If you wear glasses for vision correction or even are a regular sunglasses wearer, your glasses can take a lot of daily wear and it is not unusual for people who wear glasses to go through a pair of glasses every few years.

But there is an idea that things made in the past were often made better and antique wire rimmed glasses are one product where this often holds true. Unlike many of the classic frames of today that are imported and designed to get you through a year or two before styles change, vintage gold filled glasses were built to last for decades, if not a lifetime. Even more than 100 years later, these original vintage glasses are still some of the highest quality you can find.

Why Gold Filled Glasses Offer Dependable Quality?

 

Glasses in the 19th century were not designed to be stylish. In fact, styles stayed largely the same across the decades, and most people expected to use their eyeglasses year over year, only changing out the lenses when greater vision correction became necessary. 

With glasses at the time, this was also often possible. The most common materials in the late 1800s and early 1900s for glasses were metals. Those that were available at the time included steel, nickel, and, most often, gold. The development of plastics was not yet at a point where they could be used to make a dependable pair of glasses.

This meant vintage frames already had the benefit of being made of durable metals. Gold filled frames in particular were often of exceptional quality. For gold filling, the manufacturers use several incredibly thin sheets of gold and wrap one around another, continuing the process until they have created a wire of the desired width. They form these wires into the shape of the rims and temples. With gold filled glasses, the wire is solid gold so that the metal will not rub away as it would with gold plating. 

As glasses moved into the 20th century and manufacturers started to begin competing to create a better looking and more functional pairs of glasses, they added features like decorative carving into the rims and nose pads. The earliest nose pads were made of the same metal as the rest of the glasses before the shorter wearing Bakelight and later cellulose acetate plastics became standard for nose pads.

By this point, glasses were no longer being individually made either and had been moved into mass production, including by several American companies, such as:

• Shuron
• American Optical 
• Art-Craft
• Universal Optical

The result of these antique glasses designs was a pair of beautifully made vintage frames, ranching from plain to slightly more ornamental, and constructed of layers of precious metal. This is not to say that vintage gold wire rimmed glasses should not still be handled with care. Gold is a soft material that can bend or scratch, and the hardware can weaken over time as well. 

But when you look at the innate quality with which these vintage glasses are made, it is easy to see the benefits they can have over more modern spectacles in addition to their fantastic vintage style.

The gold filled rimmed glasses in our inventory at Eyeglasses Warehouse, including many of which are already over 100 years old, are of such quality that they are still wearable as your daily spectacles or sunglasses simply by updating the lenses to your prescription. Find your perfect pair of vintage glasses in our online glasses store or browse from the many other high quality vintage frame styles we have available.

The 1920s was a time of change, and one of the most notable areas was in women’s fashion. Young women especially threw off the last of the Victorian sensibilities that had dominated the 19th century and embraced short dresses and short hair. The other piece of their new look could often include the newly fashionable sunglasses in the same styles the rising movie stars out in sunny Hollywood were now sporting. 

But changing styles meant a change in the products women needed, and fortunately, the accessories that were now out of style offered an easy transition into new sunglasses. One unexpected accessory that became the ideal switch for vintage women’s glasses? Hair combs.

The Fall of the Hair Comb and Rise of Sunglasses

For centuries, hairstyles for women in many cultures required extremely long hair, often down to the waist at least, that they would style into elaborate updos. The hair comb was a key styling tool for many of these hair arrangements. It was both an ornamental piece and a functional one. Antique hair combs usually measured between three and five inches long and consisted of a set of comb teeth topped with a decorative piece.

The teeth helped to secure the style in place once the hair was styled, and the ornamental part of the comb would be on display as part of the style. The hair comb could range from simple to highly decorated, often with gold accents, gemstones, pearls, or ornate carvings. With all the different options, women would own multiple hair combs to match their different outfits.

Throughout this time, hair combs were made from a variety of different materials, including:

• Wood 
• Metal 
• Ivory 
• Tortoise Shell
• Horn 

By the early 1900s, the most common material was a plastic called zyl, which was lightweight, easy to shape, and affordable.

But as women began cutting off their hair in the 1920s to achieve the Flapper bob style, there was suddenly no need for hair combs since there was no long hair to style. At the same time, sunglasses were coming in style. They had started out as a functional accessory for movie stars spending all day in the Southern California sunshine. But in the 1920s, as now, fashions that began in Hollywood often soon spread out to the masses.

This is where makers of combs were able to find their niche. The same plastic material that hair combs were made out of was also the best material for sunglasses. The easy manufacturing, lightweight and comfortable wearing, and low cost worked as well for glasses frames as it did for hair combs.

Many of the companies that manufactured hair combs for women quickly updated their production lines and began turning out vintage sunglasses for women instead. For the companies that did, it soon became apparent that they had made the right decision as the popularity of sunglasses boomed and the market became far more lucrative than hair combs ever were.

While a few of these original 1920s sunglasses still survive today, they are often fragile due to the materials used at the time. Instead, it is easy to get this look with a pair of retro horn rimmed sunglasses from Eyeglasses Warehouse. Our glasses can be customized with tinted lenses for high quality pair of sunglasses with a distinctly Jazz Age appeal. Check out all the styles we have available here on our website.

For a fresh summer look, wire rim sunglasses are currently on trend, and it is easy to see why. The subtle wire frames, often in silver or gold, are a great way to offset a pair of neutral color tinted lenses for a classic look or give a metallic compliment to brightly colored lenses for a pair of sunglasses that are more fun.

Although you can find trendy wire rimmed sunglasses almost everywhere, vintage wire rim sunglasses have a fantastic, unique look that you cannot get with newer frames.

Antique Wire Rimmed Frames for Sunglasses 

Wire rimmed glasses were one of the first frame styles and their adaptability and classic appeal mean that wire frames are always in style. A pair of vintage sunglasses with wire frames have multiple benefits as well, such as being relatively more durable when compared to plastic and coming in a range of different shapes and styles that let you pick the wire sunglass look that you like best:

• Antique 19th Century Wire Rim Glasses – Metal glasses from the 1800s, usually in gold or steel, are one of the most distinguishable vintage looks. The lenses, which are often oval or rectangular, are generally small, which is extremely distinguishable and stylish for a great vintage look. These wire frames sunglasses are best with blue and blue or amber lenses. 
• Windsor Glasses – The circular lenses and saddle bridge of Windsor glasses are a notable look that transcends many decades of style. You can get the vintage appeal or the look of John Lennon sunglasses with a pair of retro round glasses.
• Ful-Vue Glasses – These are the glasses that dominated the first half of the 1900s in eyewear. Although slightly more modern than the previous century with features like nose pads that make them more comfortable to wear, Marshwood glasses still exude vintage charm and are a perfect way to have your own unique take wire rimmed sunglasses.

You can find genuine vintage wire rimmed glasses in all of these styles available in our inventory at Eyeglasses Warehouse, and each pair of glasses is ready to have existing lenses changed out by your optician to become a pair of custom sunglasses. See all of our vintage styles available and come back frequently as the options change.

You have dozens of different vintage sunglass types you can choose from. From standard horn rimmed glasses to timeless aviators to vintage cat eye sunglasses, there are a number of looks you can choose from for sunglasses that exude vintage charm.

But no pair of vintage sunglasses is as unique as pince nez sunglasses. Pince nez were a type of spectacle that was the height of style in the 1890s and early 1900s, particularly among women and the upper class, so it made sense for this style to also become a style for antique sunglasses that surprisingly has remained highly relevant today. 

Wearing Pince Nez Sunglasses with Modern Wardrobes 

The pince nez style of eyewear forgoes temples and instead holds the glasses in place by pinching the nose. Pince nez name comes from the French for “pinch nose.”

Historically, the spectacles were often kept on a chain around the neck or attached to the clothes and the wearer could slip them on quickly by using the bridge spring to create tension that would hold the sunglasses on the note bridge of the nose whenever they stepped out to the sun.

Pince nez glasses developed a reputation for not being extremely stable. But what they lack in function, they make up for in terms of style. Because they were only popular for about a 20 to 30 year period around the turn of the century, pince nez sunglasses have a decidedly vintage look that you cannot get with other sunglass frames.

They also bring an air of luxury to your eyewear, reflecting the style of 1890s academics and theater goers. Wearers also had to hold themselves with a certain poise in order to keep pince nez sunglasses from slipping off, which contributes to their refinement.

Although the popularity of pince nez sunglasses was relatively short, they are a look that has not faded from the world of fashion. There are many pop culture references and reasons to have a pair of vintage pince nez sunglasses for modern wear. Some of the ways that these vintage glasses have stood out in more recent years include:

• Film – In the movie The Matrix, Morpheus wears a pair of dark black pince nez sunglasses that brought this look back to the public in the 1990s.
• Steampunk – Pince nez sunglasses are a fun option for steampunk costumes because of their retro style.
• Modern Designer Eyewear – A few contemporary designers have started offering retro pince nez sunglasses. These are new pieces, but with the same retro look as original pince nez sunglasses that are bringing this style back in as an innovative sunglass look.
• Ease of Wear – Putting on a pair of pince nez sunglasses is fast and offers a quick way to don sunglasses when lights get bright.

Although there are many replica pince nez sunglasses available today, nothing matches the sophistication of original antique eyewear. Eyeglasses Warehouse sells says a wide variety of pince nez frames that make a beautiful pair of sunglasses. Some of our grames have original tinted lenses in them or you can have your optician change out the lenses for you in the tint of your choice.

Pince nez sunglasses make for a beautiful, one of a kind pair of antique sunglasses. See all of the frames that we have available or check out other vintage sunglasses at Eyeglasses Warehouse.

There is an idea in the fashion world that everything comes back in style eventually and sunglasses are no exception. Based on design predictions from style experts, it seems that the rest 2022 will be the year that a lot of favorite vintage looks are back in. 

For many of the other sunglass trends this season, a pair of vintage glasses provide the perfect answer with a look that is still in style while letting you bring your own unique touch to fashion.

What Vintage Sunglasses to Wear This Summer

Many people say sunglasses are a more timeless fashion accessory with most looks never truly going out of style. Vintage sunglasses provide a range of classic books to choose from and enough room to always experiment with bold looks.

But if you want to focus on adding a few more trendy glasses to your vintage sunglass collection, look for vintage frames in these styles:

• Bright and Colorful – Glasses this year should be vibrant with jewel tones and pastels most in, but any color will work as long as it is bright. Some great options for colorful glasses include acetate cat eye glasses from the 1950s. The 70s and 80s also offer colorful cat eye glasses with a less defined shape. Vintage horn rimmed glasses with colored frames is another good look since they since their extra thick frames are great for showing off all that color. 
• Vintage 1970s Glasses – The 70s are here again in the fashion world and oversized frames are going to be in this summer. There is no better way to stay on trend than with authentic sunglass frames from the 1970s. Search our women’s cat eyeglasses from the 1970s to get this look.
• Early 2000s Sunglasses – The Y2K years are also back with a sleek and futuristic look. You can get this look with a pair of vintage rimless glasses by adding in your own large square lenses, preferably in a light tone or gradient.
• Angular Shapes – Embrace the bold looks of 2022 with fun shapes that have sharp corners or sweeping curves. Fortunately, vintage eyeglasses have a range of shapes to choose from. Favorites for this summer include cat eyeglasses (the pointy-er the better) and hexagonal wire rimmed glasses for a truly unique look.

Any bold pair of vintage glasses will always be in style, as are classic frames from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Eyeglasses Warehouse is the best place to look for vintage sunglasses frames with a wide selection of frames. You can customize your frames with your preferred sunglass lenses to create a pair of glasses no one else will have or get a classic look by wearing the original pairs that defined fashion like horn rimmed glasses in black or tortoiseshell, sleek vintage women’s glasses, rimless glasses, and more.

In addition to the original glasses from throughout the decades available in our inventory at Eyeglasses Warehouse, you will also find retro glasses modeled after classic styles but with modern wearers in mind. Browse all that we have to offer and start planning out your sunglass look for summer 2022.

For many people, sunglasses are an adventure accessory that goes along for everything from car trips and farmers’ markets to vacations and days on the lake. This can bring your sunglasses in contact with some potentially risky conditions, especially when you are sporting vintage sunglasses. These tend to be more fragile due to age and construction, as well as harder to replace.

The right care techniques can keep your vintage sunglasses in good condition, and all that is necessary is some changes to the way you wear and store your sunglasses to avoid damage to vintage frames and keep them looking and working well for decades.

Vintage Sunglasses Care

Where you wear your vintage sunglasses is up to you, but given the more delicate nature of frames, especially antique ones, many people will forgo wearing them in high activity situations where a modern day pair of sport sunglasses might work better. 

Instead, vintage sunglasses really stand out as fashionable sunglasses that can help keep the sun out of your eyes while driving, commuting, walking, beach going, and other day to day activities as long as you follow the following care steps:

• Don’t Use Your Shirt to Clean the Lenses – This goes for any other items you have on hand that are not explicitly for cleaning glasses, such as towels, napkins, and scarves. These items can have rough fibers and when you drag them across the lens’ surface, you will get permanent scratches. Reserve cleaning until you can clean your glasses with lens cleaner and a microfiber cloth.
• Don’t Set Your Glasses Lens-Side Down – When you set your glasses down on the lenses, they are at risk of scratching against whatever debris may be on the surface. The stems of your sunglasses are much harder to scratch from simply sitting down on a surface. 
• Don’t Hook Your Glasses Over Your Shirt – Hooking your glasses over the neck of your shirt makes sense at the moment, but when you bend over and they fall out, the impact can cause older cellulose acetate sunglasses to crack.
• Don’t Put Glasses on the Top of Your Head – Your head is wider than your temples and will stretch your glasses out, stressing the joints. You are also at risk of your glasses slipping off or falling.
• Store Your Glasses in a Case – Before you put your vintage sunglasses in a bag or purse, put them in their case first. Jostling around with other items in your bag can scratch the lenses and the rims or put too much pressure on the frames.
• Avoid Hot Cars – When you park your car outside in the summer, the temperature can easily reach well over 100. Cellulose acetate in vintage glasses is relatively durable, but it is a good idea to bring your glasses with you to avoid any unnecessary temperature stress on the plastic. 

An important part of vintage glasses care is to always keep a case with you wherever you go for sunglass storage. Since many vintage glasses no longer have their original cases, consider investing in a new case for each pair of glasses. This also gives you the option to buy one that fits your glasses and will keep them secure wherever you usually store them.

Eyeglasses Warehouse has a range of vintage sunglasses, offering all of the most popular frame styles from the 1900s, 1920s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and more. Each pair is in good wearable condition and ready to have new tinted lenses added so you can wear them over the following years, giving you a pair of glasses that will last for decades when you care for them correctly. See all the glasses we have available today.

Sunglasses are a fun way to experiment with eyewear accessories. They can be easily mixed and matched with different outfits and more avant-garde looks are often encouraged. When you want a more unique vintage style, cat eye sunglasses are often the best choice with their fun shapes, bright colors, and exciting embellishments.

Vintage cat eye glasses are often the perfect accessory to add some flair to your sun protection, but with the wide range of options available, it can be helpful to start with some style inspiration.

Cat Eye Glasses Frames that are Great for Sunglasses

Nearly a century old, the cat eye frame style offers a lot of different options to choose from. The quintessential 1950s cat eye sunglasses are always an iconic look while 1980s cat eye sunglasses are going to be a little closer to modern glasses, but with the perfect amount of charm. You can also create a pair of cat eye sunglasses that are uniquely you by choosing an authentic pair of metal cat eye frames and adding in your favorite color sunglass lenses.

For inspiration, some unique ideas for vintage cat eye sunglasses include:

• Silver Cat Eye Sunglasses – In the 1940s and early 50s, many women’s cat eye glasses were made from silver-toned metal. These thick metal frames will be unique on sunglasses but look great when catching the sunlight.
• Rhinestone Cat Eye Sunglasses – Rhinestones are to cat eye glasses as sunglasses are to days at the beach. A pair of cat eye sunglasses with rhinestones in the corner is not only perfect for that vintage look, but those rhinestones will look great when they sparkle outdoors.
• Tortoise Shell Cat Eye Sunglasses – A pair of tortoiseshell cat eye frames with dark lenses is a classic look reminiscent of some of the most glamorous stars of the 1950s and 60s.
• 1980s Cat Eye Sunglasses – As the decades went on, cat eye frames got larger. Cat eye glasses from these decades stand out, and the larger lenses can offer a little more sun protection as well. 
• Acetate Cat Eye Sunglasses – Colorful cat eye sunglasses make it possible to bring some personality to your eyewear and acetate glasses from the 1950s often came in a range of bright colors, making it possible to find the sunglasses that best match your style.

This list is only to get you started in searching for the right pair of cat eye sunglasses. Another good place to look for inspiration for the best style of vintage women’s sunglasses for you is in our selection of cat eye glasses at Eyeglasses Warehouse. We have several original cat eye sunglasses from the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and later as well as an extensive collection of optical quality cat eye frames that you can turn into your own pair of cat eye sunglasses. Check out all the classes we have available here to find your perfect pair.

Few glasses throughout history are as iconic as John Lennon’s round Windsor glasses from the 1960s and 70s. Almost as recognizable as the music of The Beatles, just seeing a pair of round wire rim glasses can bring to mind John Lennon, 1970s hippie culture, and vintage nostalgia.

Because of the importance of these glasses, this is a sunglasses look that has never gone out of style and whether you have a specific costume in mind or simply want to bring some 70s rock and roll to your daily look, a pair of John Lennon sunglasses is the best way to get this style.

How to Wear Sunglasses Like John Lennon 

Reportedly severely myopic, John Lennon experimented with a few different glasses looks in the early days of The Beatles before settling on Windsor glasses in the 1960s. This frame style was originally popular in the late 1800s and the first few years of the 1900s. By the time John Lennon was wearing Windsor glasses, they were already on a dated look.

These glasses have perfectly circular frames and a saddle bridge, usually without nose pads. The lenses tend to be smaller than modern day sunglasses and they are centered over the eyes.

Windsor glasses became John Lennon’s everyday eyeglasses, as well as his go-to sunglasses which he often wore with amber, pink, green, or blue lenses. Some Beatles historians suggest these tints helped to soften the glare of spotlights while Lenon was performing on stage.

When looking for John Lennon glasses to wear today, you have two options:

• Vintage Wire Rim Windsor Glasses – These are original to the early 1900s and closely mimic John Lennon’s style. You can most often find these in gold filled or silver tone steel frames. To turn them into sunglasses, have your optician replace the lenses with tinted ones in similar shades to what John Lennon might have worn.
• Retro John Lennon Sunglasses – Retro glasses are new glasses made with modern materials and manufacturing techniques, but closely replicate the styles of glasses that Lenon initially wore. As with authentic Windsor glasses, you can change out the lenses to your desired color for sunglasses. Retro glasses offer some additional flexibility if you need a certain size or want a brand new pair of glasses without signs of wear.

At Eyeglasses Warehouse, we offer both authentic and retro John Lennon sunglasses. Each pair of our antique round glasses has been sourced and checked for wearable quality, and many are 100 years old or more. Our line of retro John Lennon glasses are made to a high standard and have optical quality frames

compatible with any lens type.

Browse through the different options we have for vintage round sunglasses to find your preferred look and style, and get started achieving John Lennon’s legendary look with your own pair of wire round wire rimmed sunglasses.

With summer now in full swing and the sun out almost everywhere, summer wardrobes have already made their appearance. One of the most defining parts of a summer wardrobe is the sunglasses. 

Just like the sunglasses you wear this summer can be a defining part of your style (as well as keeping the sun out of your eyes), many of the best known looks throughout history and in film also depended on an eye catching pair of sunglasses. These are some of our favorite vintage sunglasses that would be great a great addition to your modern style this year.

Most Memorable Celebrity Sunglasses

There are some celebrities and fictional characters from movies that defined style for decades. Even today, many sunglasses are most recognized for the celebrities that wore them.

Although it has been many years, in some cases decades, since these glasses first debuted, wearing these can still be as fresh a look this summer as they originally were:

• James Dean and Horn Rimmed Sunglasses – Dark horn rimmed sunglasses with black frames defined the 1950s after James Dean wore them in Rebel Without a Cause in 1952, but these vintage Wayfarer style sunglasses are a look that works in any decade. Stick with the black frames to look like James Dean, or go for tortoiseshell or a brighter color pair of vintage horn rimmed glasses for a slightly different look.
• Malcolm X and Browline Glasses – The civil rights activist Malcolm X made browline glasses part of his look, including when wearing sunglasses. These vintage sunglass frames have an aluminum or plastic piece at the brow. Malcolm X often had his browline glasses in multiple colors and wore them with dark lenses.
• Audrey Hepburn and Cat Eye Glasses – For a more feminine take on the dark sunglasses style, Audrey Hepburn wore the iconic tortoiseshell sunglasses with gray lenses in Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 1962. These were a later style of cat eyeglasses with a more subtle shape and oversized frames. Audrey Hepburn sunglasses make the perfect statement pair of frames.
• Steve McQueen and Horn Rimmed Glasses – Further showing that vintage horn rimmed sunglasses are the epitome of cool, actor Steve McQueen wore horn rimmed glasses with blue tinted lenses in The Thomas Crown Affair in 1968. Like James Dean’s iconic shades, these vintage sunglasses are a look that never goes out of style for men and women.
• John Lennon and Windsor Glasses – Later in his career, John Lennon was almost never seen without the vintage round glasses he became known for. Even in the 70s when he wore them, wire round glasses were already a vintage style, but one that became so synonymous with Lennon that they are often known as John Lennon glasses today.
• Jackie O’s and Oversized Sunglasses – In the 60s and 70s, Jackie Kennedy frequently wore sophisticated, oversized sunglasses in a range of different styles and colors that became a signature part of her look. A large pair of vintage sunglasses lets you bring that same refined style to your own wardrobe.

If your look this summer needs to include your own pair of vintage sunglasses whether you are imitating a favorite celebrity or defining your own style, Eyeglasses Warehouse has all of the vintage frames you are looking for. We offer genuine vintage glasses from the 1900s to the 1970s, as well as retro glasses

In popular styles like John Lennon glasses, rimmed glasses, and others that are brand new but with a vintage look. 

All of our glasses are of optical quality, making it possible to add in the lenses of your choice, including on prescription sunglass lenses. Start your search and find your perfect style of vintage sunglasses at Eyeglasses Warehouse today.