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| Courtesy of Prada
Prada 52GS
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By Dave Kelley — Spring 2006
I’ll admit it: For way too long, I rarely wore sunglasses, even when I was out on the water. When I did wear them, they were usually from the $10 rack at 7-Eleven, purchased along with a couple of bags of ice on my way to the marina. I’d see the little “UV400” sticker on the lens and figure they were good enough. And besides, odds were I’d lose ’em before the day was over, so why pay more?
I’ve seen the light. More to the point, I’ve probably seen too much light. I’ve finally gotten it through my thick skull that my eyes and vision are worth taking care of, so I went out and got myself some proper shades. I wear them pretty much anytime I’m not indoors. (Unless you’re Jack Nicholson, you should never, ever wear sunglasses indoors, or you’ll look like a pretentious prat.)
If you spend a lot of time outside, under the scorching sun, a good pair of shades is a matter of health, not just style. In the short term, excessive exposure to the sun can cause photokeratitis, literally sunburn of the eyes. Longer-term exposure to UV radiation can lead to macular degeneration, cataracts, and even cancer.
I don’t want eye cancer. Nor do I want bugs hitting my eyeballs at 50 mph while I cruise. Sunglasses protect against both. They also reduce squinting, and that means reduced crow’s feet, which means I might just keep my boyish good looks a little while longer.
Seriously, I’m a function-before-form guy, so I first choose my sunglasses based on performance. Then I get all shallow and pick the cool ones. But they have to perform. Good sunglasses provide at least 99-percent UV protection and feature shatterproof lenses for protection against debris. For on-water use, I like polarized lenses to cut glare as well as to provide contrast-enhancing tints. Sunglasses that meet all of these criteria actually improve vision while providing protection and style, and that’s a good deal in my book, even if they cost $200 a pair.
Yes, I said $200 a pair. In fact, my Revo 3051s go for $239. But they’re worth it because they’re about the best sunglasses I’ve ever worn. Light as a feather, they really do sharpen and enhance my vision, whether I’m on the golf course or at the helm. My Ray-Ban 4069s are more traditional in terms of style, but they, too, provide outstanding performance—and they’re a mere $104. For sporty looks and excellent performance when we’re moving fast, I don my Vuarnet 8116s ($140), whose wraparound design makes them especially well-suited for use on the boat, blocking virtually every bit of glare from every direction.
My wife, Carey, is every bit as demanding when it comes to performance and protection, but she’s a bit more style-conscious. So when we’re on the boat and moving quickly, she generally goes with a pair of Ray-Ban 3261s ($114) because of the wraparound styling and all-around performance. For slower cruising, she’s lately been sportingVuarnet 12178s ($190), which may be the lightest-weight sunglasses I’ve ever come across. And when we’re at the marina and going high-style, Carey busts out either the Persol 2784s ($159) or way-over-the-top Prada 52GS ($230), which practically require sunglasses to look at.
Admittedly, when you add it all up, that’s about $1,000 for seven pairs of sunglasses. They ain’t cheap, but it’s money well spent. We have some of the best-performing and best-looking shades on the market, and to be honest, the fact that they cost so much makes us a lot more conscientious about taking care of them. Since we quit buying the 7-Eleven specials, we haven’t lost a single pair. And if our eyes aren’t worth a thousand bucks, what is?
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