Vintage Eyeglasses

[SteveAS]

The nosepads themselves were what was cutting into me, although they were also the soft silicon. There was also an uncomfortable pressure right behind my ears.

I wonder if the temples were too short?

 

[MisterGrey]

I had 140mm, which is only 5mm short than my 145 usual, and I've managed pretty well with 140mm in the past when I'd gotten glasses without realizing the temple length was short.

I think it may have just been a fluke.

 

[Puzzicato]

Scott, I wear Ronsirs, and have a few pairs of Raybans as well. (The Raybans are standard sunglasses, worn occasionally with contacts; my Ronsirs are prescription lensed). To the best of my knowledge, Raybans come in, I think, two sizes.... that said, I bought all mine used, so they may have changed that more recently. For what it may be worth, an optician once advised me against spending the big money on a pair of Raybans if I was only going to pop out the lenses to fit a prescription set - "the quality of the lenses is what you pay most of the money for with those". [huh] I do feel myself that the Ronsirs are just that little bit more robust, though not enough to be worth worrying about if you happened to fall in with a pair of Raybans for buttons (a used pair of Raybans with good frames would be a cheap way of getting a browline style...). The Ronsirs are available in a wider range of styles - more colours, choice of leg styles (I'm a fan of the curved, cable legs myself - not an option in the Clubmasters), and choice of silver or goldtone metal parts. Dealing direct with Shuron, they cannot be beaten on price.

Another option for the browline style that your optician may carry is Tom Ford - they do a slightly more modern take on the classic style, but still nice.

I must confess that when I spotted you in the street the other day I recognised your glasses first!

 

[AlanC]

I picked up these Lafont Reeditions yesterday ("Concerto" model):

 

[Young fogey]

I'm about to get some Shuron browlines. It's between the Ronsir Zyl and the Ronsir Revelation. Thoughts?

 

[univibe88]

Contact Shuron directly, they will send you a couple pairs of each to try. I don't want to taint your opinion with mine. Just try on both and see what you like better.

 

[Young fogey]

Found Nusirs. Perfect. Same shape as Ronsir Zyls but smaller, both more old-fashioned and better for my face. Looking forward to wearing them within the week.

 

[Young fogey]

Got the Nusirs

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Bourne ID]

I've always gone with round wire frames in the past, though I'd try out something with a 50" feel, a la Buddy Holly!

 

[redtag]

I've always gone with round wire frames in the past, though I'd try out something with a 50" feel, a la Buddy Holly!

Looking at your glasses makes me realize something. What may be trendy today may also become trendy in the future. I have few friends who wear the same frame as you do. And, nice glasses by the way.

 

[Dapper Dave]

I'd like to get a pair of the round gold frame glasses like Tommy Dorsey's.

 

[brylcreem boy]

Thanks for the advice.

Those are almost exactly what I am looking for. where did you go to find them may I ask? Those look sharp!

 

[FedoraFan112390]

Glasses

Hey--

Was wondering what style/type of glasses these are? This photo is of my great grandfather, taken in 1945. I ask cause I think his pair looks cool, especially compared to the very common square shape of today

Also, a second question: Does it look like my great grandpa had a mustache, or is it just shadowing in the photos? (Pictures taken in 1930s, 1940s)

 

[Shangas]

In my opinion, great grandpa had a moustache. Maybe a small one. And I reckon those are just regular, circular-shaped, metal (gold?)-framed spectacles. My grandmother used to have a pair similar to those. God knows what she did with them, but I remember them distinctly as a child. She only wore them for special occasions.

 

[scotrace]

Those look like clear plastic to me. Ben Silver carries them now.

There is an extensive thread on glasses. We'll try to find it and link/merge.

 

[Richard Warren]

Those glasses look to me pretty close to the Anglo American model 406, in clear plastic.

http://www.eyeglasses.com/glasses/anglo-american/aa406.html

 

[tonyb]

Sure looks to me like Great Grandpa wore a moustache.

And I'm with Scott on this one. Those look like clear plastic frames -- "crystal," I've heard it called. Had a pair myself, about 30 years ago.

 

[FedoraFan112390]

It's kind of interesting to see how eyeglass trends are:

1930s-1940s: Large, roundish frames (more English than American) and pince-nez glasses (FDR)

1950s-1960s: Small round frames (Harry Truman); Thick framed (either black rimmed or clear rimmed) square-ish or ovalish glasses (think Dwight D. Eisenhower)

1960s-1970s: Square, black rimmed or half rimmed glasses (LBJ, Nixon), thick rimmed square glasses (Barry Goldwater), or, for the youth, small roundish glasses (John Lennon)

1980s: Aviator style eyeglasses and variants on that, Squareish frames, medium-to-large oval glasses; Elvis style eyeglasses.

Early-mid 1990s: Medium to large oval frames (think Jerry Garcia in the 90s); Square frames (think today's glasses), Aviator varient eyeglasses

Mid-late 90s: Square frames (still present as the dominent trend), medium to large oval frames (now virtually nonexistant), a small revival of the small Lennon style eyeglasses, Aviator varient eyeglasses (but mostly for middle aged and younger people).

The trend has kind of remained the same since the late 90s, with small square frames being the dominant kind, along with rimless variants. Older people still wear aviator eyeglasses, but they're mostly like people in their 50s and above. There's a small trend beginning towards larger frames again, along with a small niche popularity of Steve Jobs-esque rimless roundish frames.

 

[univibe88]

Those glasses look to me pretty close to the Anglo American model 406, in clear plastic.

http://www.eyeglasses.com/glasses/anglo-american/aa406.html

I agree

 

[Orgetorix]

Edit: Wow, great minds think alike. I hadn't seen univibe's post ^ before I wrote this.

Here are my new frames. They're new, but definitely a classic look--they're the Anglo American 406, which is a classic Trad/Ivy League staple, in crystal. Sorta like LBJ's above, but slightly more round.

This was a try-on shot as soon as I received the frames. They're currently at the optician's getting lenses installed.