Fashion Spectacles, Spectacular Fashion

The twentieth century marked a turning point in eyewear design, fueled by a rapidly changing social and cultural landscape, new manufacturing techniques, the development of innovative materials, and the entertainment industry. Spectacles, which had previously been classed as purely functional, were transformed into an ultra-chic fashion accessory. This engaging book is based on Simon Murray’s amazing collection, built up over decades of avid collecting. An introduction explores the history of glasses and reveals how premodern features and materials remain a rich source of inspiration in contemporary design, from Andre Courreges’s “Lunettes Eskimo,” a twentieth-century take on Inuit goggles, to Gucci’s “Leather Aviators.” Examples of pre-twentieth-century glasses and contextual shots of film and style icons sporting spectacles illustrate not only the finest inventions and innovations of the past but also their evolution into the diverse, eclectic range of styles available today. Illustrated with specially commissioned photographs by Drew Gardner, this indispensable guide to eyewear will appeal to fashion designers, stylists, costume designers, and lovers of vintage.