Cause A Frockus

A Beginner’s Guide to Vintage Sunglasses

Oct 13, 2013 | by Becky Oeltjenbruns

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Laurie from Minneapolis has been collecting vintage sunglasses for about a year and can already number her collection to around ten key pieces. One of her favorite pairs came from a chance discussion with her eye doctor: a first edition pair of “Made in USA” women’s Ray- Bans! What’s her favorite thing about retro eye-wear?

“You can mix it up and wear a pair that suits your mood and reflects your feelings for the day.”

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Laurie’s advice for new collectors is simple: buy what you love and what speaks to you. However it’s important, as with any purchase, to be as informed as possible when you start pulling out your wallet.

Six important things to consider when you find a pair you like:

1. The key thing to look for in plastic frames is cracks. Older plastic can be brittle and break during lenses replacement. Be sure to have any repair work done by a trustworthy professional. Consulting your regular eye doctor is a good first step in finding a vintage eye wear specialist. Laurie recommends a thorough chat with your optician to make sure they feel comfortable when working on vintage frames. Be sure to ask if they’ve worked on older glasses before, what will be involved in the repairs, and if they see any obstacles to completing their work. Your optician should look the frames over and evaluate them prior to doing any reconstruction. Stress that they look first before they do any work. When you set your budget, be sure to include the additional cost of replacing the lenses. This will most likely be required, but should be done at the standard rate set by your optician.
2. Be careful with cleaning – especially around any detailed portions of the frame. If you have questions about cleaning, most opticians are happy to help walk you through this process. Don’t be afraid to ask – after all, this is an investment in your fashion identity!
3. Remember that these glasses may not be the “work horses” of your eye-wear collection. Depending on their condition, they may be for light wear only. This is something to consider as you’re establishing your budget.  For example, Laurie has a gold rimmed pair from the 1960s that she saves specifically for trips to the beach.
4. Keep in mind that you don’t have to spend a lot to find a great pair of frames with personality. Laurie averages about $150 per frame (including the lens replacement cost). Laurie found a great cat eye frame that was inscribed with the name of the previous owner, her city, and the date (April 1962) on the temple. Apparently that was standard practice not long ago and discovering fun facts like this is a great reason to keep on collecting.
5. Figure out what you love – for Laurie it’s the level of detail (floral motifs with rhinestones for example) and a strong 1950s/1960s shape. When you know what you like it’s easier to determine which purchases are more critical for your collection (and what is worth added investment).
6. Keep in mind what style looks good with your face shape. Here’s a great, free resource for finding which frame styles match your face shape: http://www.lenscrafters.com/lc-us/face-shape. Make note of the results from your test and be on the lookout for similar vintage shapes!

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Two Classic Brands You’ll Want in Your Collection

A Brief History of Ray-Ban

One of the most iconic and well known eye-wear brands, Ray-Ban got its start in 1937 as a branch of Bausch and Lomb. Its infamous aviator style was a product of necessity rather than fashion. During the 1920s U.S. Air Service pilots were discovering the joys (and pains) of flying. Glare from the sun and sky was giving many servicemen severe headaches. In 1929 General John MacCready asked Bausch and Lomb to help design a solution. In 1936 “anti-glare” lenses were ready for prototyping and a year later the stylish metal framed “Ray-Ban Aviator” was on the market. The popularity of this classic style was only masked by the Wayfarer. Launched in 1952 this plastic frame skyrocketed to fame in the 1955 flick Rebel Without a Cause. (What can we say, James Dean makes anything look cool) Many other celebrities followed, including Ms. Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Great Retro Style | Victory Eye-Wear

While this brand doesn’t have the overwhelming following Ray-Ban has enjoyed, it is a desirable find for any collection! Founded in 1941 by Vincent J. Salierno, this New Jersey-based company grew to be one of the country’s largest eye-wear manufacturers. Characterized by the trademark “V” logo that is found on the tip of the right temple or on the front of the frame, a pair of Victory’s are easy to pick out due to their mod styling. Some of their more well known frames are the Vicki, El Ria, Miss Exec, Tang, Roman, and the Emissary.

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Cause A Frockus would like to thank our tremendous resources: Laurie from Minneapolis, Wikipedia, LensCrafters, Victory Collection, Ray-Ban, the Smithsonian Institute, and the wonderful people who put their images up on Wikipedia Commons without restriction.

We’d love to see a picture of you rocking your favorite pair of vintage sunglasses. Be a part of our collecting community – post a comment and submit a picture! Have a vintage collection and want to be featured in a future article? Let us know in the comments.

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