MY ALFA ROMEO SUNGLASSES. RETRO OR VINTAGE? Automotive and motor racing inspired fashion.

It’s looking like the weather is improving and we can put winter firmly behind us, So on that note I’d thought I’d share this story about my pair of Alfa Romeo sunglasses (that I am determined to wear this spring/summer).

The sunglasses were given to me in 1999 by my sales manager.

At the time I was new to a Fiat franchise group and was working as a Fiat salesman. Me being me, I spent most of my “working“ time next door in the Alfa Romeo showroom because my dream was to sell Alfa’s. Accepting the job with Fiat was a huge step towards that dream.

One Saturday morning I was talking to a customer who was interested in a Alfa Romeo GTV (916) 3.0 litre V6 and (after the test drive with me) he bought it. If I’m honest, back then, it wasn’t hard to sell a 3.0 litre GTV as they sold themselves. Done deal.

A week or so later the customer collected his new GTV and everyone was happy. Apparently, there wasn’t a commission structure in place for me selling Alfa Romeo’s as I was with Fiat…. so the sales manager casually walked over to the Alfa Romeo accessories cabinet and picked out these sunglasses.

I was a young guy, I didn’t have a mortgage, I was living the life and was swanning around (on my days off) in a bright red Fiat Seicento with roof bars. I have such warm memories of driving various Fiat company cars during my time at the dealership but I’ll leave those stories for another blog. My point is I didn’t mind not getting the commission on the sale. I was just happy to be able to go out and preform a demo drive in an Alfa.

Time moved on and I got promoted to an Alfa Romeo new and used car specialist. I was finally living the dream. These sunglasses were my daily shades and I wore them with pride when performing driving demonstrations in Alfas.

Life after Alfa Romeo took me in different automotive directions and other sunglasses came and went and I actually forgot all about these sunglasses. I tend not to throw things away so I placed them in a top draw in my home and forgot all about them. But now I vow to wear them (especially when we are out of this national lock down).

I have a growing appreciation for retro and vintage automotive fashion – “stuff” but I am not sure if anything from the same year as when The Matrix film was first released can be called retro or vintage….but to me they seem timeless.

The sunglasses were designed by Alfa’s in house design team – Centro Stile Alfa Romeo who have designed some stunning cars.

What I really like is the simple design and frameless lenses. They have a weightlessness to them which is ideal for something that’s perched on the bridge of my nose.

In true Alfa Romeo, Italian quirkiness only the left hand arm adorns the words – “Alfa Romeo”. I would love to know the reason why its not on the right arm too?

A neat feature are the simple clip on pieces, which fit on the arms and shield my eyes from not only the sun but also the wind from the side. This makes them perfect for driving ….especially in a convertible car with the roof/windows down. The lenses are pretty dark too which makes them really good for driving in very bright sunlight.

So, as I said at the beginning of this post, we are beginning to see light at the end of this dark period of covid and with some restrictions soon to be lifted things seem to be brightening up. I am looking forward to wearing these sunglasses again when we will be allowed (legally) to drive for fun. I look forward to this as I can then produce more motoring content.

Stay safe. 😃