The Development of Round Frame Glasses
The vintage trend is becoming more and more prevail In recent years. As the essential items of the fashionable people, the typical round-frame glasses can be seen in everywhere, such as fashion show, fashion street snaps or movies. Nothing could be more classical, casual, literary and artistic than rimmed glasses. All the retro fashions you want can be easily found in rimmed glasses.
Since the round frames are too regular, many people would think that it's almost literati or old-fashioned bookworms who would choose the style. However, the round-frame glasses have never come to an end with the passing time even with prejudices.
The birth of the rounded frame is a pretty hard thing to pin down. There’s no much tales behind the style. There’s no trailblazing optometrist to speak of, there’s no moment of inspired ophthalmic genius to re-tell. In fact, the origin of round glasses is a little foggy. It’s not that it’s an out-and-out mystery, the history of rounded frames is sort of entwined in the history of glasses themselves. Round glasses have always kind of been... around.
While most eyewear fans are familiar with the round glasses of the 70s, very few know that the iconic style actually originated in early 1920s. Fashioned out of metal and celluloid, these circular-lensed wired glasses were the most popular form of vision correction available — and in some cases even crafted in 14k gold and silver. The trend lasted a whopping three decades, until the reveal of the browline style caught the spotlight.
One of the earliest epitomes of glasses dates back to the 13th century. In one of the paintings, a curious priest squints at his parchment from behind a pair of round frames in some ancient monasteries. In the early 16th century, the famous portrait Cardinal Fernando Ni O De Guevara showed him another pair of round frame. Of course, these early varieties will not be on the shelf today. They often lack temple arms and need to be handheld, either made of leather or heavy metals such as lead and iron. It can be said that glasses in the past were not the best looking, but they need them. They are purely functional, a reserve force for diligent and God-fearing elites.
The round frame is a technological limit that has not been broken through in 300 years.
The agricultural technological limit civilization makes the round frame the only choice. Only round lenses can be rotated to adjust the lens angle and clarity.
In the 1960s’ United States, round glasses became a symbol of the anti-cultural movement and a necessary element of Hippie style. Beatles John Lennon's circular glasses became a distinct personal label, and their status was sacred and unshakable.
Rounded lenses are one of the few true timeless classics; A piece of fashion history that can still pull weight today. As frames, they’re an all rounder. They look top-notch small and wirey, or massive and chunky. They can finish off a look with a stamp of intellectualism, or they can invoke a sense of care-free psychedelia. And whilst they're not always perfect for rounder faces, they do a good job of suiting most face shape.
VlookOptical prepared a variety of vintage round glasses below to shape your retro fashion. Come and pick the one suits you best now!