For centuries, different styles have been the go-to off-screen legends and everyday women alike. The retro cat-eye glasses have made a great comeback in the industry. Thanks to different famous brands who have made these glasses come back and make people’s favorite pair of glasses again. We are talking about the cat-eye glasses, but where did it all start? Read the article to know about your favorite pair of glasses.
Outline of Cat-Eye Glasses
Cat-eye glasses were the first eyewear made for women. Deviating from the male-dominated eyewear industry, Altina Schinasi Miranda invented these glasses. When these glasses were first made, her design was rejected by many famous brands (Ray-Ban). She had made this design in the late 1920s and had struggled a lot to get her design approved by people. Then she went to a local optical store where her design was approved and was sold to famous and rich women.
Recently brands like Gucci and Celine have taken up the mantle from Adam Selman x Le Specs in keeping the cat-eye glasses renaissance alive. Various interpretations started to begin from the upper west as people like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe started wearing cat-eye glasses.
Beginning of the real cat-eye tale
We have many people to thank, especially the American filmmaker Altina Schinasi Miranda who has invented these glasses. She was passing by an optician’s store in New York and was mesmerised by the unisex eyewear frames on display. A famous quote- “ People will stare, make that worthwhile” and hence the idea of making the cat-eye glasses came to his mind. She thought of making eyeglasses for women and hence designed the cat-eye glasses exclusively for women. She was inspired by famous Venetian Harlequin masks and thus Harlequin (later known as cat-eye) was born.
The Harlequin glasses coincided with the other type of glasses namely “pantoscopic” tilt. In 1931, the American Optical introduced the Ful Vue- the first-ever pantoscopic frame. For the first time, hinges were placed on the upper part of the frame by putting down on the wearer’s face. Making the owl look out of fashion, various other styles have been introduced to people making the eyewear more popular and flexible among people.
She had first sold her glasses to high-profile women like American author Clare Boothe Luce and actress Katherine Cornell. By the end of the 1930s, the harlequin glasses became so famous and popular that Altina started her own company and distributed them. In 1939, she was given the American design award by Lord and Taylor for restructuring the eyewear industry and transforming the eyewear into a fashion accessory.
The golden era of the 1950s
Just 2 years after World War II ended, Christian Dior revealed the new look: nipped, hour-shaped glasses and an A-line skirt. The cat-eye glasses had an outer upsweep which was specially made to highlight the facial features of women. These glasses paired well with Dior’s silhouette.
Due to the demand for eyeglasses, the production of eyeglasses increased and hence the fashion changed. These pairs help to shape the new look of a person with different types of outfits and luckily they matched every outfit. One can get the vintage look with the cat-eye glasses when they buy glasses online.
Renaissance of Cat-eye glasses
There were huge transformations of these glasses from the first day they were invented to the present day. These glasses have gained more popularity as the years’ pass. Cat-eye glasses became the favourites of women. Women started to dress differently with these glasses and surprised people with the creation of every look.
Cat-eye glasses gained more popularity when famous people like Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, and others started wearing these glasses and styling them differently with each of their outfits. This did not end here. Cat-eye glasses got more acclamation as sunglasses. Cat-eye sunglasses have earned more fame before and during the retro era.
Various celebrities became famous for their look with cat-eye glasses. They are remembered by people for their look with the cat-eye glasses and making the glasses more popular and flexible for people.
Since these glasses were worn by various celebrities and famous people, these glasses used to come under the royal glasses. But as the days passed by, these glasses became common to people and common folks started wearing the frames and enjoyed the beauty of the glasses.
These glasses went through various transformations, from materials to the modification of the designs. Every time it went through a transformation, people accepted the new version of glasses and thought of styling them differently. Thus these glasses have never gone out of style. Instead, they have created a special look for every woman.
Cat-eye glasses are now available in various sizes and various other forms. Cat-eye sunglasses are now available in various colour tints and they look smart and appealing on every woman. These glasses are suitable for almost every face shape and are also suitable everywhere.
These glasses consist of a variety of styles, such as bold and sophisticated and also funky and gorgeous. Each pair is suitable for different purposes, but one can wear the glasses in a contract fashion. Thus one can make the most out of these glasses.
Whether you have prescription glasses or you wear eyeglasses for fashion, every woman should have a pair of cat-eye glasses in their closet; especially the oval face-shaped people/ Cat-eye glasses are suitable for almost every face shape, but oval face shape suits them best. These glasses highlight the facial features and make the face more prominent and appealing. Wearing cat-eye on any occasion makes a woman stand out in the crowd as these glasses will grab the attention of people.
Hence it can be concluded that these cat-eye glasses have a great impact on the lives of every woman and it marked the era of the beginning of the female glasses.
Alton Clarke was born and raised in Syracuse. He has written for MSNBC, The Business Insider and Passport Magazine. In regards to academics, Alton earned a degree from St. John’s University. Alton covers entertainment and culture stories here at Diving daily.