icon | ALPINA

 

Conceived in the 1970s and revived in the 80s by Werner Grau and Hagen Stocklausner in West Germany, with some models manufactured with parts produced in Italy, the infamous classic ALPINA brand was one of the most successful know in the industry.  The Best selling ALPINA  M1 Aviator, their most famous design, was re-released as recent as 2007 in extremely limited quantities due to the regenerated interest in the vintage and collector's eyewear market.

The renewed interest can be attributed to the superb quality of the manufacturing and the publicity exacted on the brand by celebrities seeking to "up their game a notch"  by styling themselves in pieces usually reserved for avid enthusiasts and their eyewear frame collections.  The attention to detail and quality of materials have kept many of these collections looking brand new.  World famous celebrities' interests in the brand have raised prices of collections  world wide. The very special pieces, selling for upwards of $4,000.00 dollars, are an exciting but rare find.  The ALPINA GOLDWINGS sunglass shield is one such model.  The sun shield quickly became famous as it is frequently worn as a favorite choice of recording star Lady Gaga.  She is often publicized wearing this vintage shield adorned with a pair of golden A-wings decorating each the right and left temples.

Alpina eyewear is the premier brand sought after to complete every vintage eyewear collection.  True, while there are some models that are more coveted than others, they are all extremely well made and trully timeless in their stylish appeal.

Vintage ALPINA sunglasses are glamorous to say the least...  This piece shown here is from the fine vintage sunglass collection available at CATEYE SPECTACLES boutique.  The model we are showcasing is in pristine condition.  You will find that it is a fantastic piece in that the design quality will move you into a different time period as soon as you have it on.   Wear it as a complimenting accessory to a respectively perfect vintage outfit by correlating it with it's corresponding era.   This rich golden frame with accents of cream and tan, made of a high gloss, high sheen and candy-like zyl plastic, is shown with a brown gradient sun lens, the combination of which can only be described as delicious.(only 1 available)

It's Science! | Polarized Lenses 101

What is a Polarized Lens, and how does is work?  Buckle up folks because the CATEYE Science Guy is about to drop some knowledge on you.

Here comes the Sun, doo doo doo-doo… 

The Sun shines down upon us.  As it does so, its light encounters the various surfaces in our modern and natural worlds and is reflected and scattered into a million directions.  This tricks your retinas—glare.

Enter the Polarized Lens.

the What
Polarized lenses reduce glare from reflective surfaces such as the surface of a lake or the hood of a car—or water molecules floating over a majestic meadow.

the How
Pretend your eyeball is behind that lens, and you're trying to check out that righteous wave.  Problem is that some pesky light from the Sun hits said righteous wave and scatters in all directions, trying to confuse your retinas.  Some more pesky light is coming off the sun itself, also trying to confuse your retinas.  The filter inside the Polarized Lens reflects the pesky light, but allows the light being reflected off the righteous wave (blue arrow) to pass through, allowing your retinas to drink in the glory of the righteous wave.

Think of the Polarizing filter like Venetian blinds...

and light like raw lasagna noodles (deliscious)...

If the noodles go straight at the blinds, they'll get through.  If not, then they won't.

Here's a more science-y picture to illustrate this point:

Some limitations...
Polarized lenses do not provide universal protection from glare, however. If you tilt you're head past 45° or so, some of the horizontal light can enter, causing bright spots.

Polarized Lenses can cause dark spots on liquid crystal displays (LCDs). On-board clocks,  some cell phones, navigation screens, and some instrument displays may be slightly less readable.

Polarized Lenses can not be clear—the filters only come in grey or brown.  Recent advances in the technology have yielded lighter filters.  At CATEYE Spectacles we can, of course, make you prescription or non-prescription sunglasses in the classic dark grey or brown, but for a little more fun we can take these new fangled, lighter filters and tint them to create a custom pair of lenses just for you.  We had the lab whip up some examples—these could be solid or even in gradient!  That's something that wasn't possible before.  Custom is better.

It's Science! | UV, the Scourge

Hey everybody!  The CATEYE Science Guy is back with more knowledge droppings, so buckle-up space cadets!  We're gonna go for a ride...

What causes true lasting damage to your eyes (besides these guys)?

It came from outer space...
(cue: creepy sci-fi theremin music)
ooooooo weeeee oooooo

Okay, but seriously, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Optometric Association stress the need to protect your eyes by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses that block out 99-100% of both UV-A and UV-B light.  We don't have any hats, but boy do we got glasses!

Ultraviolet rays can damage the surface of the eye and the interior structures, such as the lens and retina.  This can open a door to all sorts of badness like cataracts and, some doctors suggest, Macular degeneration.

Bottom line is that you need to protect yourself from UV rays.  It's not important how dark the tint is, or if you have a sweet mirror coating like Sylvester Stallone.  You could have clear Polycarbonate lenses (which inherently block UV) and they would protect against UV just as well as some sweet mirrored Stallone shades (provided said sweet mirrored Stallone shades are treated to block UV).

 
And don't worry, all of the sunglasses at CATEYE Spectacles, though they may be old, have lenses that block 100% of UV-A and UV-B light.  This will help protect you from UV, the Scourge—basically, think of UV rays like the Shredder and the Foot Clan and our sunglasses like the Ninja Turtles.  C-A-T-E-Y-E power!  Kowabunga dudes.

Disclaimer: Obviously there are other things out there that can be harmful to your eyes and your vision—we're not telling you that if just wear 100% UV-A and UV-B blocking lenses that you can replace your Visine with acne cream.  Take care of yourselves people!

icon | NINA RICCI

 

Maria Nielli, better known as Nina Ricci, was born in the baroque , rococo, neo-classical, art neuveau, french themed and edified in the classical style of Versailles,  city of Turin, Italy.  A major city with a flourishing industrious and cultural center in northern Italy, it is the capital of the Piedmont Region and is surrounded by the Alpines.  Home to the house of Savoy, known as Italy's Royal Family, this city was the country's first capital in 1861. 

Nicknamed "Nina" she spent impressionable and formative years in the beautiful city of Florence, Italy and in Paris, France where upon her arrival she began her apprenticeship in dressmaking.  She continued her pursuit of fashion, nurturing her growing passion throughout her teenage years.  She later married famous Parisian jeweler Luigi Ricci in 1904 and was then known as  Madame Nina Ricci.  She spent the next 20 years growing her family and working as a partner with the Paris fashion House of Raffin.

In 1932, at the age of 49, the House of Nina Ricci was born as a co-founded venture with her business partner and son Robert  Ricci.   Ricci's fashions released for the House of Nina Ricci shared a national stage when displayed along side other famous Parisian couturiers as they toured famous cities in Europe and the USA  begining as an exhibition at the Louvre in Paris.

In 1948 came the launch of infamous  'L'air du Temps'  the easily recognizable perfum packaged in the now emblematic, Rene Lalique, famous crystal maker,  designed and manufactured bottle with the relief sand blasted doves.  The House of Ricci reached such heights of noteriety that the boutique's window displays were at one point  designed by Andy Warhol.

The most recent good news for the House of Ricci came in 2010 when the now parent company, Barcelona based, PUIG, pursued and hired former Louis Vuitton designer Peter Copping.  The result is a re-newel of the House of Ricci and revival of the popularity and exclusivity it once enjoyed.

The Paris Match January 1978 issue front cover,  featured a similarly fashioned Nina Ricci sunglass worn by the Iconic Jackie Kennedy Onassis.   This piece shown here, available for purchase at the CATEYE SPECTACLES boutique (only one in stock), is an authentic vintage sunglass from the emblematic collecition hand made in Paris, France and which was so admired and elegantly worn by the icon herself, Jackie Onassis.

Style Guide | Buddy Holly & the Thick Black Glasses

 Often, when people think of vintage glasses, the image they have in their head (whether they realize it or not) is of Buddy Holly, that devilishly handsome pioneer of Rock and Roll.

There are many ways to achieve Holly's trademark look, but the phrase that'll send your optician in the right direction is '60s horn-rimmed glasses.

At Cateye, we have many examples of this style, including the original vintage TART OPTICAL ARNEL.

Another good choice is the SHURON FREEWAY—these are from one of our new collections.

Or the SHURON SIDEWINDER with thicker swept temples.

And then, of course, there's always the RAY BAN WAYFARER.
 

Note: All frames pictured are available in our Los Angeles store.

Style Guide | P3 Pandemonium

The P3 has been seen on everyone from ivy league types, to beloved directors of '80s teen films, to murderous investment bankers like Patrick Bateman.

The P3 is a classic frame shape that came into popularity in the '30s and '40s.  The shape enjoyed a renaissance in the late '90s thanks to Oliver Peoples.

The P3 is a classic style that falls between oval and round. It can be in either a wire frame or a full acetate one, like the Anglo American pictured above.  Two hallmarks of the acetate P3 are the semi-flattened top of the frame and the key-hole bridge (because it looks like an old-timey key hole).

The P3 is so called because when you turn the frame on its side, it makes the letter P and the number 3.  We may have just made that up, but it makes sense right?


Note: The dead stock vintage ANGLO AMERICAN P3 frame is available in our Los Angeles store.

This Just In | Patty Paillette Eyewear

We've discovered a fabulous new designer with frames that look good enough to eat—everyone, meet Patty Paillette and her delicious new eyewear!

CATEYE in Print | GQ France with Hugh Laurie

Dr. House was kind enough to take some time off of saving lives to sport some of our vintage frames in this spread for the January issue of GQ France.

C'est par ou la bonne humeur?—What happened to the good mood?  Dr. House has kindly removed his vintage CHRISTIAN DIOR AVIATORS to say hello...or to pay us a compliment...or give us directions...?

This is our kind of afternoon!  Lounging in a fine tuxedo with vintage NYLON PRISON FRAMES, drinking rosé Champagne straight from the bottle, and contemplating whether that diagnosis is African Sleeping Sickness or Acute Intermittent Porphyria—hope it's the second one...?

Here they are people, the actual frames what were on Hugh Laurie / Dr. House's actual face! 

CHRISTIAN DIOR AVIATOR:  This beautiful men's aviator was made in Germany in the '70s.  It has an Optyl frame front and golden temples which proudly bear the vintage Dior "CD" monogram.

NYLON PRISON FRAME:  These were standard issue for prisoners during the 1960s.  They're made of soft (though resilient) nylon and have no metal in the temple, so as to prevent the glasses from being filed into a shank or a shiv—I'll bet Dr. House approves of the extra measure of safety that comes with these frames.

Note: Both frames featured in the GQ France article are available in our Los Angeles store.

The Golden Globes | Awash With Vintage Specs

At this year's Golden Globes, we noticed something...some of the biggest stars of the night were the vintage glasses, both on the red carpet and inside the theater.

Whether they were true vintage or vintage inspired, these glasses helped the stars shine brighter.