This is the standard look, the kind that conjures up 1950s yearbook photos of young women with chunky black cat-eye glasses. For those interested in the vintage, classic cat-eye glasses look, there are several variations that are retro-chic. Classic cat-eye glassesīecause cat-eye glasses have incorporated so many different trends over their half-century-plus of cultural prominence, you have a lot of options available in cat-eye styles. If you’re looking for the perfect pair of cat-eye glasses, consider updates to some classic styles, or go for a completely modern twist on the iconic look. They draw the eye upward through sophisticated angular lines, complementing face shapes from round to rectangular. These two elements are also what make cat-eye glasses so flattering on so many faces.

How are all these different styles considered “cat-eye glasses?” While the exaggerated, upper-rim wingtip at the temple is the telltale sign of cat eyes, the bottom rim that sublimely slopes upward to the top of the wearer’s cheekbone really gives cat-eye glasses frames their signature look. Now you can wear cat-eye glasses in dozens of different ways, from vintage-inspired, brightly colored cat-eye glasses to the subtle eyebrow arch of semi-rimless, wireframe cat-eye glasses. Since then, the eye-catching style has been reimagined over and over again, working its way into nearly every glasses trend across decades. These frames first grabbed our attention as prescription or clear cat-eye glasses in the 1950s, but they really took off when Audrey Hepburn donned her elegant, tortoiseshell sunglasses version in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

When you think about vintage glasses, chances are your mind conjures up something in the shape of cat-eye glasses.

Cat eye reading sunglasses