Spectacles Blog

Famous Four Eyes Elvis Keeps Going With TV Show

A Different Kind Of Spectacle

The TV show (in the US) with Elvis Costello (see his famous specs) “referentially” called “Spectacle” will go to another series.  It’s a chat show with a musical bent which seems to have taken off. 

Yellow Wrap Specs

The reference to Elvis’ eyewear doesn’t apply to all his guests but, Elvis one of our Famous Four Eyes, will be bringing on other be-spectacles guest this series including Bono and his famous four eyes look.  But I think you can get on the show without.  Maybe just lenses?

Three Brits and Three Speeches And Only Lace “Glasses”

Well how ungrateful, after all the mentions on Spectacles Blog, not even a passing reference to us in her acceptance speeches - and she had three goes at it. Never mind.

Nor was she wearing her glasses or sunglasses.  Nor did she take any Polaroid snaps for that matter. Take take take!

Elton John & Lady Gaga at Grammys… A Famous Spectacles Wearers Fantasy

Elton John’s Swarovski-encrusted glasses faced Lady Gaga in goodness-knows-what glasses opposite (whch can’t be seen in this pictureI’m afraid.

When these two get together, I bet spectacles chat is on the agenda.

Introducing JB Hand Mades: Glasses Ranges For Him, Her, Shades and Design Your Own

These Colours But Not The Shape - Unless You Really Wanted...

It’s been along time coming and it’s not final and finished but it’s there!  A web site for Premiere-Optical to lay out it’s stall in the world of custom made and hand made spectacles, glasses and sunglasses - under the banner of JB Hand Mades (for “blades”,”maids”and “shades” just to rhymne the emphasis on hand made).  And yes, I’ve ordered a pair for myself in the most outlandish pattern plastic frames.  (The third down in the right column in the picture here.)

Choose one of their frames and they cost from £149 including single vision lenses.  Design your own from scratch and they’re £195 including SV lenses.  Obviouly other lenses are extra - you can have what you want.  And any pair can be made into sunglasses should you prefer.

You an get your name embossed on the inside for a small extra and why wouldn’t you…

As soon as I have my new JB Hand Mades, there’ll be a picture here.  And if you want, visit the Premiere-Optical site for handmade spectacles…or click on their ad on Spectacles Blog.

When It Comes To Spectacles; What are Trifocals?

I can’t remember where I first saw this… As you can work out, the current posts are a bit of a rag bag (or “miscellany” if you want to be polite) based on any old spectacles subjects.because I have a load of “drafts” that need to be published or deleted.

Anyhow I read about the so-called “concept of trifocals”,claiming that “Bifocals have ruled the scene for quite some time now”.

Spectacle Lens Itself

But trifocal lenses according to this long-forgotten source, deals with each of them separately, correcting vision presbyopias progressively. (And I think this is the key here,the word “progressively”.) So as far as I can make out these trifocals are not tri at all (other than they deal with three slightly separate problems- reading/intermediate range and long range) but vari-focals - surely?  And like vari-focals, they don’t have lines across the lens.

So really it’s like a progressive lens which makes a progressive change from distance vision to near vision with all the range in between.

So what an earth is this all about then?  To be onest I’m not sure…  The only oint would be if you needed to have a larger areaof one of the three sections rather than astraight progressive. Apparently this may be good forcomputer users.  Also apparently, they are becoming more rare in repsect of increasing use of progressives.

The image here is borrowed from Hollywood Optical, a lab who obviously still supply them to those who dispense them.

Apropos Of The Word Spectacles Only…

No Spectacles Here...

I haven’t read this story: It looks too long to read on the screen but if you want to, you can follow this link to Edgar Allen Poe’s short story called The Spectacles.

Let me know if you manage the whole thing.  I guess one day I will be obliged to read it or else I’ll lose my claim to have the broadest Spetacles knowledge - even though by no means the more comprehensive or the most useful.

Erudition At Spectacles Blog?! Surely Not

Witman But No Glasses

There’s an article that came to my attention (it had the word “spectacles” in it) in The Yale Alumni magazine on-line including such prose as follows…

“The eyeglasses, by the way, are real, but it doesn’t seem impossible for Whitman to have decided that Walt Whitman, capital W capital W, would wear glasses, just as surely as he’d wear workingman’s clothes, a beard, and a big slouchy hat.”

I’m an English graduate but I guess that I’m out of practice because I didn’t have the time to read the whole thing - or is that just my story…  But you can read it if you choose. 

Glasses But No Witman

Meantime, I’m trying to find a picture of the said man in said glasses.

I found Walt and I found the glasses but not together.  My friends with the monocles would like the style… maybe.

Spectacles Blog Gets Comment About Price

Over My Spectacles, You Will

I got my fit-over sunglasses as you can see from Reading Glasses Shopper as seen on Spectacles Blog.  I haven’t photographed myself in them yet but I will (watch this space).  They are only $16.95 at said site.

Then David asked if there somewherein the UK which sold them for less thn the £25-ish he’d seen them at.  So I had a search and could only find them for more! At Sunglasses Shop the equivalent were £30 and still £27-something at Amazon, which is generally a good place to search for the lowest prices.

So I don’t know where cheaper. Maybe try to get from the States by mail?

Two Big Names Link Spectacles Fortunes?

It’s a touch unclear what this will entail exactly, but Lady Gaga will be developing “imaging products” for the Polaroid company and will market a line of Gaga name-branded cameras and accessories according to The New York Times [NYP]. Apparently she has signed a long-term contract with Polaroid to do so and not only to be a face for instant-photography (what used to be called “Polaroids”).

Gaga About The Glasses... Or Not?

The current queen of Pop is to be titled creative director at Polaroid, (in bankruptcy last year).  “Lady Gaga is a great creative talent who has a lot of passion for this brand,” said Jamie Salter of Hilco Consumer Capital, one of Polaroid’s new owners.  Hilco make specs parts and repairs of spectacles.

But does the deal include the sunglasses and shades of the same name? (sunglasses were “pioneered by Polaroid founder Edwin Land in 1937“).  We don’t know. Are they even the same comany any more.  I expect not.  What a waste as this lady loves her sunglasses and eyewear.  Can someone help explain this?

More Spectacles’ Image Building… Luxury Desiger Style

Culter Gross Boss In Blue Specs

You should see the times on line story for full details but it starts off with the adage that spectacles used to be to correct vision but now they’re something else.  And the boss of Cutler & Gross, one of the established houses of glasses, now run by chief executive Majid Mohammadi is spinning a good story and living it - in his blue spectacles.

They are commissioning designers (where have we heard that before) to make their own range of deluxe specs.  These will be premium fashion items with leather and jewels in bold designs.  This is not Select Specs!  This is taking wearing the right glasses to the level of Jimmy Choos.

Plus of course there’ll be more accessible ranges for the followers of fashion without the pop star incomes.

PS I like the idea that Cutler & Gross to date do not lend out to the rich & famous they’re so exclusive.