Chanel has been making eyewear since 2009, and the collection is what the house was always going to be: quietly expensive, conservatively shaped, and built like jewelry. We carry the optical and sun lines at both Gold Coast and Hinsdale, and they’re some of the most-requested frames we fit. Here’s what makes the Chanel eyewear collection different — and how to know which Chanel is right for you.
The Chanel craftsmanship story.
Chanel eyewear is made in Italy by Luxottica, the same supplier that makes Ray-Ban and Oakley — but that’s where the comparison ends. Chanel specifications are dramatically tighter: the acetate is hand-laid from sheets pressed in northern Italy, the metalwork is precision-cast in lost-wax molds, and every hinge is set with a signed micro-rivet. The signature CC monogram on the temple isn’t printed or glued — it’s a separately cast metal element, set into the acetate by hand. That’s the detail that makes a Chanel feel like a Chanel.
The Chanel signature elements.
There are four signature visual cues that show up across the collection:
- The CC temple monogram. Most Chanel optical frames have a small CC on the outside of the temple near the hinge.
- The pearl temple. A sub-collection of Chanel frames features hand-set faux-pearls along the temple — a direct reference to Coco Chanel’s signature jewelry.
- The chain temple. Some Chanel optical frames feature a thin chain element running along the temple, modeled on the iconic Chanel handbag chain.
- The quilted texture. A handful of Chanel acetates use the iconic quilted pattern from the 2.55 handbag — pressed directly into the acetate.
What the collection is for.
Chanel eyewear is the answer to a specific question: "I want eyewear that’s clearly luxury, but I don’t want a giant logo on my face." Chanel monograms are quiet — on the inside of the temple, on the back of the hinge, on a single CC near the brow. The shapes are classic: cat-eye, rectangle, aviator. You can wear a Chanel frame to a board meeting without it looking like a marketing campaign.
Who Chanel is for.
The Chanel customer at Glimpse is almost always someone who has worn luxury eyewear before and wants the next frame to be subtler, not louder. The optical pieces fit beautifully on a range of face shapes — the cat-eye is famously universal — and the sun pieces have lens treatments (Chanel’s polarized and gradient options are excellent) that justify the price. Most Chanel frames at Glimpse retail between $480 and $920 optical, $580 and $1,200 sun.
Try them on.
The Chanel collection rotates twice a year — spring/summer and fall/winter. We carry the current season at both stores. If you have a specific Chanel reference number you saw at another store or online, call us — we can usually source it from the Italian distributor within a week. Or just walk in and we’ll pull a tray.