Vintage Eyeglasses

[univibe88]

They look great!

 

[Pompidou]

Picked these up today on eBay. Tired of the same old sunglasses. Celluloid 20's sunglasses.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Very-rare-antiq...Men_s_Women_s_Accessories&hash=item51963e305d

 

[FedoraFan112390]

What kind of glasses do you think Nixon is wearing here?

 

[univibe88]

I love the vintage pics. Keep it up.

 

[Mr Vim]

I'm in a bit of a bind here,

I want some bold frames that have a more vintage feel than what I have now. But I cannot shake the feeling that the frames I try on are way too big! Can anyone recommend a frame that has a vintage look, is still bold or browline style but don't have such large lenses that I make my head seem too tiny?

I can post photos of my face if need be.

 

[univibe88]

The problem is that most modern frame styles are simply smaller than vintage ones. Also, many current frames are rectangular while many vintage frames are rounder.

You don't see many people wearing vintage styles and you aren't used to seeing yourself wearing them. Your "eye" is not used to it, so you are going to feel very conspicuous wearing them.

It's just how many people feel uncomfortable when they first try on a vintaged style fedora with a tall, straight crown and a 2.5"+ brim.

You just need to find a frame with the proper temple to temple width and the proper bridge size. Shuron makes many vintage styles in a range of sizes.

 

[MisterGrey]

The problem is that most modern frame styles are simply smaller than vintage ones. Also, many current frames are rectangular while many vintage frames are rounder.

I'd like to qualify this:

Most modern frames are WIDER than vintage frames, and most vintage frames are TALLER than modern frames.

It's a trend in modern eyeglasses for the lens to be vertically short-- in the high 20s to the low 30s is fairly common now (measuring in terms of mm). Conversely, most vintage frames will be in the high 30s to low 40s vertically. Contrast this with vintage frames usually only going up to 44/46 mm in width, vs. many current styles that will go up into the 50s.

The problem is that there is a middle ground to be had that neither vintage nor modern eyeglass makers seem very comfortable mass producing.

 

[cookie]

Lost my vintage Shurons the other day and they were an unusual style. Sharing this event with you is helping me with the pain.

 

[scotrace]

And one sees very, very few faces that actually benefit from that short, wide style. It's one of the worst trends in fashion of the last decade or so.
And it seems that lens makers don't know how to make anything but a very generic sized bifocal because all they ever see is small lenses. My own frames are very large and round, but the (ahem) bifocals are painfully tiny little spots at the bottom. I have to move my head all over the place to try to find the right spot to see to read. Really chaps my butt. If I don't remember to keep my mouth closed, I look like a doddering old fart!

 

[MisterGrey]

There are those of us, though, who do need frames somewhat shorter than what was de rigeur during the Golden Era. I would love to wear vintage frames, but have discovered that, due to my facial proportions, pretty much nothing from that era other than rimless looks good on me. I've got a large, square face, which just does not lend itself to round frames; despite what many "fashion" guides will tell you, you do not want to "soften" your square jaw. Even disregarding this, the proportions of a square face place the eyes, nose, and mouth in close proximity, meaning that unless you get them super-narrow, round frames are going to be ending at the bottom of your nostrils and taking up most of your face. This all applies to those with round faces, as well, with the caveat being you do not want to accentuate the roundness of your jaw with rounded frames.

I'm taking a guess that blame lies on the assumption that all wearers would have the facial and head proportions common amongst Western European and Scandinavian individuals-- longer, evenly proportioned faces based around diamond, oval, or oblong face shapes.

 

[FedoraFan112390]

What kind of glasses did Truman wear?

 

[J.J. Gittes]

Those were the most common style of glasses, the P3. American Optical was a huge maker of these and are easy to find online.

 

[univibe88]

Shuron still makes them:

http://www.shuron.com/ronstrong.htm

 

[MrBern]

Incidentally, the company name was changed to SuperFocus. There are now two styles available. And they are now certified for use by Nasa up in Space.
http://www.superfocus.com/superfocus-certified-by-nasa-for-astronauts

They're not vintage but their looks is darn close. Here are some new glasses that have a retro Harold Lloyd look, or the look of Cary Grant in Bringing up Baby. A different kind of Eyeglasses.



http://finance.yahoo.com/family-hom...rent-kind-of-eyeglasses?mod=family-love_money

I though this was a pretty ingenious invention. Bur sorry round is the only shape, that is the only way they'll work. So those folks with a very limited scope of knowledge & imagination may automatically think Harry Potter. Those of a broader mind may think Harold Lloyd or Cary Grant. If I needed such glasses, I think I'd go for a pair in black or a faux tortoise. They are a tad on the clunky side, but considering what they do they're not all that bad. I'd imagine that in the near future they'll have it refined enough to make the frames & lenses even finer & lighter in weight. It's a very keen idea.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[MrBern]

Those were the most common style of glasses, the P3. American Optical was a huge maker of these and are easy to find online.

I call them P3 as well. There are some ebay auctions that refer to them as PANTO.
BTW, the P4 is a squared off military shape.

 

[MrBern]

Incidentally, last year I picked up these reproductions off ebay. They dont have the keyhole bridge, but its very comfortable. A classic panto/P3 shape, but it acetate tortoiseshell. And they are not made in China.

 

[MrBern]

ATTICUS FINCH reproduction eyewear

fyi
http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/28/to-shill-a-mockingbird/


also from th Oliver Peoples site
http://www.oliverpeoples.com/collections/2011-summer/optical/gregory-peck.html

 

[brylcreem boy]

Needing some help and suggestions. I just found out I am now farsighted- actually known it for awhile. I have a slight astigmatism and was recommended bifocals, since my distance vision is 20/10. I am really wanting to look at Shuron Ronsirs, possibly Nusirs. Will Shuron send me any to try? I have not had luck trying to find vintage styles like these at the traditional optical outlets and want to see if they will work well for my face and head. I have a rather wide head and lengthy face, being 6'3", so I want a style that will compliment this as best I can... Appreciate all the help/feedback I can get

 

[univibe88]

They most definitely will. In fact, they'll send you a few pair to make sure you get the right size. Call up their customer service. They are super nice.

 

[brylcreem boy]

They most definitely will. In fact, they'll send you a few pair to make sure you get the right size. Call up their customer service. They are super nice.

Thanks Karl that's awesome to hear.. I am curious to see how I will look in them, unfortunately I have been wearing the much smaller frames (when i wear sunglasses) that have been the trend of the 90's/ and such. I think a larger frame will work better for my wider and longer face. I will contact them today