I will admit I have a weakness for second acts, and Otra is a good one. Linda and Allen Hammond built Quay Australia, sold it in 2017, and then, apparently, missed sunglasses too much to stay away. They launched Otra in 2022 from Byron Bay, and the name means "another" in Spanish, which tells you the joke is on themselves. Their son Zak leads design, with Linda as CEO and Allen as CFO, so it is very much a family kitchen-table operation.

What I like is the point of view. The frames are designed in Australia around proportion and sculptural lines, and they come out in limited releases instead of a flood. With eyewear that matters, because a few millimeters of width or a slightly different curve can change the whole feeling of an outfit (at least it does for me).

In 2025 the label teamed up with the styling sisters Alexandra and Mackenzie Grandquist on a limited collection, kept minimal and natural so the frames do the talking. That suits Otra. Start with a shape you actually want to wear, let the color and lens tone set the mood, and ignore the rest.

This is where Otra makes its case best: a frame can do the styling by itself. Stevie Sunglasses is a big, easy aviator with olive lenses, and I would wear it with a white shirt and a denim jacket on a very bright day. Rosie Sunglasses goes oval in warm chocolate metal with brown lenses, a quieter shape for a blazer or a dark knit. If you want to keep going, Aviator Sunglasses for Women: Still in Fashion, Frames to Try is the one I would read next.

X Grandquist Maddy Sunglasses and X Grandquist Kenny Sunglasses in Black are the collaboration pair, and I would keep everything else simple around them. Hazel Cat Eye Sunglasses, 56mm and Vail Square Sunglasses, 57mm give you a sharper line, while Esme Round Sunglasses, 58mm is the soft one. Picture her leaving a late lunch in Stevie Aviator Sunglasses, 58mm, hair tucked back, sleeves rolled.

My test is bridge comfort and temple width before lens tint. What I would skip: buying a pair for the color alone. A good fit is what turns a nice pair into the one you grab every morning.

I keep coming back to Otra because it treats sunglasses as a design decision, not an afterthought. Cameron Sunglasses, Rio Shield Sunglasses, 56mm and Iggy Aviator Sunglasses, 58mm each have their own attitude, and none of them looks like it is apologizing for it. Picture her crossing a sunlit street in the pair she has reached for all season, the frame lifting a plain outfit without asking the rest of it to compete. Although I suspect she owns at least two more.