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.
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!
