 | Jon Herrscher
has worked as an optician for nearly 30 years, beginning his career with a part time after school job in a Garden City Optometrist's basement lab where they literally made eyeglasses by hand using a glasscutter & cribber. In 1989, Jon left Kansas for Houston, Texas to teach young opticians the trade, returning to Wichita in 1996 to be closer to family. In August 2003 he purchased Myoptix Fashion Eyewear, an optical boutique, located at 4714 East Douglas in College Hill. Jon can be reached at (316) 651-0887. |
Eyewear & Fashion
2004-10-01 15:07:00
Tell me about vintage eyewear?
ANSWER: The late 1950's and early 1960's was the time of large automobiles with large tail fins, wild clothes, chrome and plywood furniture for the home, and wild, wild eyeglass designs. Jacqueline Kennedy popularized French and Italian designer eyeglasses. Some of the frames she wore covered half her face. In the 1960's, large frame eyeglasses were popular for everyday use, but some designers exclusively made frames with wild designs and oversized lenses as accessories for party use. The "Catseyes" has to be regarded as one of the most successful eyeglass designs, ever. Early catseyes frames could be worn by both men and women. However, women soon claimed the style and manufacturers, quick to realize the sales potential, feminized the catseye… in some cases to the extreme. Boys paid attention to girls who wore catseyes. The style was a bit daring, sexy, and independent. Even girls that did not need eyeglasses found excuses to wear catseyes, many as sunglasses and more than a few with plain glass lenses. Because of their popularity, catseyes were made in thousands of styles and in prices that ranged from $30 to more than $1000. Examples in gold, platinum, with precious stones and in real tortoise shell still turn up at estate sales and auctions. Plastic frames were extremely popular from 1955 to the late 1960's. Thousands of different styles were introduced. The use of plastic was a major innovation in eyewear and led to eyeglasses which were not only lighter and more comfortable to wear but much more pleasing and stylish. During the 1960s brightly colored plastic and creative images were combined to market a colorful selection of popular sunglasses for the very fashion-minded customer. Today some of the exceptional rhinestone-trimmed examples of that era are sought out by collectors, but only a few styles remained consistently popular. Most notable is the "Browline" favored by politicians, lawyers, business leaders, television personalities, and movie stars like Malcolm X. Although considered a man's style, so many women purchased this design that manufacturers introduced a more delicate version for women. Eyeglasses were really not gender specific until after WWII. Throughout history, men, women, and children have all worn the same styles. Buddy Holly favored a popular style with the generic name "Spotlight". Many companies made their own version of this style changing the design just enough to avoid patent litigation. Holly purchased a heavy square frame made in Mexico, unlike any he had worn before, just a few days before he died. They were badly damaged in the crash. Versions of the Spotlight frame were available in various colors including black, brown, amber, and tortoise shell. The "fade" frame, in which the color fades from dark at the top to clear at the bottom, was another favorite available as Grayfade, Brownfade, Blackfade, and Blondefade. Popular "Solid color" styles included Alger, Spotlite, Statesmen, Almira, All State, Festival, Trimline, and dozens of others. The most popular colors included black, brown, gray, French amber, and several shades of tortoise shell.As with many fashion accessories, the entertainment industry influenced eyewear fashion, and history continues to repeat itself. Eyeglasses worn by the fictional character "Harry Potter" are similar to a style introduced in 1880 that remained popular until 1920. This style had a wire frame covered with an early type of plastic called zylo. During the 60's, the 'Summer of Love' produced some very distinctive eyewear such as John Lennon's unforgettable wire frames. Style became more important than comfort in this era of dark, heavy and sturdy frames. Two-thirds of American adults were reported to have worn eyeglasses during this decade. The 70's introduced us to Disco and colored lenses, wild designs and oversized lenses marked the 'Saturday Night Fever' generation of eyewear. The trend of oversized lenses continued from the 70's into the 80's. Elaborate and gaudy designs in women's glasses became popular. Faceted eyeglasses and tri color lenses were seen on the weekly hit Saturday Night Live, with Mike Myers exemplifying this trend. Fashion frames were back with a vengeance by the late 90's, becoming again, a popular accessory (whether needed for seeing or not). Surviving examples of 60's, 70's, and 80's designer frames are sought after by collectors as well as those who simply want a unique, fun, flirty pair for every day use.
