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Within hours of her speech at the Republican National
Convention, ECP's everywhere were deluged with patients'
requests to be "Palinized". I thought this would
be a great time to look back at other "iconic"
eyewear and the personalities who made them popular.
Two styles come to mind, both by Ray Ban. The classic
Aviator originally called the "metal goggle" and
the Wayfarer. They have graced the faces of a wide range of
personalities from Douglas MacArthur, Liberator of the
Philippines in World War II to Gloria Steinem, ‘70's
feminist and founder of MS. Magazine to music icon Michael
Jackson.
The classic aviator has been a part of the Ray Ban
collection since about 1937. I've seen it in colors like
navy blue and I've sold it covered in leather. In fact, when
I worked for Donald Levin, OD in downtown Norfolk, VA in the
early ‘70's, merchant seaman from around the world could
say "Ray Ban" even if they couldn't speak another
word of English. For that reason, Ray Ban classic aviators
were always prominently displayed in our window.
The Ray Ban Wayfarer is also an icon in the sunglass
world.
Buddy Holly got there first, but no one seemed to notice
until Grease made its Broadway premier in 1972, American
Graffiti premiered in 1973 and Happy Days premiered in 1974.
The rush back to the 1950's was on.
Once the Blues Brothers appeared on Saturday Night Live
in April 1978, the Wayfarer became the very essence of
counter-culture cool. We saw it in the classic black and
demi-amber, but it would appear in every color in the
rainbow and a multiplicity of sizes. There was even a
folding model made, perhaps to fit in the pocket of your
bowling shirt.
Most ECP's didn't pay much attention until
Tom Cruise
turned them from Dad's sunglasses to ultra-cool sunglasses
in 1983's Risky Business.
Heavy zyl eyeglasses have connected such diverse
personalities as Barry Goldwater and Jack
Nicholson, Drew Carey and Walter Cronkite.
Roy Orbison's classic look was an accident. His clear
glasses broke before a performance and the only other pair
he had were his sunglasses. How's that for a reason to
suggest a pair of prescription suns? The
1960's popularized wire rim and rimless glasses. We bought
them at flea markets and found them in the corners of
attics. John Lennon wore them, so why wouldn't we?
Gandhi wore them and gave peace a chance.
John Denver wore them and established himself as the
all-American country boy!
What makes these styles iconic?
They've stood the test of time. They look good on lots of
faces, famous, infamous and just us. Their manufacturers
might go off on some trendy tangent, (those blue aviators
with the blue lenses just weren't that comfortable in the
sun) but they always come back to the basics that define the
brand.
Dorothy Parker remarked that "Men seldom make passes
at girls who wear glasses." But she never saw Madonna
or Lisa Loeb, Marilyn or Julia or Tina
or Sarah!
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