White frames for sunglasses: 1940s only?

[Alice Blue]

Hello, I'm looking at vintage spectacle frames to make up into (ladies') prescription sunglasses. I do like the lighter colored frames (see picture below), but since I also like the 1930s I was wondering if the white frames are a 1940s phenomenon only, and if I should be looking for a different frame (tortoise? light or dark? metal?) if I want to accompany both 1930s and 1940s outfits.

Thanks!

 

[Alice Blue]

I also have a followup question: what would be a good lens color if you are having new lenses put in? Thanks.

 

[GHT]

I also have a followup question: what would be a good lens color if you are having new lenses put in? Thanks.

You might try Dead Men's Specs. it's a Brit site, but the fashions in spectacles were similar. If you go to the top of the page and click on period, it will give you their current stock for that choice. E-mail them if you are seeking something in particular, they are very helpful.
All their stock are original, some even have the optician's details. The last pair I bought had a bill of sale that was quaint really. Our currency went metric over forty years ago, so to see an invoice in the long defunct shilling was, well, classic.

 

[Dinerman]

I also have a followup question: what would be a good lens color if you are having new lenses put in? Thanks.

About a 50% green.

 

[Miss Sis]

I have 1930s sunglasses that are cream with green lenses. They were quite common. I have also seen cream with blue lenses.

Here's a pic of Bette Davis wearing some.

 

[Joan Holloway]

I have 1930s sunglasses that are cream with green lenses. They were quite common. I have also seen cream with blue lenses.

Here's a pic of Bette Davis wearing some.

Those are lovely! I have ones like these, but I don't know if they're really "Golden Era":

 

[Miss Sis]

These are more 1950s with the cats eye sweep, but I'm not so knowledgeable about that part of the Golden Era, so I can't say how popular white frames were then.

 

[Alice Blue]

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice. I've seen some reasonable white or clear sunglasses on Ebay now and then, but have hesitated because I have a fairly strong (and expensive) prescription, and I might get more bang for the buck by finding roundish vintage specs and matching them to some clip-ons, if such a thing can be done. There seem to be a lot of roundish Calobar clipons on Ebay, if I can just figure out how to match them to the right frame.

 

[Alice Blue]

I'm also seeing celluloid (frame) sunglasses on Ebay that I'm wondering about. An American Optical pair just went by, and now there is an identical-looking pair marked Cesco 2. In both cases, there is no padding on the cable where it wraps around your ear. Is that the way they are supposed to be?

 

[Dinerman]

Yes.

 

[Alice Blue]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Alice Blue]

Well that's interesting. I asked a dealer about fitting a pair of 1930s celluloid glasses with prescription lenses, and he thought that the celluloid might break and that I should look for acetate. However I see that in another thread here on the Lounge, another person received the exact opposite advice - if I am reading the message correctly, it's a bit confusing.

I asked him about fitting lenses to celluloid and he advised not to go to acetate (modern plastic).

 

[Edward]

Can't comment on vintage materials, but.... I had a pair of plastic frames some years back (modern but a bit Michael Caine as Harry Palmer style). I had them re-lensed once before opticians declined to fit them up the third time, telling me that the plastic wouldn't support a third heat stretch and shrink to hold the lenses in place properly. I suppose bakelite might also be brittle with age?

 

[Dinerman]

 

[Lauren]

A note of caution on the celluloid frames. They are lovely, but can be delicate. If you're going for a pair for daily wear, finding a repo pair or one with the aesthetics of old can be a good bet. I have a great celluloid pair, but I use them sparingly, as they are precious enough to me to not want to be without them when special events come up.

 

[swinggal]

I have 1930s sunglasses that are cream with green lenses. They were quite common. I have also seen cream with blue lenses.

Here's a pic of Bette Davis wearing some.

My Nana had this exact pair in the 30s. White with green lenses. I used to wear them as dress up when I was about 6!! Wish I had of kept them I only have frames in clear and yellow now.

 

[swinggal]

I just reslised I am wearing the yellow ones in my avatar

 

[Ying Ko]

I have a related question regarding sunglass frames. Were colored plastics, like white or butterscotch, more for women than men? Or were these colors considered unisex?

Generally speaking, I've always bought frames that matched my hair color, i.e. either tortoise or black. But I think with sunglasses it's okay to get a little weird and fun, since, presumably when wearing sunglasses one is out having fun.

I ask because I saw these sunglasses at See Eyewear. Forties-styled, made in France. 7-barrel hinges, with three rivets on the frame and two rivets on the temple. I really like the butterscotch color for the Forties novelty aspect of it, but I'm not sure if the color looks good on my face. But I'd wear them just for the sheer "Forties-ness" of the color. The amber is a nice color as well, but I've got lots of tortoise frames already.

This model is called the See 7110 Sun:

http://www.seeeyewear.com/index.aspx