Christian Dior Sunglasses… By Tura, not Optyl.
The cover image for this post is Christian Dior. I wonder how many people familiar with the brand know he was an actual person? Seriously. I wonder how many of those are familiar with his work, his massively influential collections featuring the Figure 8 or A line silhouettes?
Who can say? How many people can name the current Vice President? How many people can name the last one?
So it’s no surprise optical innovators tend to be forgotten. One such company was Tura. It was founded out of a Madison Avenue optical shop called the House of Levoy. Its founder Monroe Levoy was an early advocate of eyewear-as-fashion. The company specialized in cast metal frames. When they landed the Christian Dior license in 1958 they would ultimately produce a number of great designs in metal. Their achievement of an enamel effect was unique in its execution:
Vintage Christian Dior sunglasses by Tura, not Optyl.
As you might recall from our last post Optyl “borrowed” this design for the first truly iconic Christian Dior frame they made. If you missed that post it can be found by clicking HERE.
And more of Tura’s superb designs for Christian Dior will be explored in future posts. Please scroll to the top of the sidebar and subscribe so you won’t miss any.
Where i can get it? Tx
I have some. They’re hard to come by. Aren’t they amazing?
Cool glasses
Tura was a great company; very seminal in fashion eyewear.
I just picked one up.
You still have it?
Hi! Any chance you wouldn’t mind emailing me? If you have any info on the price of these sunglasses? It would be truly appreciated and helpful! Thanks!
The price of anything is what someone is willing to pay. The price of these pieces is dictated by ornateness, beauty and rarity. People are less willing to sell those.