Tackling the eternal eyewear conundrum

Most glasses don’t fit the face of their wearer. No two faces are alike, and yet the average pair of frames is designed for an imaginary face, or rather: the sum of all faces. Maison Bonnet, a fourth-generation, family-owned, French luxury eyewear business, has a different approach. Their clientele abide by a credo which could also be the company’s slogan: for one face, there is one pair of glasses.

They have two stores, both highly discreet. One is in Paris near Les Champs-Elysées, and it has no signage. The other, where I went, is in London, not far from New Bond Street. Its only sign is high above the window display; if you walk by too fast you’ll miss it. In Maison Bonnet, nothing is for sale. To acquire their handmade, custom-fitted glasses you first need to find the right shape for your face, pick the material and have the design made. Be warned: your face will be studied intensely and discussed. This takes about 60 minutes.

Founded in 1930, Maison Bonnet was built on word-of-mouth recommendations. Aristotle Onassis ordered a dozen pairs every time he travelled to Paris. He urged both his partners Maria Callas and Jackie Kennedy to order glasses from Bonnet. The founder, Robert, made the famous thick-rimmed design seen on Le Corbusier, the statement frames which balanced out the architect’s large nose. They never advertise but their Instagram page has 32.9K followers. There is a hardcore fanbase in Hollywood and New York: Brad Pitt once ordered 15 pairs.

The current Bonnet at the helm is Franck, whose eyes sparkle – maybe it’s just his tiny square glasses. He has designed glasses for the Olsen twins and Sofia Coppola. And for me. Franck studies my face and concludes that I have both a face for glasses and one that doesn’t need framing. He’s direct and friendly. Fit, he tells me, is the great issue. Most opticians can’t be bothered, so most people walk around with frames that slide or squeeze.

Franck opens various drawers and has me try on a number of shapes. At times this feels like historical cosplay. Yves Saint Laurent’s glasses hide my eyebrows, a big no. President Jacques Chirac’s are square and wide, and look terrible on me. Le Corbusier’s are deemed too safe. They age me.

In the end the style that meets the criteria is the Serge, named after a client, but not Serge Gainsbourg. They’re rectangle and sit high up the bridge of my nose. In terms of the colour and material, I settle on the burnt marsala acetate, which is close to my skin tone. Franck loves the colour on me and says it gives me a “well-rested look.” The Serge frames will be made to my facial proportions – no two Maison Bonnet glasses are ever exactly the same. It will take two months for my frames to be crafted at the Bonnet workshop in Burgundy. My final appointment will be a fitting.

Some clients buy up to a dozen pairs in one order. I’m just looking for my “forever” pair: the frames that will put an end to experimentation and impulse buys. I’m told by Leo, the Paris store’s technician, it took him three frames before finding the ones he’s been wearing for a decade. I hope to succeed with the first try because, although worth every penny, they don’t come cheap.