I’ve been wearing Paul Taylor’s glasses and sunglasses for 18 months now, through everyday life and everyday travel. My main pieces are the Kay CA36 sunglasses, a shimmer mid green front with bottle green temples, the Twizel A19 sunglasses in a blue fade front with blue tortoiseshell temples, and my Mirabelle optical frames in red.
In this review I’ll cover how they’ve actually fit and worn over that time, what the quality is like day to day, and whether they’re worth the price. I’ll also share a 15% discount code if you decide to try a pair.
Paul Taylor is a Sydney based eyewear label, founded by optical mechanic turned designer Paul Taylor in Paddington. The frames are known for bold colours and shapes, and made in Italy and France.
One thing that stood out to me researching this brand: plenty of long term customers report their frames lasting 10 to 15 years, including going through prescription lens changes along the way, which says a fair bit about build quality.
About Paul Taylor Fashion Eyewear
Paul Taylor has been designing bold, colourful eyewear since 1993, starting with the cat’s-eye style that first put the label on the map with everyday customers and a few well known faces. Before turning to design, Paul trained as an optical mechanic, which shows in how the frames are built, with a real focus on getting the fit right rather than just chasing a look.
Since then, the label has built a loyal, almost cult like following for its bold, colourful frames across both optical glasses and sunglasses, made in Italy and France.
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If you use our exclusive links in this article to purchase any Paul Taylor eyewear you will receive a 15% discount off the entire order at checkout.
Click here to get 15% discount on Paul Taylor Eyewear
I was thrilled when Paul Taylor sent me a selection to try for myself, including the Kay sunglasses, the Twizel sunglasses and the Mirabelle optical frames I’ve now worn day to day for the past 18 months.
Paul Taylor Designer Glasses For Women
Paul Taylor’s women’s collection covers both sunglasses and optical frames, in a wide range of colours and shapes to suit different face shapes. The frames are made from Italian acetate with German engineered hinges, and manufactured across Australia, Italy, France and Japan.
Click here to see more Paul Taylor Eyewear designs
Below I’ll go through the specific styles I’ve been wearing for the past 18 months, the Kay and Twizel sunglasses and the Mirabelle optical frames, and what they’ve actually been like day to day.
What I Like About Paul Taylor Eyewear
We travel for most of the year and keep luggage to a minimum, so my travel hack is to keep clothing basic and use accessories like scarves and jewellery to change up my look. My Paul Taylor glasses have become part of that.
The Kay sunglasses, in a shimmer mid green front with bottle green temples, are one of my favourite travel accessories, the colour works with my skin tone and suits almost everything I pack. The Twizel sunglasses, in a blue fade front with blue tortoiseshell temples, get paired with my favourite embroidered scarf.
Being in my 60’s, I’ve found a lot of glasses either wash me out or look like they belong on someone twenty years younger. Paul Taylor’s frames are the opposite. The colours and shapes suit an older face rather than fighting against it, which is the main reason I keep coming back to this brand over others.
Click here to see more Paul Taylor Eyewear designs
Paul Taylor Sunglasses For Women
Below are a couple of the styles I’ve worn myself, both also available as optical frames if you prefer the same look in prescription glasses. There are plenty more designs in the full range if these ones aren’t quite your style.
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Kay Sunglasses
I fell for my Kay sunglasses straightaway. The shimmer mid green frame matches the water at Turquoise Bay in Australia and Sao Beach in Phu Quoc in Vietnam almost exactly, which got me thinking about choosing sunglasses to match a destination rather than the other way around.
They’re genuinely comfortable, light enough that I forget I’m wearing them by the end of the day. Kay comes in both optical frames and sunglasses, with 12 colours to choose from. The colour I’m wearing is Kay CA36, a shimmer mid green front with bottle green temples, and it works well with bright whites or bottle green jewellery if you want to match the frame properly.
Kay is available in both optical frames and sunglasses.
Click here to see more Kay colours
Twizel Sunglasses
Twizel is a modern take on the classic cat’s-eye shape. I’m wearing Twizel A19, a blue fade front with blue tortoiseshell temples. The blue fade works well against my white hair, and I like the contrast the tortoiseshell temples add.
They’re comfortable enough to wear all day, and I usually pair mine with my embroidered scarf. Twizel comes in both optical frames and sunglasses, with a wide range of colours, and Swarovski crystal detailing on some styles if you want something with a bit more sparkle.
Click here to see more Twizel colours
Paul Taylor Optical Glasses For Women
Optical glasses don’t have to be plain. Paul Taylor’s frames bring the same bold colours and shapes from the sunglasses range into everyday prescription glasses.
Below are two styles, Mirabelle and Gracie, both also available as sunglasses if you’d rather have the same shape in a sun style. I’ve worn the Mirabelle myself, which I’ll go through in detail below.
Click here to see more Paul Taylor Eyewear designs
Mirabelle design Fashion Eyewear
My Mirabelle glasses are a 1960s inspired cat eye style, and they’re the pair I get the most comments on. The shape is subtle enough to suit most face shapes rather than being an overstated cat eye, and Mirabelle also comes as sunglasses if you’d rather have it as a sun style.
I wore mine on Christmas Day in Chiang Mai, Thailand, paired with red tinsel for the occasion, and they held their own against a fair bit of competition. Mine are in red, and it’s become my go to colour for glasses. A bold red frame is a small thing that changes how an outfit reads, without having to plan around it the way you would with clothing.
I’d genuinely like to add a second pair of Mirabelles in another colour down the track, more for the shape and comfort than for variety’s sake.
Click here to see more Mirabelle colours
Gracie design Fashion Eyewear
My Gracie glasses are in ZA71, a soft pink swirl pattern front with hot pink temples. They’re comfortable for all day wear, and the two-tone pink works well with a multi-shaded pink scarf or hot pink jewellery if you want to match the frame.
Gracie comes in a wide range of colours and finishes beyond the pink I wear, from transparent lime and canary yellow through to mid blue and a fire engine red.
Click here to see more Gracie colours
Paul Taylor Sunglasses & Optical Frames For Men
Paul Taylor’s menswear range gets less attention than the women’s collection, but it’s built with the same bold colour and shape sensibility. The range starts with the Hutchence design, a rectangular frame that’s become one of the brand’s most recognised styles.
Below are a couple of the men’s styles available in both sunglasses and optical frames.
Click here to see a selection of Paul Taylor Eyewear for men
Crave It – designed by Paul Taylor
Crave It is a 1970s inspired style, available as both optical frames and sunglasses. Alan modelled both for these photos, grey stainless steel with crystal clear acetate on the optical frames, and the same colourway with polarised lenses on the sunglasses.
Crave It also comes in a few other striking combinations, including black stainless steel with burnt orange acetate, and yellow stainless steel with green acetate.
Don’t forget you will get a 15% discount off your entire order at checkout if you use any links to purchase Paul Taylor eyewear in this article.
Click here to see more Crave It colours
Swarve design Fashion Eyewear
Swarve is a rectangular frame with a mottled green acetate finish. Alan modelled both the optical frames and the polarised sunglasses version for these photos.
Click here to see more Swarve colours
FAQ: Paul Taylor Eyewear
Does Paul Taylor Eyewear come in prescription lenses?
Yes. All the optical frame styles, including Mirabelle, Gracie, Swarve and Crave It, can be fitted with prescription lenses. You’ll need to provide your prescription at checkout or work with Paul Taylor directly to get your lenses fitted.
Can I try Paul Taylor Eyewear in person before buying?
Paul Taylor Eyewear is sold online and through a number of stockists around Australia. If you’d rather try a pair on first, it’s worth checking Paul Taylor’s stockist locator to find one near you.
How long do Paul Taylor frames last?
Based on customer reviews we’ve seen, quite a while. Several long term customers report getting 10 to 15 years out of a pair, including going through prescription lens changes along the way, which says a lot about the build quality.
Does Paul Taylor Eyewear offer a discount code?
Yes, readers of this article get 15% off their entire order at checkout using the links throughout this page.
Last Words on Fashion Eyewear By Paul Taylor
After 18 months wearing Paul Taylor’s glasses and sunglasses across everyday life and travel, I’d genuinely recommend them if you want eyewear with real colour and character rather than something safe. The build quality has held up well, and knowing some customers get 10 to 15 years out of a pair says a lot about how they’re made.
If you decide to try a pair, remember you can get 15% off your entire order using the links in this article.
Have you got a pair of Paul Taylor glasses yourself? I’d love to hear what you think of them, drop a comment below.
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