Eyewear today is experiencing a whole new wave of opportunity for the eyecare professional. Even more so than colored contacts, eyewear frames are revolutionizing the industry.
I've been doing a lot of writing about frame and lens manufacturers lately, so I decided to take a little break from the serious stuff (okay, so, more serious than usual) and shine a spotlight on something of an optical mystery: Hollywood Browlines.
Readers familiar with my column (you guys exist, right?) know what that phrase means to me, and my long and antagonistic history with the Geek Chic trend of the 2000s.
Pop in an old movie from the 50s or 60s—or even about the 50s and 60s—
and scope out someone wearing a pair of glasses, and there’s a very good
chance you’ll find that they’re wearing Art Craft Optical’s Clubman
frame.
Manufacturers have, by and
large, followed a pair of general guidelines for quite some time when it
comes to men's and women's frames; they just haven't been advertising
it.
"Why do you love glasses so much?"
My wife asked me this recently, as I was drooling over an eBay auction for a lot of vintage 1960s browlines and fades (which, sadly, I lost).
Purchasing a new car, a boat or even new jewelry initiates the feeling of luxury. They also can give us a feeling of gratification. Purchasing new eyewear that provides affordable and accessible luxury can have the same effect.
My frame inventory has changed quite a bit over the past few years. We were known for having cool and unique frames that couldn't be found anywhere else in town.
In today's designer-driven world of eyeglass frames, it's difficult to believe they were ever considered unfashionable. Not too long ago, however, an eyeglass prescription was a social death sentence.
