Vintage blue butterfly sunglasses

Butterfly sunglasses with a blue mirror edge

Although the frame reads as solid blue from across a room, the colour covers far less of the lens than you would expect. The blue mirror along the rim covers a narrow band and nothing more, while the middle of the lens keeps a deep grey. A thin gold-tone wire runs round each lens, a short double bar links the two sides, and that is the whole structure. The rest of the eyewear aisle leans on thick fronts; this pair gets by on a wire.

Where the colour actually sits

Head-on, the grey wins: the middle of each lens is the part you see through, and it stays neutral. Tilt the pair and the lifted outer corners catch the light first. The lens is also cut wider than the wire holding it, so a second outline appears just beyond the first, close enough to read as a double edge. Move under a streetlight and the band turns almost violet for a second before settling back to blue, and that is why the front never looks flat.

The same pair in three kinds of light

• In full sun, the blue band flares and the grey centre drops back.
• In shade, the mirror quietens and the frame reads almost black and gold.
• Indoors, the wire outline is what you notice, along with the clear nose pads.

From the passenger seat

Side light through a car window is the least forgiving test there is, and it is where the thin black temple arms earn their keep: they sit low enough not to cut across the view. The rounded tips stop them digging in on a long drive. Keep a soft cloth in the door pocket, and if you want a few things to finish the look, they are a short detour away.