Oliver Peoples embarks on the golden age of travel in Nineteen Sixties, a campaign that stars the Southern California-based eyewear brand’s fall collection alongside a cast of characters influenced by ’60s pop culture figures. Fueled by the glamor of air travel during this remarkable decade, the energetic visuals channel the spirit behind the new vintage-inspired Oliver Peoples acetate frames. Shot by fashion photographer Yulia Gorbachenko and filmed by aspiring director Eva Doležalová, the storytelling takes place in the famous TWA Flight Terminal. Remarkably, this New York architectural icon was first commissioned by Howard Hughes and designed by visionary Eero Saarinen.
Nineteen Sixties pays homage to the heightened excitement around early commercial aviation and the ’60s sensibility that inspired Oliver Peoples. The campaign captures her charismatic cast of characters as they pass through the airport. With the arrival of “Roy and Sofia Hart,” a dashing actor and a gorgeous actress, amid waves of paparazzi and awestruck fans, the star power scene is set. Moments later, pilot “Willa Viper” and her crew are marching down a hallway that offers amazing linear perspective. Rock star ‘Skinner ‘Rey’ Jones’ descends an arched staircase, guitar in hand, and socialite ‘Cindy Sunset’ leaps from a phone booth to get a look. The lives of all these characters collide when an announcement kicks off the story.
The campaign marks the debut of two new styles from the eponymous Nineteen Sixties collection, Cassavet and Merceaux, seen on the actor and actress. Cassavet has an oversized, rounded lens shape with a keyhole bridge. There’s a deep angled bevel on the acetate and an exclusive filigree core wire, plaque and hinge, all inspired by the gilded patterns found on vintage-style leather-bound books. Merceaux applies these striking features – including the angled contours – to a distinctive, square silhouette. Influenced by the style of the 1960s, the frames of this new collection are characterized by a bold aesthetic. The looks are inspired by some of the most famous artists, musicians and writers of the time and the glasses they wore.
Merceaux makes a significant appearance in the campaign as one of the main characters’ sunglasses are lost. Fortunately, the frame has been recovered and details are being investigated further. The pace picks up noticeably — and not every character flies to Los Angeles. Cinematic references to North by Northwest and Catch Me If You Can are also present, helping to tie the plot between the ’60s, Oliver Peoples and an underlying transcontinental savoir-cube. The Fall 2022 campaign, Nineteen Sixties, launches globally on September 22, 2022.
Eva, who represents Ridley Scott’s RSA Films commercials and content, commented, “Oliver Peoples exudes a classic, timeless elegance that I really love and apply to my visual approach and films, but the fun twist is the easy one sense of humor we use. We wanted to include old Hollywood, TWA owned by airline magnate Howard Hughes, elegance, sophistication, celebrity girls, rock stars and all the charisma of that era to highlight the visual meaning then and now.”
Nineteen Sixties is Oliver Peoples’ second collaboration with Eva, who also directed Tournament 1987 and launched the brand’s first-ever sports collection.
