UV400, UVA and UVB |
| Gold Frame finish | Supplied untinted |
1 × Classic Wireframe Sunglasses · 1 × case · 1 × cleaning cloth
Who does a butterfly shape suit?
It is the shape usually recommended for a round or soft face, because the lift at the outer corner introduces an angle. On an already angular face it softens rather than sharpens.
Can the nose pads be adjusted?
Yes. They sit on metal arms and can be pinched closer or eased apart by hand to raise or lower the frame. Any optician will do it in a minute if you would rather not.
What does polarised actually change?
It removes the flat glare that bounces off horizontal surfaces — wet tarmac, a car bonnet, water, snow. Colours look deeper and you squint less. It is separate from UV filtering, which this lens also carries at UV400.
What is the Gold Frame finish?
The same frame supplied with an untinted lens. It is bought as a frame — for the look, or to be reglazed to prescription — rather than as a sun lens. The lens still carries UV protection.
Is a thin wire rim fragile?
Less than it looks. It will bend before it breaks, which is usually the better failure. A bent wire rim can be trued up by an optician; a snapped plastic front cannot.
How should it be cleaned?
Rinse under cool water to lift grit, then dry with the cloth supplied. Dry-wiping a dusty lens is what causes the fine scratching people blame on the coating.
Three colourways, and not many of each
Each finish is held in a small run. The brown is the one that goes first, and when a colourway goes it is not always brought back.
Pick your colourway above and add it to the bag. If it is not right on your face, send it back — the only thing you risk is missing the one you wanted.