Kendall Roy Sunglasses: The Quiet Luxury of Succession

Another eyewear icon piece produced for luxury eyewear retailers, Seen Opticians.

What makes an icon? Is it someone universally admired? Or someone with qualities that we’d all aspire for? In the case of Kendall Roy—the expectant heir to a media fortune in Succession—played expertly by Jeremy Strong, we’re not quite sure. Over the last four seasons of the mega-hit US drama, he’s definitely attained icon status, but when you dissect his character and his less-than-admirable qualities, he’s not exactly the kind of person you’d hope to emulate.

Maybe it’s something to do with those sunglasses? In the same way we were happy to overlook Don Draper’s endless imperfections because he wore sharp suits—Roy’s saving grace might be his style, and perhaps it’s his wardrobe that is the real icon? But whilst the styling in classic shows like Mad Men, Twin Peaks or The Sopranos worked in big and blatant brush strokes, the style of Succession—and Kendall Roy—isn’t quite as easy to pinpoint—with the muted luxury garb worn on screen a fair bit more subtle than the plaid hunting jackets of the Pacific Northwest or the gaudy spread-collar shirts of the New Jersey mobster scene.

This piece was produced as part of our monthly retainer with Seen. Take a look at the full article on Seen’s website here.