Horn-rimmed glasses are a type of eyeglasses. Originally made out of either horn or tortoise shell, for most of their history they have actually been constructed out of thick plastics designed to imitate those materials. They are characterized by their bold appearance on the wearer's face, in contrast to metal frames, which appear less pronounced.
Horn-rimmed glasses were one of the first styles of eyeglasses to become a popular fashion item, after comedian Harold Lloyd began wearing a round pair in his films.[1] The glasses have enjoyed various periods of popularity throughout the 20th century, being considered especially fashionable in the 1920s–1930s and in the 1950s–1960s in particular, while ceding to rimless and wire framed glasses during the 1970s and 1990s–2000s. Michael Caine's first appearance as Harry Palmer in The Ipcress File in 1965 featured his signature look of thick horn-rimmed glasses which made him a style icon of the 1960s.[2][3][4] The style has brought a resurgence of popularity in the late 20th (1980s–1990s) and early 21st (2010s) centuries, with an emphasis on retro fashions. This may be due in part from the influence of hipster[5] subculture, and the television series Mad Men, which repopularized 1960s fashions in general.[6]
- ^ Lloyd, Annette. The Fashion of Harold Lloyd. 1996
- ^ "Classic film of the week: The Ipcress File (1965)". The Times. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
Michael Caine is the epitome of Sixties cool in his first outing as the secret agent Harry Palmer. His cockney smarts, his horn-rimmed glasses
- ^ "Style Heroes: 1960s Michael Caine". The Rake. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
Caine's signature was undoubtedly his thick, horn-rimmed glasses. He wore a number of subtly varying styles throughout the sixties
- ^ "Australian Penthouse - Michael Caine: 1960s". Real Art Press. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
With his no-nonsense, laconic delivery, horn-rimmed glasses and sharply cut suits, he epitomised a new class of British cool. "Michael Caine was the 1960s,"
- ^ Granfield, Matt (2011). HipsterMattic. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-74237-785-8.
- ^ "Pure Body Magazine Mad Men and the New Influence of 1960s Fashion. Pub. Aug 2011". Archived from the original on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2011-11-21.