If fashion is nothing but an eternal recommencement, sometimes certain silhouettes, cuts and shapes cross generations and decades while remaining at the forefront of fashion. And it is well known to all vintage lovers: our grandmothers' wardrobes are real Ali Baba's caves. So with a bit of luck, if your grandmothers wore glasses and loved fashion, you can be (almost) sure to come across "cat's eye" shaped glasses while rummaging through their drawers.
If Audrey Hepburn made them widely popular throughout the world thanks to the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" released in 1961, we wanted to retrace the history of this iconic frame, which has not aged a day!
The genesis of the “Cat’s Eye” frame
It all started in New York, more precisely on Fifth Avenue, the nerve center of Manhattan that borders Central Park. Fifth Avenue is similar to our Champs Elysées where all the fashion world gathered to discover and unearth the latest fashion trends. It was therefore on this iconic avenue that it all began during the 20th century, at a time when round glasses were popular.
During the 1930s, designer Altina Sanders was hired to design and brighten up the windows of Fifth Avenue boutiques. Tired of seeing the same glasses everywhere, the free-spirited designer challenged herself to find a new shape for glasses that would be just as flattering as round frames. The story goes that it was during the Venice Carnival that inspiration struck when she discovered a comical character. In 1939, her famous model was born, first named "Harlequin," in homage to Venetian masks, which was an immediate success with celebrities.
The Harlequin glasses will first appear on Madison Avenue in New York.
Celebrities who popularized “Cat Eye” glasses, available in our Seconde Vue store
As is often the case, it was celebrities who allowed designer Altina Sanders to achieve the success she enjoys today. In 1950, while the United States was still living in the carefree post-war period, the Harlequin became the perfect frame to bring a touch of fantasy to the frivolous clothing desires of American women. And it was none other than Marilyn Monroe, who was at the height of her career thanks to the comedy " How to Marry a Millionaire ", who would adopt and popularize them at first.
Shortly after, Audrey Hepburn appeared in the 1961 film "Breakfast at Tiffany's", which was a worldwide success. And this, in particular, thanks to the actress' iconic looks, most of which were designed by the French designer Hubert de Givenchy. But beyond her sublime little black dress that has made the fashion press write about it, it is the glasses that the actress wears during the opening scene that are the real stars of the film. A scene obviously filmed on Fifth Avenue where we find Hepburn window-shopping behind her large black glasses, thus drawing the outlines of an iconic silhouette of the fashion world.
The success story of the “Cat-Eye” frame was only just beginning.
Our iconic cat-eye frames available at Seconde Vue
In optics or sunglasses, at Seconde Vue we offer you a wide selection of glasses with so-called "cat's eye" frames, from all eras and in all colors!
During the 80s, French designer Patrick Kelly chose to reinterpret many "cat-eye" frames in tortoiseshell, as well as in fuchsia pink encrusted with small multi-colored shapes. All recognizable thanks to extravagant little details.
During the 90's Thierry Mugler offers them in XXL pastel pink and in a more festive version in black and encrusted with rhinestones. Frames that he also declined in smaller shapes and in almost all colors: tortoiseshell, beige, mother-of-pearl, transparent, black, blue, purple, pink or even red. Many variations that you can find in our store and on our Seconde Vue website. Some are in sunglasses and others in optical in order to meet all desires and all needs!
The BOZ brand, designed by French designer Jean-François Rey, has also revisited them in a tortoiseshell version, flocked with small black squares. As well as the Céline Perceval brand, which is rethinking them in a multi-colored version.
The "cat-eye" frame has undoubtedly become one of the most iconic shapes in the world of eyewear. And that's why almost all the leading designers in the optical world have wanted to revisit them. A multitude of vintage pairs, all available at Seconde Vue online and in store!
