Traces the history of eyeglasses through seven centuries, from the first riveted spectacles made up of two single magnifying lenses to the fashionable eyewear of the 1960s.

Traces the history of eyeglass fashions through seven centuries from the first riveted spectacles made up of two single magnifying lenses to the latest extremes in fashionable wear dictated by fashion and desire for social status as much as by optical considerations.

This book provides an overview for identifying and dating vintage eyewear for the growing numbers of collectors. Explore ways in which eyeglass design has developed to reflect both popular fashion and scientific investigation.The designs of frames and lenses were changed as more comfortable and practical styles were invented. In the mid-twentieth century, eyeglass makers carefully sought high profile entertainers to wear their designs in order to promote their companies. Advertising worked its magic and the general public came to prefer the advertised designs. Examples of eyewear from the sevententh century to the present are shown in over 600 color photos and explained in an engaging text. Bifocals, monocles, pince-nez, fanciful and safety styles of eyeglasses and sunglasses are shown along with some price estimates.

From 13th century Franciscan monks to Beyoncé in Black is King, Making a Spectacle charts the fascinating ascension of eyeglasses—from an unsightly but useful tool to fashion's must-have accessory. The power of glasses to convey a range of vivid messages about their wearers have made them into a billion-dollar business that appeals to cool kids and rock stars, and those who want to be like them, but the fashionable history of eyeglasses is fraught with anxiety and drama. At the beginning of the 20th century, the assessment in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar was that spectacles were "invariably disfiguring." Invisibility was the best option, and glasses were only to be put on once the lights at the opera went dark. While variations of that glasses-shaming sentiment appeared at regular intervals over the next 100 years or so, eyeglasses continued to evolve into an endless array of shapes, colors, purposes, and personalities. Once sunglasses took off in the 1930s, the magazine editorial made glasses a conspicuous part of the fashion narrative. Eyeglasses went to the ski slopes, the stables, the beach, the Havana hotel. Plastic innovations made a candy-colored rainbow of cat-eyes and "starlet" styles possible. Suddenly, everyone had the opportunity to look like Jackie O on vacation in Capri. Making a Spectacle traces contemporary high fashion frames back to their origins: the military aviator, the glam cat eye, the nerdly Oxford, the high-tech shield, the fanciful butterfly, the lowly rimless, and other styles all make an appearance. Featuring interviews with influential designers, makers, and purveyors of glasses including Adam Selman, Kerin Rose Gold, and l.a. Eyeworks, Making a Spectacle also takes a look at today's most cutting edge eyewear, showing the reader the latest and most innovative ways to see and be seen.