I am very much a collector at heart, so you would be forgiven for questioning that title, but here’s the thing: the accident is the what not the why. Some collections are intentional; methodically planned, sought, assembled. Other collections just … sorta … happen. Sometimes, it happens because you find one cool thing and decide that you like it and want to find more to keep it company. Sometimes, it happens because you find and buy a bunch of what seem like random one-offs until, one day, you realize that you’ve got yourself a collection.
It’s no secret that I love accessories, but not all accessories are born equal. Take sunglasses, for example. I’ve never been a sunglasses girlie. To me, they’re functional objects first, decorative ones a very distant second. I don’t like spending money on them. [It might be ass-backwards, but my brain believes in splurging on things it finds beautiful, and saving money on function.] My eyes are very sensitive to light, so sunglasses are a necessity, but I’ve never given them a lot of thought.
So, tell me, then, why I’ve now got a collection of nearly a dozen sunglasses?
One word: thrifting.
What else? Thrifting can make a collector out of pretty much anyone who is dedicated to the hunt, never mind those of us with a predisposition towards collecting. In my case, sunglasseses are far from the only ‘accidental’ collection I started thanks to thrifting. Most of those other collections started because thrifting exposed me to something cool I hadn’t known existed before (e.g. Nemadji pottery) and I became obsessed. The sunglasses? Those just seemed to multiply, somehow.
I don’t always look at the sunglasses rack when I go to the thrift store. In fact, I almost never do — because sunglasses aren’t really my thing. But nearly every time I do look, I seem to find a cool designer pair. And if I’m not a sucker for sunglasses, I am a sucker for a good bargain. Designer sunglasses are ridiculously expensive … except at the thrifts. Sure, I’ll buy a $5 pair. Why not? If I lose or break one, I’ll have a back-up. Sensible, right? Well, that’s how you end up with a dozen, eventually.
The funniest (ironic?) part is that, 9 times out of 10, I end up wearing the same pair. I’ve had it for a few years now and the coating on the frame is starting to peel, but I can’t bring myself to let it go. The other thing about me and objects I consider functional is that I will wear them into the ground. Like, until the wheels come off and then some. Doesn’t matter if I have better options; the habit (of using/wearing the old thing) has me in a chokehold.
But, yeah, I should probably pick a new daily pair. One of these days, I will.
Let’s look at the options, shall we?
Let’s start with all my Quays. The bottom pair is my current fave/daily. The others are fun but they’re too “statement” for daily use. I need something a little more subdued, unless I’m going all out with a more maximalist kind of vibe.
From top to bottom: Cavalli, Vogue, Alfred Sung. All of these have a fun retro flair, but the first two are a little more over-the-top. I’ve been wearing the bottom pair a fair bit lately. It has a Y2K vibe that suits my current aesthetic — probably because they are from the early 2000s. They’re in mint condition, too. [Like all the sunglasses I thrift. Always check for scratches!] I’m not sure the shape suits my face as well as the cat-eye Quay pair, but they’re a solid option.
From top to bottom: Dior, Dior, McQueen. I am not 100% sure the top pair is authentic, but the other two definitely are. Would you believe me that I paid $10 or less for each of these? It’s true. In fact, it’s true for all of the sunglasses in my collection. The top pair is cool; I like the reflective lenses, lookswise. However, not a huge fan of this particular colour of lenses to wear (it leans a bit too yellow).
I love the classic style of the middle pair, but it’s a bit too narrow for my face; if I wear it for an extended period, it starts to hurt around the temples. My daughter has her eye on these sunglasses, however, so I think they’ll probably “disappear” from my collection one of these days.
The McQueen pair is perfect; a more refined version of my trusty Quays. Weirdly enough, I’d forgotten that I had this pair until I started writing this post. They managed to get lost in my big bowl of sunglasses, somehow. Yes, I keep most of my sunglasses in a bowl on a console table near the front door — easy access when I’m on my way out. Are you horrified? I told you I’m not precious about sunglasses. [And it’s another reason why I’d never spend hundreds of dollars on a pair.] I did decide to rescue this pair and store it in a proper case … at least until it’s their turn to become my daily.
This Tom Ford pair are the only sunglasses I kinda, sorta babied from the start. Honestly, they are really, really nice so even I felt bad about just shoving them in a bowl. I thrifted the case separately, by the way. Don’t sleep on that section of the thrift store either. You can find some very nice cases, usually for $5 or less. I’ve found three different velvet Gucci cases, that each for $40+ on eBay. An expensive sunglasses case makes even less sense to me than expensive sunglasses, but I won’t pass up a stylish one if it’s practically free.
And there you have it: my accidental sunglasses collection. I’m pretty sure there’s at least one pair (or two) that I’ve forgotten in some drawer or other, so it’s safe to say that I’m not in any danger of running out of backups any time soon.
Do you have any accidental collections? Let’s talk about it!