James Bond's sunglasses in Spectre: Vuarnet Glacier in black

Mr Bond, we've been expecting you...

In the latest James Bond movie, Spectre, Daniel Craig sports the rather wonderfully black and leather Glacier sunglasses by French luxury ski eyewear maker Vuarnet.

First made in the 1980s, the aviator frame combines an ultra-light metal that subtly surrounds a Mazzucchelli acetate front. Magnetic, removable side shades made from micro-perforated leather protect the eyes and improve vision.

Vuarnet Glacier are available in black matte, with flash gold glass lenses; black matte with silver flash lenses (above), and Savannah with brown flash lenses.

Jono Hennessey glasses: fabric frames and belt buckle metals

Jono Hennessey is an Australian brand with a rich heritage going back to 1925 and it was one of my highlights from Paris. Above are some laminated fabric frames from the Art collection, which are simply excellent quality. A manufacturing method developed with Mazzucchelli in the 1980s ensures there are no threads emerging at the edges, which cannot be said for a few other fabric laminates I've seen of late.
And below is Rancho Deluxe. Inspired by Wild West belt buckles, the moulds took two weeks to hand carve. Limited edition runs and truly amazing to the touch.

CW Dixey launches Chartwell glasses collection including frames worn by Sir Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill with Franklin D Roosevelt, Casablanca, 1943. Photo courtesy of the Franklin D Roosevelt Library and Museum; version date 2009

CW Dixey & Son is the oldest independent eyewear company in the world. Its history straddles four centuries and its frames have been worn by an A-list unlike any other.

The current owners of CW Dixey have spent the past couple of years creating the above collection, the centrepiece of which is Chartwell 01, replicas of the round glasses worn by Churchill. These are directly above, and at the top on the red background, alongside Chartwell 02, which is a remake of Churchill's reading glasses. Both frames are handmade in France from original dimensions, using the best Mazzuchelli acetates in light and dark tortoiseshell and black. There are then seven other limited edition frames (Chartwell 03 and 07 are featured above) in the collection which bring together sophisticated designs of the 50s and 60s to the modern day. So hats off to CW Dixey & Son - it's created a great new collection. But if there wasn't the back-story, the distinguished patrons, the coat of arms, the amazing history, this collection would still stand out as being extremely well made. I've had all nine styles in my hands and they're tip top quality. Worth every penny of the £380+ price tag. Oh, one more thing: the spectacle cases are pretty fine too!

HISTORY & PATRONS Forget Lady Gaga, Rihanna and the rest of the paparazzi's targets of today; how about Sir Winston Churchill for a little endorsement? Impressed? Then read on, because CW Dixey has the most astonishing list of customers I've ever come across.  As well as Churchill, there are no fewer than 10 other British prime ministers, including: Harold Macmillan, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, Ramsay MacDonald and the Duke of Wellington. Who else? How about Queen Victoria? Yes, alongside Prince Albert , George VI, V, IV and III. I could go on. Okay, a few more: Ian Fleming, Peter Sellers, Tennessee Williams, Boris Karloff .... the list is endless. Did I mention Napoleon Bonaparte? He had a telescope rather than spectacles but that's what Dixey did too. It was "Optician and Mathematical Instrument Maker". CW Dixey had premises at 3 Bond Street, London, below, which was sadly bombed in World War II.

Vintage Mazzucchelli glasses as worn by Emmanuel

I met Emmanuel this evening. He was wearing these great vintage Mazzucchelli glasses... I'd never come across Mazzucchelli-branded glasses before. Mazzucchelli 1849 is an Italian company that supplies quality acetate to the optical industry, but it appears it has in the past made specs itself (or at least licensed its name to do so). A great frame.

RVS handmade eyewear takes the spectacle frame to another level

Bloody hell - will you take a look at these RVS by V specs!? Limited edition spectacles from RVS by V - only 100 of these will be made. The contours of this frame are simply stunning - I love the way the frame curves in towards the lens; the matt finish, the gloss inside. Gosh! More on RVS soon...

(Eye Wear Glasses' Previous RVS by V post through here)

RVS by V: handmade eyewear from Istanbul

Handmade in Turkey from Mazzucchelli acetate, and limited to around 1,500 frames per year, these are RVS by V sunglasses where the V presume is for Vidal Erkohen, the man behind the company. There are some great colours, a classy matte finish, and even some folding frames - what's there not admire?

Take a peep at some more...

Thierry Lasry - beautiful colourful acetates for the summer

Thierry Lasry is one of those modern designers brave enough to really tackle vintage influences and bring them into modern styles. I love the Mazzucchelli acetate on these two styles above. Lasry, based in Paris, only launched in 2007 but he has already established a brand to watch. Below are Spready 00 (left) and Spready 101 (right), and above are Asphexy (top) and Nylony.