The present day optical environment with its super charged and prevailing atmosphere undoubtedly gives a leading edge stress on frame embellishment today. Eyewear designs are not only used as a correction aid but also to feed the aesthetic side. A huge demand on fashionable and innovative frame designs has hit the market. Although there are no big or radical changes that you can fathom out rightly. But we do see some subtle ones where the existing frames are used as a basis for an innovative new look.
The present day scenario, the twenty first century stipulates original designs, never seen before shapes. We have crystals, changeable sides , frames with frontal bow, the iconic foldables, luxurious solid gold, oversized, colorful fancy frames ,rubberized materials ,ultra light titanium, no screw designs ,the high performance flexible. Multiplicity has got into the all familiar eyewear arena.
This was not always so! Turning the pages back we see that the crave towards frames as a fashion accessory originated in the 80s-90s and increasing number of eyewear manufacturers and fashion houses immensely affected the optical market albeit positively. Aviators and Polaroid's were the makers of this era. Revolutionary breakthrough, which are a rage even today.
In the 60s , huge oversized frames were popular, almost large enough to cover half the face. Artificially decorated frames and retro looks made a place in the fashion and disco world. This vigorously affected the both American and European culture. The movement which had a great impact on the eyewear was optical art which expressed the style of visual art that makes use of optical illusions.
In the 50s, poles apart type of eyewear specifically for women was introduced, also known as the cat eye eyewear. The end pieces of the spectacles models were engraved and decorated. Then popular nylon eyewears were endorsed more by men, they looked as if the lenses were hung onto them. Hollywood film stars subsidized the esteem of the sunglasses worldwide.
30s saw the rise of carl-zeiss and Bausch and Lomb as well as the rise of Pento shaped aviators models. These models are gaining popularity again as retro designs.
During the first and Second World War time, unique fashion cum durable eyewear design were popular, the mask eyewear and pex eyewear. The masks had no temples but only two ribbons to be looped whereas pex was celluloid with stripe tortoise shell design.
The frame as we see has a very interesting historical and cultural past. Slowly and gradually evolving to what we see today, In the process changing totally the dispensing zone .initially considered as boring and dull has now become a major fashion and luxury item, an accessory that personifies style statement and is sought after by each and every one!
