Eyewear Inspiration

Philip Jonhson (architect), Andy Warhol, Isaiah Berlin (philosopher), Marilyn Monroe, Eero Saarinen (architect and designer).

David Hockney, Jarvis Cocker, Jean-Paul Sartre (philosopher), Sophia Loren, Woody Allen.

Arthur Miller, The Beatles, Pierre Cardin, Gary Card (designer), Giorgio Morandi (artist).

Roy Orbison (musician), Buddy Holly, Agatha Christie (writer), Michael Caine, I.M. Pei (architect).

Carol Channing (actress), Alfred Brendel (classical pianist), Colin Firth (in Tom Ford's A Single Man), William S Burroughs (writer), Arne Jacobsen (architect and designer).

Michael Caine, Grace Kelly, Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent, Carrie Donovan (fashion editor).

Edith Head (costume designer), Aaron Copland (classical composer), following three images of Le Corbusier.

Eleanor Roosevelt, Dave Brubeck (musician), Alber Elbaz, Iris Apfel (style icon), Iris and Carl Apfel, Irving Paul "Swifty" Lazar (Hollywood mogul).

I was going to make this post just about the good feature GQ.com recently did on stylish spectacles (here), but then I thought it would be more interesting to research famous and iconic glasses wearers. The only list I could find was some imbecilic 'survey' commisioned by a low-grade British optician that put Elton John as the most iconic glasses wearer, and the host of a cheesy makeover show within the top 10 - pass the bucket. So instead I dug to the depths of my cultural knowledge, putting into Google the names of hundreds and hundreds of people who I vaguely thought might be glasses wearers, and then I researched some more, finally coming up with the pictures here.

I am really excited about this post... it is such a varied and interesting group of people brought together by their stylish eyewear, all so distinct and accomplished. Forget worshipping the latest Jak & Jil 'icon' for their flashy materialistic acroutments... these people are the real deal, the real icons. Achieving even just one tenth of what most of the people here achieved (while wearing stylish eyewear) would be an impressive feat, and that is what we should be aspiring to, not merely to owning the latest Proenza bag or Balmain boots.

I love heavy-rimmed glasses, with thick plastic frames. I just find eyewear so exciting, and anyone who dares to wear bold glasses immediately gets my attention... excluding, that is, all the pretenders who parade around in crappy Urban Outfitters and Topshop cheapo, poser glasses, but I can distinguish Cutler & Gross, Moscot, Oliver Peoples, Dita, Lanvin... from $15 made-in-China, non-prescription rubbish from a mile away.

The two pairs which I have are the Theroux frame by Moscot Originals (top) and a Lanvin pair which I bought in Paris (bottom). I'm not going to post a picture of myself wearing glasses because, set against all the amazing people above, it would just be an embarrassement.


The next pair which I am planning to get is, oddly enough, Dolce & Gabbana (with no external logos):



Are there any glasses wearers I've missed who should be here?