History of glasses: Cat-eye and Aviator sunglasses

Read on to know the rich history of sunglasses and how they became a vessel of change and revolution in the past.
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Sunglasses: A vessel to the rich history of the glasses realm 

After withstanding the time cycle there are a few glasses that have been a thing for almost a century. Yes, there have been glasses that have witnessed the changes of time and ideas, and all for good. Aviators and cat-eye are the glasses that have been a trend for quite a long time and will be here for the coming years as well. 

But one must definitely know that there have been various changes and hurdles these glasses faced during their time of evolution.

A vessel of a groundbreaking change and a war of time and that is exactly how we are encountering these glasses in the 21st century. While wearing a piece of accessories or clothing we usually do not realise the significance these items carry. And there are several stories that have not been told or shared and the same thing has happened with cat-eye and aviator sunglasses. 

We will be extensively discussing the enticing history of these glasses, and how they survived the journey of being among the top picks. 

Cat-eye sunglasses 

Just like any other day, designer and filmmaker Altina Schinasi went to get herself a pair of glasses. After several visits, Schinasi was not satisfied with the unisex collection she came across. From being out of taste and giving a complete owlish look when worn, no pair could actually please her. In the male prioritised eyewear industry, she felt the lack of women’s representation and fashion. The lack of style and choices in the eyewear industry was boring and completely out of taste. 

Inspired by the Harlequin Mask, she decided to design glasses with uplift and hinges right at the upliftment making the lens bend towards the uplift. Before being known as cat-eye glasses these glasses came to be known as Harlequin glasses.

Acceptance to changes 

These glasses were actually designed in the late 20s, which was the time when the eyewear industry was majorly male-dominated. The design Altina came up with was rejected by several optical stores due to a more complex design than the usual, it was designed in such a way that it would majorly fit the female population. These glasses were a perfectly feminine and glamorous choice that would lift the personality in no time, an instant style booster. 

She finally found a store that accepted her design and sold them to a few high-profile women. These glasses actually gained momentum since then and became a common name after good popularity among popular people. 

These glasses started being widely used in the movies, much when our ever-glamorous Marilyn Monroe donned these felines to fit glamorously in her movies. These glasses started being widely used by the people, many advertisements were also run for the glasses calling them a perfect partner for women. 

Cycle of time 

There have been various changes that have been witnessed within the cycle of time, cat-eye glasses have gone through some drastic changes as well where they went from narrow to all oversized to super big and bold and punky that is exactly what cat-eye sunglasses have been. The bold look has always been enticing, if you want to know how an oversized cat-eye sunnies would look, just go through a few of the pictures of Jackie Kennedy and her selections of sunglasses, a style that was acclaimed and loved by many. 

Then came the giant in the fashion industry and soon changed with the cycle of time to bright colours and pop shades, yes you have entered the 90s and Y2K. This trend actually stole the star of the era, where people went all out and expressed them with colours. 

Aviator sunglasses 

These glasses have been more than just a fashion accessory and that is what we are going to read about. An important occasion led to the formation of a practical solution. It even benefited hundreds of aviators around the world. 

Used as eye protection for the aviators during World War, due to the issues faced by the pilots at high altitudes during the war. These were introduced to protect the eyes of the pilots from the harsh wind and strong glare from the sun.

Its teardrop shape actually provided wide protection to the eyes of the aviators. 

After the war, these glasses became a thing for celebrities and were being much donned by the people. Various pictures of people wearing aviator glasses from the war were printed in newspapers. People started adoring the high hunk look these glasses offered, and they were quite different from the glasses that were available at that time.

Ray-Ban made aviator glasses a fashion statement in themselves, thin metal frames made them super comfortable and they were super sleek in style. This is the reason why pilots asked for the replacement of the chunky equipment they have to wear to protect their eyes. 

Take of Hollywood 

The popularity of Hollywood has never been in a decline and anything that appears on it becomes popular itself without much effort, and that is the best part about it. In one way or the other, these glasses maintained their dominance from pilots to people to celebrities. We all remember Tom Cruise in those black aviators in Top Gun, we all wished to have at least one pair. And that is the thing about aviators: there are occasions these glasses are to be paired with and actually it’s a pretty tough deal to break. 

We are pretty sure that each one of you will definitely have a pair of aviator sunglasses right in your wardrobe and no one could break free from the style choices these glasses offer. 

Black sunglasses 

Do you know which colour is accustomed to going in with every occasion without much effort? You guessed it right, it’s none other than the black sunglasses, they are an absolute cult favourite so if you are looking for the safest yet stylish option to go for this season then you just got the right frame around the corner. 

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By Olivia Bradley

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