Channel your inner Thomas Crown with McQueen’s personal Persol sunglasses

On 24 March in Hollywood, a pair of Persol 714 sunglasses personally owned by Steve McQueen will be sold in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. So, if you’ve always fancied yourself as a bit of a Thomas Crown but don’t quite have the wherewithal for a Ferrari 275 GTB NART Spyder, this is your opportunity…

Another piece in the puzzle

The foldable Persol 714 sunglasses were a staple of Steve McQueen’s inventory of accessories, so much so that he often chose to wear them in his films, such as the impossibly stylish cult classic The Thomas Crown Affair in 1968. The pair offered by GWS Auctions at its Legends of Hollywood & Music Auction on 24 March in Beverly Hills came from the estate of Dennis Roberts, Hollywood’s go-to guy for custom-made eyewear. The auction house attached a very conservative pre-sale estimate of 2,500–3,500 US dollars, which has already been exceeded by online bids. But given the extraordinary prices other items associated with McQueen have garnered in recent years — 27.5m-dollar Ferrari 275 NART Spyder, anyone? — we expect these special shades to soar when they’re hammered away later this month.

Photos: GWS Auctions