I walk past the expansive, circular courtyard and crenelated walls. Past the photographers snapping shots of some of the night’s best-dressed guests. Past the waitstaff in crisp black shirts and ties balancing trays of martinis. (I shake my head and smile when one of them offers me a drink. Not now — maybe later, I’ll come back.) 

As soon as I step through the indoor-outdoor central lounging area, a heart-shatteringly beautiful scene unfolds: an infinity pool that overlooks the entirety of Los Angeles, from downtown to the ocean. Is there anything that spikes the heart quite like a good view? Beyond the vanishing edge of the pool, behind the golden letters arranged to read “Jimmy Choo,” I notice the early wisps of sunset pinks stretching across the sky. In awe, I watch the city below glint and glow. Unsurprisingly, so does everyone else.

We are, collectively, all angled toward the view like flowers bending with the arc of the sun. Waiters flit past us, carrying palomas in squat glasses with single JC-engraved ice cubes. The music is pulsing and upbeat (thanks to DJ Amrit), and the weather is extraordinarily fine. Some people have already succumbed to the plush burnt-orange loungers set up in the middle, cocktail in hand. If glamor is what Jimmy Choo’s going for, it hit the nail on the head with tonight’s event — a celebration of the brand’s summer 2024 collection of eyewear.

But first, some context: Glamor has been a key tenet of the Jimmy Choo brand since the very beginning. You can trace the brand’s roots to Malaysian-born Jimmy Choo Yeang Keat, who opened a made-to-order shoe boutique in London’s East End that catered to a glamorous clientele the likes of Princess Diana. In 1989, the shoemaker’s wife’s niece, Sandra Choi, joined the atelier to lend a hand with the burgeoning business, and 24 years later, she was named Jimmy Choo’s sole creative director. Along with CEO Hannah Colman, Sandra ushered in a new era for the brand — growing it to encompass not just shoes, but bags, jewelry, fragrances, and sunglasses.

Last year, news broke that the French-Italian EssilorLuxottica, a giant in the eyewear industry, struck up a 10-year licensing deal with Jimmy Choo. Starting this year, as a result of the decade-spanning partnership, Jimmy Choo has positioned itself to grow even further in the eyewear sector, rolling out a glamor-forward collection dreamed up by — who else? — Sandra. So, here we are. 

I step into a peach-colored room flanking the lounge area and scan the wall of sunglasses. Upon first glance, things seem a little catty. No, not literally. Perched on floating shelves, there’s the timelessly alluring cat-eye silhouette. Dubbed “Sol,” it’s a modern take on the familiar shape with razor-sharp angles and an overall slimmer design. The brand’s interlocking initials hug my temples when I glide the sunglasses across the bridge of my nose. I try a few different versions of the design (as we’re all encouraged to do), available in black, white or tortoise shell. 

An even bolder statement comes in the form of a different pair of cat-eye-shaped shades. “Kristal,” as it’s called, is flecked with sparkling stones along its geometrical angles. Little crystals and a JC charm dangle from its delicate, thin temples. Elsewhere, we see oval silhouettes accented with diamond-shaped studs (“Skylar,” which was designed to celebrate the raw beauty of a diamond), and wide, substantively structured frames that take up a lot of facial real estate. Some pieces call more attention to themselves; some less.

If there’s anything to know about Jimmy Choo, it’s that the brand is always full of surprises. Time and time again, in interviews, Sandra has chalked up the brand’s success to its open-minded approach to design and collaboration. No doubt, the biggest surprise element throughout the collection has a lot to do with the shapes (as Sandra tells me), intended to suit a wide range of tastes, faces, and personalities. And that’s really a hard thing to do.

But it really comes down to clever design and lasting construction. “Luxury to me is about craft; it’s about making something that lasts a bit longer; being a bit more responsible,” Sandra told Tatler Asia back in December of 2023 when speaking to the backbone of luxury: craftsmanship. “I always say that that millimeter does matter … and for me to have the time to be able to perfect those things and make it very beautiful in ensuring and having the endurance of time. That’s luxury.”