Cat-Eye Glasses: History of the Eye-conic Eyewear

“Men never make passes at girls who wear glasses”.

This statement was rather true until the cat-eye frames were born. Every lady has a pair of cat-eye glasses in their wardrobe. But have you ever wondered how this style was brought into the picture?

Well, the history of cat-eyes is just as amazing as the style itself. The feline-inspired shape is almost a century-old and gets a distinct makeover every decade. The iconic eyewear has gone through transformation ever since its inception in the 1930s.

What used to be a popular glasses style among fashionable women in the 50s can be spotted at the streets and runways nowadays.

If you wish to dig deep about cat-eye glasses origin, you need to learn a little about Altina Schinasi, the brains behind cat-eye glasses.

Harlequin — How it all started?

Born in Manhattan, Altina Schinasi went to Paris in her late adolescence to study art. It was not until her late 20s that she realised the lack of stylish frames for women in New York. As she was passing by an optician’s shop, she landed her eyes on an oil painting of glasses which she thought were ugly.

Unlike the rest of the people, she decided to do something about it. She asked herself; “What would look good on my face” and she thought of the whimsical harlequin masks that were worn at Venetian Carnival.

She started to craft the first prototypes of playful cat-eye glasses and patented them as ‘Harlequin’ that had a more alluring silhouette and dramatic emphasis around the eyes.

When she approached the top American optical companies to sell Harlequin frames, she was turned down several times. But, the tough road finally ended when a local glasses boutique gave her a break.

The frames became a huge hit as soon as they arrived at the glasses market. With more and more women helping Altina by buying her Harlequin frame, she extended her operation to the west coast and even won the Lord & Taylor Annual American Design Award in 1939. What happened after that is history.

1940s: The rise of cat-eye glasses

This was the decade when cat-eye glasses started to take off. During this period, more comfortable frame material options like acetate were used in the manufacturing of cat-eye glasses which made them more stylish and fun.

They quickly became the hottest trend at that time with rectangular lenses fixed in thick frames with a slight upsweep and little detailing around the temple corners such as diamantes or gold stars.

This trend is still available in various designer glasses online and offline these days. Most fashionable women of this decade favoured round cat-eye glasses with broad and highly-exaggerated upswept frames to get a feminine touch.

1950s: Cat-eye style at its peak

Everyone from movie stars to housewives, cat-eye frames became a fashion favourite of every lady donning glasses.

Cat-eye glasses in narrow frames, sleek temples and pointy wing tops became more prominent after the Hollywood starlet, Marilyn Monroe flaunted them in ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’.

Even after the post war years, the popularity of cat-eye frames in prescription glasses remained unhinged. Eyewear companies started to consider the styling needs of women and thus the cat-eye glasses in this decade were filled with embellishments, over the top flair and elaborate designs on the temple tips.

Also, to this date, women like to go for cat-eye frames when ordering their prescription glasses online.

1960s: Cat-eye style in sunglasses

This style was initially created to be used only with prescription lenses. However, it was safely adapted into sunglasses after the famous actor Audrey Hepburn kicked off the trend for cat-eye sunglasses with her leading role in ‘Breakfast at Tiffanys’.

Her character Holly Golightly could be seen sporting cat-eye sunglasses in tortoiseshell frames. This paved the way for cat-eye style in sunglasses and appealed to a larger crowd of women with the additional tinted lenses.

This opened the door for designers to experiment with this style with glitter frames and unusual shapes such as the twisted legs or kissing fish. Cat-eye glasses in the 1960s were highly fashionable, avant-garde and brightly coloured with engraved designs.

1970s to 2000s: The rough patch

The 40 year duration witnessed a highly unfortunate turn of events when cat-eye frames lost their massive appeal and weren’t exactly the trend in glasses or sunglasses.

1970 was all about large cat-eye frames in round or square shapes and could be seen on women like Jacqueline Kennedy, the former first lady of the US who was also known for her style and elegance.

But, they were soon dethroned by extremely large aviators through the courtesy of the late Princess Diana. She was not only the most loved member of the british royal family, but a humble soul and a true fashion icon for women of that era.

2010 to present: Cat-eyes everywhere

Cat-eye glasses are back in the game and they are now more popular than ever. Thanks to the likes of Kendall Jennner, Rihana, Gigi Hadid and every style icon out there, the cat-eye style is back into the picture and turning heads as ever.

Cat-eye frames in different materials, designs, shapes and colours have encouraged more and more women to go for this chic style. Following the footsteps of their favourite influencers or movie stars, women are sporting cat-eye frames in both prescription and non-prescription glasses.

The retro trend can be seen everywhere from online glasses to your local eyewear store. So what are you waiting for? Grab a pair of cat-eye glasses and witness the glorious return of this timeless style.