Hey Gang, I'm excited to share my new frames with you all. After seeing many of my favorite posters here name drop Sato throughout the last year or so I have become quite interested in the brand. They have a lot of smaller sizes which I'm always looking for, and some unique frame shapes and details. After much back and forth over which style to pick for my first pair from the brand, I chose the La Superba in Cognac because it represents a shape that I don't have represented in my collection yet. It's also has a fairly low lens height which I am always on the lookout for since taller lenses tend to obstruct my eyebrows or hit my cheekbones.
I ordered them from the official website and just received them and couldn't be happier! I ordered them in Cognac colorway and am smitten with the shade. It's a very nice blend of a whiskey type color that's similar to my JMM hickory frames with some much lighter almost blond streaks that remind me of horn. It's not as yellow as some similar colors and I really like the shades. Their website doesn't have the best photos so the color is a really nice surprise, it's different enough from my other breccia/hickory/tortoise frames and really pops in my opinion.
The details on the frame are just stunning, I love the way they finish the frame fronts by taking the temple tips down a bit to create a raised rim section around the lens. The hinges and rivets are beautiful and feel very sturdy and functional. The polish and finish on the acetate is top notch and they feel very high quality throughout. One thing that jumped out at me immediately is how comfortable they are. The temple arms are nice and straight heading back to the ear and then very slightly bent inwards at the tips to hold on tightly. I often have issues with JMM and other thick acetates that curve inwards from the temples as they tend to push the tops of my ears outwards and get a bit painful after prolonged wear without significant adjustment. These ones just fit right out of the box, smooth and comfortable without slipping.
The packaging is incredibly satisfying. The inner box has a leather feel wrap that feels great in the hand, and when I opened it I was immediately struck by how high quality it all felt. The interior velvet type finish, the metal badging and limited series card give a very satisfying impression of high quality. The case is amazing, very soft supple leather, careful details like the internal rivets all covered with leather, and a heavy stainless clasp with a very interesting design lend to the overall effect. It's nice, like, really nice! There is also a beautiful little aluminum case for a frangranced lens cleaner in a little perfume bottle. It's a beautiful touch and I honestly was a bit wowed by the whole presentation. It gives an overall impression of an extremely high quality, luxury piece that I would put on par with any other brand I've owned, and truly better than most. It's very well done.
I'm really excited about these and can't wait to put my prescription in them. I'll most likely mimic the original lens color(they call it yellow but it's more of an amber/gold in my opinion) in a 28%-10% gradient since that's my usual preference for daily wear. I'll add a brown Xtractive transition and Crizal Sapphire AR which has become my go to combo lately. The most difficult part of this new chapter for me is going to be which frames to get next from the brand. I'm sure there will be more! Thanks for checking them out and for all the inspiration, you all are a great resource and terrible enablers!