The Meryl is a Mykita sunglass from the acetate side of the collection — a lifted, feminine shape built on the same screwless stainless steel hinge as the metal frames. We stock Mykita at 342 Oxford Street, Paddington, and you can try the Meryl on or have us order a colourway in.
What the Meryl is
Most of Mykita's reputation rests on steel and on Mylon, so the acetate frames get overlooked. The Meryl is the argument against doing that. It takes a shape with a genuinely lifted outer corner — the sort of thing usually done in a soft, thick, ornamental frame — and cuts it cleanly, with no applied trim, no rivets and no logo plaque. What holds it together is the same spring hinge folded from a single sheet of stainless steel that runs through the rest of the house.
The effect is a sunglass that is unmistakably decorative in outline and unmistakably engineered up close, which is a combination very few houses manage.
Materials, colours and lenses
The front is sheet acetate, cut and polished in Berlin, with stainless steel temples or acetate temples depending on the release. Colourways run through the house's usual restraint — blacks, tortoiseshells and translucent neutrals — with stronger colours appearing season to season.
Lens options include plain tints and gradients, and the Meryl takes a prescription, which is the question we are asked most about it. We edge lenses in store: on an upswept front the axis has to be right or the lift reads as a tilt, and that is much easier to control on site than through a lab that never sees the frame.
Who it suits, and its siblings
A lifted shape flatters a rounder or a softer face by giving it a line to work against, and it does the same job on a long face as long as the depth is not excessive. If the outer corner sits above your brow line it is too big — that is the test worth applying in the mirror. Compared with the steel Lite sunglasses, the Meryl is warmer and more obviously flattering; compared with the Mylon frames like Pantara, it is finer and less architectural. People who like the Meryl usually end up choosing between it and a Lite sun, and it comes down to how much frame they want visible in a photograph.
Colourways come and go and runs are small. Ring us on 02 9331 4650 with the colour you are after and we will check the cabinet and the order book.