Retro Sunglasses
From LoveToKnow Sunglasses
Classifying Shades as Retro Sunglasses
All retro sunglasses aren’t the big round ones found in classic Hollywood films. There are also aviator styles and futuristic styles that stem from anywhere between the 1960s and the 1980s. Think Audrey Hepburn and Jackie O, then think Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future. The "retro" styles are just as different as they are.
There’s also the difference between actual "retro" glasses (the ones that were actually made during the 60s-80s) and retro "style" glasses that simply try to replicate the timeless designs.
Big, Bold, and Usually Beautiful
Retro sunglasses are generally big. They’re bold; they scream, "Look at me!" In a lot of cases, the big and the bold combinations are also beautiful. This is one of the most classic styles of sunglasses. Think of Jackie O in her well-fitted suits with her big, black "O" sunglasses before the whole country. They are one of the ultimate symbols in retro sunglasses.
The Bridge
As with aviator styles, retro glasses for men often have the same sort of bridge. Those bridges have not one but two bars across the top (in some cases, like this one from Fossil], there are even more than two bars). The top bar goes straight across from one lens top to the other.
Retro-Futuristic Styles
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, some sunglasses were designed to look futuristic. Those styles are still around today. They’re not too big, and they attempt to look sleek and sporty. They curve to fit the wearer’s face. Check these out for an example; they’re from Spy. Here is the women’s version.
Style vs. Age
There’s retro style and then there’s retro. Retro style is a tribute to the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Retro is finally cleaning out the glove box of that ’84 Oldsmobile and finding your own old favorite pair of glasses from the early 1980s.
If you’ve found a pair of old sunglasses you’d love to wear, but the lenses are scratched beyond wearability or they have a prescription in them that isn’t yours, it’s often possible to take them to an optical shop or an eyeglass lab to have new lenses put in without damaging the frames.
Depending on where you go, new lenses could take anywhere from an hour to a few weeks. You can pick your tint—go as dark as you like. You can also have your own prescription put in in the meantime.
No prescription? No problem. Optical shops can still insert “plano” lenses, which are just plastic lenses with no prescription at all.
Keep in mind that unless you have a sentimental value attached to the sunglasses you’ve found, your pocketbook may come out better if you just purchase some replica retro glasses from somewhere like Target or Wal-Mart. Plano lenses at an optical shop are likely to still cost a bit more than a brand new pair of plastic glasses.
Who Wears Them
Since big sunglasses are back in style, the better question would probably be, “Who doesn’t wear them?” You can see retro sunglasses on small town middle school girls and heiresses in the spotlight like Paris Hilton.
Why We Love Them
Bigger styles equal more eye protection, and that should always be an important factor when you’re choosing any sunglasses (unless you plan to wear them only at night for some reason). The UV protection in bigger lenses not only protects your corneas, but it also helps protect the delicate skin around your eyes from wrinkles and skin cancer.
Get Some
Valentino has a very nice selection of Retro styles. The lenses are big; the colors are bold yet neutral. They’re everything you’re looking for.
80spurple.com--how can you not want to check out a store with a name like that? They have huge sunglasses in big, round plastic styles and aviator styles.
At AnySunglasses.com you may have to sift through some quirky styles like beer mug party glasses, but amongst the silly styles, there are Elvis-inspired and cat eye styles that would make men in gold suits and women with bouffant hair proud.
Learn More
This page has been accessed 6,167 times. This page was last modified 03:08, 9 May 2007.
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