Everyone can appreciate the cliché of the librarian with her cat eyed glasses and severe bun, being liberated from her sexual repression by simply removing her specs and letting her hair down right?  It has been a theme for men too with the idea that a guy with glasses was somehow less manly than those who didn’t. In How to Marry A Millionaire, Marilyn Monroe played the myopic part perfectly, bumping into the furniture and causing comedic mix-ups because of her near sightedness. Glasses, plain and simple, were just not anyone’s idea of sexy.

 

Bjorn with his first pair of glasses.

In the second grade, Mrs. Rude, my teacher noticed that I had trouble reading the blackboard from where I sat in the front row of the classroom. This discovery regarding the reason for my poor academic performance led to my first pair of glasses. In the late ’60s spectacles were only cool if they were of the rock star granny glasses variety. Alas, mine were of the old grandpa bifocal category. They weren’t cool, in anyone’s imagination, least of all my own. I immediately started plotting to save up my money to get new fangled contact lenses that were insanely expensive at the time. For most of my adult life, I wore unwieldy glasses because of the vision correction I needed. When contact lenses became less expensive in the ’80s I wore them all the time. But at home, in order to see the television or alarm clock or anything else within six inches of my mug, my trusty, thick ugly glasses were just the thing. Through the absolute miracle of Lasik surgery, I have been without glasses now for over 15 years. Isn’t it ironic then, that I have been sporting faux glasses around town just for the fashion of it?

 

Francis Ford and Bjorn in his faux glasses.

The style of glasses that are roaring back into fashion at this moment are almost a hybrid of the classic Ray Ban Wayfarer, the industrial safety glasses that I wore in the ’80 because they were all I could afford, and round Harry Potter frames. That is what’s so great about the four-eyed movement in fashion. Nerds have become cool again. In eyewear design inspiration has undoubtedly come from many iconic entertainment figures. For instance, James Dean famously made the tortured artistic nerd look seem deliriously hip and cool. People ran to the optometrist to find out which frames he wore. The owl-like versions of today’s style can be traced back to politicians and world leaders like Teddy Roosevelt, and even Ghandi himself, whose round specs were adopted by many, including Coco Chanel, and of course later on by John Lennon. Today the idea of “specs appeal” has been taken to a fashionable level in so many ways. The whole professorial, bookworm look is popping up on runways and roadways alike at every price point. From the real to the faux, these fashion frames have lasting power. I have some snaps of locals and models wearing this trend, and I must admit, I LOVE it. Just like removing them created a new image, the act of wearing them creates a new look for the wearer. After all, even Superman wore glasses when he was serious journalist Clark Kent.

 

The latest look at Be Spectacled.

At Be Spectacled in Downtown Wauwatosa, real fashion frames can be found for the sight challenged that want to put their best face forward.           

 

Julie Lindemann and John Shimon show off their specs.

I saw John Shimon and Julie Lindemann recently at an exhibit at the Portrait Society. These two artists and professors at Lawrence University have been wearing various versions of these iconic glasses for as long as I’ve known them, and that’s since the late ’70s. They pull it all off perfectly.

Always in focus, photographer Francis Ford modeled his industrial safety glasses for me. Function follows form and vice versa for anyone in the visual arts.

 

Vanessa Devaki Andrew.

Vanessa Devaki Andrew, proprietress of Madam Chino’s Look Nook has always known that glasses can be a playful addition to any of her often-handmade fashion forward looks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kevin J. Miyazaki.

Kevin J. Miyazaki, artist and photographer, was caught wearing his signature see-through specs by my trusty Nikon. I like how the shape here doesn’t so much change his facial features, but instead seems to hover over them. I like clear glasses as a non-accessory while definitely being an accessory. It’s like the best of both worlds.

At Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, I thought the Charles Nelson Reilly type glasses on the models at Callula Lillibelle were a great counterpoint to the ’60s mod looks the designer favors. Over at Timo Weiland, the lads and lasses wore variations on the professorial look as well.

Gregory Peck showed us that wearing glasses equaled strength, moral courage, and honesty. In this clip from 1962’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” his glasses look like they could be from runways and fashion magazines today! This is also one of the best movies ever made!

 

When it comes to wearing or not wearing glasses it is all really a matter of choice. In this case being called “Four Eyes” must mean that those that wear spectacles can see the fashion trends a little more clearly than their 20/20 counterparts!