ROME -- When I was thirteen years old I discovered that the stars were not a blur but could be seen individually. And blades of grass, - you could count them one by one. Yes, I was myopic and glasses opened up a new world for me.
There wasn't much choice in those days regarding frames. And then there was that quote from Dorothy Parker: "Men don't make passes at girls who wear glasses." Encouraging, right? But I was grateful to be able to read the blackboard in school at last. It wasn't long before I asked for prescription sunglasses, and that's when I made another discovery.
Being shy almost to the point of perpetual silence, and full of complexes, I found that dark glasses shielded me from the world, and that I could hide behind them. And by wearing sunglasses during the day I didn't have to wear "unsexy" glasses.
I've always had to watch the pennies, but I indulged myself in glasses. They are so personal, part of your face, your appearance, your image, and people look at your face before your shoes. Sunglasses may be the strongest fashion statement you can make.
Today frames are available in incredible variety - all shapes and all prices. Fashion designers license their names and make zillions. Italian manufacturers, who make many top designer glasses, have made enormous investments in technical development and aim for the highest quality.
An Italian company (Luxottica) now owns RayBan, and it is still making the classic version. (They also make frames and sunglasses for Moschino, Yves St. Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Revo, Emanuel Ungaro, Porsche, and Web.)
Over the years I've learned that quality DOES count. I loved the classic thin, round, fake tortoiseshell glasses by Giorgio Armani but they were just too expensive. So I bought a copy, same shape, same look, but a year later they were falling apart. I finally gave in and bought the real thing.
Some ten years ago a new brand appeared on the Italian market called "Web." (This was before we heard about the Internet and the World Wide Web!) They were presented by Diego Della Valle who told reporters they were a re-edition of some famous sunglasses worn by test pilots at Boeing before World War II. They were also the most expensive sunglasses in Italy.
My father was the first Air Corps pilot to fly the B-17 at Boeing, and when he died I saved all his sunglasses, which were made by American Optical. I was sure I would have found such glasses among his things. I then discovered that Della Valle, a PR genius, had simply made up the story. When I teased him about it he gave me a pair.
Here again quality comes into play. Those glasses have been in my wardrobe for more than five years and they have held up remarkably. Despite spending months at the beach, the metal part has never oxidized; they don't leave a mark on my nose, and I've just ordered a similar but slightly different model.
The latest fashion seems to be glasses with lenses in pastel shades that don't protect the eyes at all but are simply a fashion accessory. Gucci has them in yellow and pink, Prada in smoky rose, Moschino in pale blue, and Superga in bright yellow. Frames go from very thin to very wide, from transparent through pastel shades to tortoise and black. I keep seeing glasses I've bought in the past reinvented.
Prada's latest frames are very large and rectangular with lenses that are shaded from dark to light from top to bottom. I had a pair exactly like them from the seventies, but with my lenses they were too heavy and I never wore them. The other day Franco, my optician, told me about his collection of frames that was stolen several years ago.
That did it. I'm a pack rat and never threw out frames and lenses when my prescription changed. I went home and sorted through all the plastic bags with glasses and lenses that had been sitting in my closet for years. I gave them to Franco for his collection, along with some cases, including some from my grandparents.
Of course the case he liked best was a press goodie from Gai Mattiolo in sterling silver. Franco is keeping the most interesting frames but he's sending my outgrown lenses to Mozambique, where I hope they will be useful to somebody. Certainly better than sitting in my closet gathering dust!
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Logan welcomes questions and comments and will respond to as many as possible. They may be sent to ParadigmTSA, P.O. Box 111372, Stamford, CT 06911-1372 or by e-mail to paradigm@paradigm-tsa.com. Additional fashion and style information may be obtained from Logan's website, http://made-in-italy.com
(c) Copyright 2000 Logan Bentley Lessona
