Cat eyes . . .

That was what these eye glasses were called back in 1960, the year I wore my first pair of glasses and of many more to come. The black frame had mother-of-pearl inlays above each len. Pretty snazzy for a 10-year-old. I look back now and regret that I never had a picture taken of me wearing these glasses. At that time I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing them when my picture was taken. And not only then. When I looked through my picture album covering years from birth to thirty years of age, not one of them showed me with glasses on. Vain? I guess so. But today, eye glasses are very fashionable. So here is a little history of my eyeglass journey. Do you have any of these style glasses? I bet you do!


Here are most of the eyeglasses I have worn over the years. I’m sure there were more than what is pictured here, so I am glad I saved what I did. I was tempted to donate them but decided these glasses tell part of my story. It also tells a fashion story, how styles changed from big & round to slim & trim. As my age progressed, so did my vision impairments. From the being, I was diagnosed with Astigmatism and eventually required bifocals, making finding frames that would accommodate thick lenses a challenge. So my choices were limited, however, I did run the gamut, wearing a wide array of styles and color.

My eyeglass purchases were often. There was one time I had to get a new pair of glasses because I couldn’t find my glasses. While I waited for the new pair, I had to wear my sunglasses in the house. As soon as I got the new pair of glasses, lo and behold, I found the ones that went missing. And you wouldn’t believe where I found them. They were resting on top of a lamp shade that had a top vent that was set just below the top of the shade, therefore, I couldn’t see the glasses.

One of my favorite pairs were the ones with the multi-color frame. They went with everything I wore! And when my husband and I went to Paris, there were so many eyeglass boutiques with stunning frames, I just had to find a pair. And lucky me, there was a buy-one-get-one-half-price, so I picked out the purple and red frames.

Currently, my frames are a dark purple. Pretty much in the same style befitting my oval-shaped face. According to the Vision Council, you should consider three main points when choosing an eyeglass frame for your face shape:                                               
* Eyewear should repeat your personal best feature (such as a blue
  frame to match blue eyes). 
* The frame shape should contrast with your face shape.
* The frame size should be in scale with your face size.

Also, while most faces are a combination of shapes and angles, there are seven basic face shapes: round, oval, oblong, base-down triangle, base-up triangle, diamond and square. Here is a further description of these face shapes and which types of frames work best for each. A good optician can help you use these guidelines to choose your new eyeglasses.

http://www.allaboutvision.com/eyeglasses/eyeglasses_shape_color_analysis.htm

When I researched vintage eyeglass frames, I couldn’t believe how many websites there were selling all kinds of old and new frames. Just go to Google and type in vintage eyeglasses, and a plethora of sites come up for you to choose from. Glasses are so in style today that people wear them even if they don’t have to. Must be nice, especially when it comes to all those sometimes outrageous sunglasses. So as you don your glasses, know that you are making a fashion statement. And do you notice how those looking at you through your glasses consider you intelligent. Someone told me that I looked smart in my glasses, so perhaps that changed my view about wearing my glasses, not only figuratively but actually, making me see the world bright and clear. So here’s to all those four-eyes (a derogatory slang for people who wear glasses) out there. Wear them proudly!