Designer: Larry Leight

Founded: 1986

Based: Los Angeles

Who wears it: Oscar hopefuls; Robert Downey Jr., Tobey Maguire, Brad Pitt

You know it for: L.A. cachet

Brand backstory: While preparing to open their optical store in Hollywood, brothers Dennis and Larry Leight happened upon a collection of beautiful antique filigreed glasses in upstate New York. They belonged to a man named Oliver Peoples. Not only did they buy the collection, they named the shop after him. The Leight duo soon launched their own collection of antique-inspired shades, which quickly earned a following in Hollywood circles for their vintage style and high-quality modern construction. The brand designed shades for Paul Smith in the nineties, and launched its own diffusion line, Mosely Tribes, a decade later. With industry-altering technologies such as its VFX lenses, the brand’s tastemaker appeal has continued apace, including collaborations with designer Kris Van Assche and Zooey Deschanel. Leight released the Warhol-inspired Sheldrake to commemorate the brand’s twentieth anniversary, and more recently produced an elegant tortoiseshell Gregory Peck frame.