Vintage Eyewear Styles
Instructions: From cat-eye frames to aviator sunglasses, how well do you remember the iconic eyewear of decades past?
- 1.
What women's eyeglass frame style, featuring upswept corners that resembled a feline, was the most popular frame of the 1950s?
ARound framesBCat-eye glassesCOval framesDButterfly frames - 2.
Which type of sunglasses, originally designed for military pilots in the 1930s, became a fashion icon by the 1960s?
ARound sunglassesBAviator sunglassesCWayfarersDWraparounds - 3.
Which Ray-Ban sunglasses style, featuring a distinctive trapezoidal frame, became iconic after appearing in many 1950s and 1960s films?
AClubmasterBWayfarerCRoundDAviator - 4.
What thick, dark-framed men's eyeglasses style, popular in the 1950s and 1960s, was notably worn by Buddy Holly?
AHorn-rimmed glassesBRimless glassesCBrowline glassesDWire-rim glasses - 5.
What style of glasses features a bold upper frame and a thin wire lower rim, popular for men in the 1950s and 1960s?
ABrowline glassesBHalf-moon glassesCShield glassesDCat-eye - 6.
What oversized, round sunglasses style became a signature look for Jackie Kennedy Onassis in the 1960s and 1970s?
ASquare sunglassesBShield sunglassesCBug-eye sunglassesDOversized round sunglasses - 7.
What type of small, round wire-rimmed glasses became associated with John Lennon and the hippie movement in the late 1960s?
APince-nezBHalf-moon specsCMonocleDGranny glasses - 8.
What decorative addition to 1950s women's cat-eye glasses made them sparkle and catch the light?
APearlsBRhinestonesCGold trimDColored gems - 9.
Which large, colorful eyeglass frame style became fashionable for women in the 1970s and 1980s?
AHalf-frame glassesBMinimalist framesCOversized framesDRimless glasses - 10.
What eyeglass chain, attached to the temple tips and worn around the neck, was a practical 1960s accessory for women?
AEyeglass holderBGlasses strapCSpectacle cordDEyeglass chain or leash - 11.
What innovation in eyeglass lenses, introduced widely in the 1970s, allowed one pair to work for both near and far vision without visible lines?
ABifocalsBProgressive lensesCReading glassesDTrifocals - 12.
What type of sunglasses with color-changing lenses that darkened in sunlight became popular in the 1960s and 1970s?
AGradient lensesBPolarized lensesCMirror lensesDPhotochromic (Transitions) lenses - 13.
Which Tom Cruise movie in 1986 caused a massive surge in sales of Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses?
ACocktailBTop GunCThe Color of MoneyDRisky Business - 14.
What novelty item, consisting of glasses with a fake nose and mustache attached, was a popular gag gift in the 1960s and 1970s?
AGroucho glassesBX-ray specsCGoogly-eye glassesDBeer goggles - 15.
What 1983 Tom Cruise movie helped revive sales of Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses from near-discontinuation?
AThe OutsidersBAll the Right MovesCRisky BusinessDLosin' It
Answer Key
Cat-eye glasses, with their distinctive upswept corners often embellished with rhinestones, were the defining eyewear style for women throughout the 1950s.
Aviator sunglasses, designed by Bausch & Lomb for U.S. Army Air Corps pilots, became fashionable for civilians by the 1960s and an enduring style icon.
Ray-Ban Wayfarers, introduced in 1956, became one of the best-selling sunglasses in history, worn by stars like Audrey Hepburn and James Dean.
Horn-rimmed glasses, with their thick dark frames, were a distinctive 1950s men's style. Buddy Holly made them an iconic rock and roll accessory.
Browline glasses, with a bold plastic upper frame (resembling eyebrows) and a thin metal lower rim, were the most popular glasses style of the 1950s and early 1960s.
Jackie Kennedy Onassis was famous for wearing oversized round sunglasses, which became known as 'Jackie O sunglasses' and remain a classic style.
Small round wire-rimmed glasses, nicknamed 'granny glasses,' became a counterculture fashion statement in the late 1960s, famously worn by John Lennon.
Rhinestones embedded in the corners and along the brow line of cat-eye frames added glamorous sparkle to 1950s women's glasses.
Oversized eyeglass frames in bold colors and shapes dominated women's eyewear in the 1970s and 1980s, with frames covering much of the face.
Eyeglass chains (or leashes), often made of beaded or decorative links, were worn around the neck so women could remove their glasses without losing them.
Progressive lenses (no-line bifocals) became widely available in the 1970s, offering a gradual transition between prescriptions without the visible line of traditional bifocals.
Photochromic lenses, which automatically darkened in sunlight and lightened indoors, were introduced by Corning in 1966 and became popular through the 1970s.
Tom Cruise wearing Ray-Ban Aviators in 'Top Gun' (1986) caused Aviator sales to increase by 40%, making them the must-have sunglasses of the decade.
Groucho glasses (also called nose glasses), inspired by Groucho Marx, were a classic novelty item found in joke shops and party stores for decades.
Tom Cruise wearing Ray-Ban Wayfarers in 'Risky Business' (1983) saved the style from being discontinued, boosting sales from 18,000 to 360,000 pairs per year.