The Eyes Gotta Have It

Oliver Peoples has been in the eyeglasses business on and off -- mostly off -- for the better part of this century. Suddenly he is the hottest thing in eyewear. He is also dead.

His overnight ascendancy is equal parts savvy and serendipity. Almost three years ago, Larry Leight, now 38, was looking to open an upscale optical shop in Los Angeles with three partners. No one had any fixed idea about what to stock or what to call the store. Then Leight's brother Dennis got a call from a New York City antiques dealer, inquiring whether the group would be...