New Release of an Old Classic — Tang by Victory Optical

Posted on September 20, 2012 by providenceoptical

Victory Optical has just released a new color for its “Tang” eyeglass frame, a remake of the company’s 1953 classic– a cateye with flirty upswept lines. The fabulous new bright red adds even more pizzazz to the previous color options, which include classic black with a crystal backing that adds shimmer, black with a tortoise underside, vintage tortoise and a bold translucent pale rose.

If your mother, father, grandparents, siblings or you wore glasses in the 1950s and 1960s, chances are you’ve seen frames designed and manufactured by Victory Optical. From classic horn rims in a wide range of styles to cateye frames with unique color combinations, family-run Victory Optical captured the hearts of Americans, including idols of the era, such as Buddy Holly, Connie Francis and Dean Martin.

It all started in 1941 when Italian immigrant Vincent J. Salierno, who had learned about plastics when he worked at DuPont and then worked as an artisan handcrafting optical frames, decided to strike out on his own and founded Victory Optical in Newark New Jersey. He brought his two sons-in-law into the business, and together they expanded the company into a nationwide enterprise. Victory Optical was one of the first eyeglass manufacturers to partner with clothing designers in creating high fashion eyewear.

The company ceased production some years after Salierno’s death, but his grandson, William Marfuggi decided to resurrect the company when he noticed the retro look making a big return. In his work for other companies, Marfuggi found himself using family documentation and catalogue images from Victory Optical and realized it was time to bring those classic designs back into production.

The Victory Heritage collection uses original designs and specifications from the 1940-70s. The Victory Inspired collection takes the classic designs and gives them a modern twist, usually making them a little larger and offering a new array of colors. Suntimers is the company’s vintage-inspired sunglass line.

Christina Marfuggi wearing Victory Optical’s “Vicki” eyeglass frame

And there is a Rhode Island connection to the company: Marfuggi’s daughter, Christina, who helps with design consultation, lives in Newport, Rhode Island.

Through a stroke of luck, we were able to find a rare supply of never-worn, original vintage Victory Optical eyeglass frames. We also carry both the Victory Heritage and Victory Inspired collections. Come in, try them on and be transported back to a grand old era.

Original vintage Tang frame — yes, it’s for sale.

Knits Are In … for Eyeglasses Too!

Posted on August 17, 2012 by providenceoptical

Fall is just around the corner and with it comes a whole new fashion season. Knits figured prominently on the Fall 2012 runways of Chanel, Stella McCartney, Ferragamo, Мark Jacos, Michael Kors, Derek Lam, Ralph Lauren, Giambattista Valli, Rocha, Sonia Rykel, Giambattista Valli, Yohji Yamamato, and bio-morphism by Victoria Barlett. Crocheted vests and shawls are making a comeback alongside the complimentary textures of tweed and lace.

A growing number of celebrities have taken up knitting and crocheting, including Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Sarah Jessica Parker and Hilary Swank. And knits are appearing as part of household décor in the form of picture frames, pillows, lamp shades, afghans and even furniture coverings. In fact, artist Agata Olek crocheted almost every inch of the furnishings inside her New York apartment.

Inspired by this craze, we’ve crocheted several eyeglass frames, which you can see on display in our front windows.

Providence Optical Inspires Russian Eyecare Professionals

Posted on August 9, 2012 by providenceoptical

Our distinctive eyeglass-shaped aluminum sign has caught the attention of Russian eyecare professionals. The Moscow-based “Optical Magazine” ( ОПТИЧЕСКИЙ Magazine) — a national magazine for eyecare professionals — featured a story about our sign in its April 2012 edition.

“Optical Magazine’s feature article about Providence Optical’s unique street sign.

What makes our sign so unique isn’t just the shape of the eyeglass frame. It’s the inset — a street scene depicted in the “lenses”, as if you see the street behind you reflected in the eyeglasses of an invisible giant standing in front of you. The “lenses” are actually a fine, filigree-like layer of aluminum set between the two layers of aluminum that make up the eyeglass frame. Instead of using conventional laser cutting, we opted for water jet cutting, which gives a smoother line and allows for a more intricate design.

We put a lot of thought and effort into the scene to give it the right blend of greenery and the bustle of city life. It all started with a hand-drawn sketch and, after several iterations, we turned it over to Westar, LLC of Wisconsin, which did the cutting for us with its special water jet tool.

Sketch for lens inset in our exterior eyeglass-shaped sign

The bold aluminum frame gives a sharp, edgy appeal, while the delicate and whimsical street scene provides a contrasting subtlety and softness. People stop and stare, and that’s just the way we like it.

Good Ol’ Summertime — Don’t Forget the Shades

Posted on July 4, 2012 by providenceoptical

Tom Wesselmann, Still Life No. 60, 1973

National Sunglasses Day (June 27) is poised right at the beginning of the beach season for a very important reason: to remind you that in addition to all the summer-fun essentials like sunscreen, beach towels and your sexy swim suit, you must not forget to procure one or two pairs of good quality sunglasses, which serve dual duty as fashion accessory and essential UV protection.

Fashion Trends

What’s in this summer? The retro look is really hot. For her: cat eyes, ovals and the big, square or rounded Jackie O. look. For him: aviators, round shapes – in plastic, or John Lennon-style metal – and oversized horn rims (think Clark Kent).

Tortoise continues to please as a classic, but look for interesting variations, such as Havana tortoise, which has yellow tones as the predominant background, or those interesting orangey brown tones reminiscent of the 1960s.

Bright colors are the hottest new trend –reds, blues and electric greens. For women, pastels are growing in popularity and they make a nice contrast to your summer bronze. Two-tone eyewear is a bold new trend, with the front piece in one color and the temples in a contrasting or complementary color.

Functionality

Damage from UV rays affects both the delicate skin around your eyes — causing premature wrinkles (Argh!) – and your retina. In fact, UV damage is a leading cause of eye diseases, such as macular degeneration, which is irreversible.

Here’s the secret: It’s the lens material and not the tint or polarization that provides UV protection. Cheap plastic doesn’t block 100% of UV rays and tinting makes the situation worse because it causes your pupils to open wider, which lets in more UV light. Look for polycarbonate, which is 100% UV-blocking, or lenses with a UV block coating, usually identified by a sticker on the lens.

Antiglare is another important option. It keeps light from bouncing all around and making you crazy.

So Why Buy Polarized?

Polarized lenses are like mini blinds. They block light from entering vertically. In fact, if you take two pairs of polarized sunglasses and hold them at a 90-degree angle to each other (one vertical and the other horizontal), you’ll see that together they completely block out the light. If you spend a lot of time around the water, polarization is essential for comfort.

This technology tamps down the reflection of the rays and makes you feel cooler and more comfortable. But, beware: 40% of reflected light comes at you from behind the lens. How? Light bounces up under your shades from reflective surfaces, such as water, sand, sidewalks and even snow. Your polarized lenses don’t have the ability to block light that doesn’t pass through them, so you still need anti-reflective treatment on the back side of the lens to absorb light rays bouncing up at you from below.

The Best Fit

For optimal protection, you need a comfortably snug fit with maximum coverage. A good trick is to have a friend – or your favorite optician – stand and look at you from the front and the side. Tilt your head forward so your friend/optician can see the view from above as well as head-on. If s/he can see your eyes from any angle, so can the sun.

The temples (earpieces) should ride close to your head, but should not touch your skin until a point just in front of your ear. This leaves room for your skin to breathe and avoids discomfort when your skin swells slightly from heat and perspiration.

RISD Summer Exhibit at Providence Optical

Posted on June 26, 2012 by providenceoptical

We’re pleased to announce opening of an exhibit of projects by freshman students from the Division of Foundation Studies at of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). The exhibit will remain at Providence Optical throughout the summer.

The exhibit features five projects that were part of the RISD curriculum in Spatial Dynamics, which emphasizes a studio-based inquiry into the relationships between physical objects and spatial phenomena. The students worked with issues of physical motion, stability, balance and materiality through the creation of objects in relation to three-dimensional space.

By Caitlyn Au

The students crafted these works from solid wood materials using traditional methods of wood joinery. Each student completed wood materials research, joinery exercises and analysis of buildings and structures in his/her environment as the underpinning for the project design work. Joinery work on the projects was measured, marked and cut by hand using marking gauges, Japanese handsaws and chisels.

The designs began with a series of ¼-scale models and were finalized in ½-scale drawings. Design development work focused on objects measuring 10” wide x 32” high x 60” long.

By Sira Udomritthiruj

Providence Optical offers special thanks to RISD instructor Gail Fredell, who oversaw the creation of these works, and her assistant, Nick Ventola.

Debunking the JFK Wayfarer Sunglasses Myth

Posted on June 5, 2012 by providenceoptical

The widely held belief that President John F. Kennedy wore Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses is just plain wrong. For the bulk of his time in office, he wore iconic tortoise shell shades, but if you look closely, you’ll see that they’re not Wayfarers. Look at the metal rivets in this photo from the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum and you’ll see that his shades have metal details on the sides as well as the front – not so for the Wayfarer.

John F. Kennedy with daughter, Caroline, and one of his multiple pairs of tortoise shell shades

So what model are they? Well, the Kennedy Library and Museum holds two pairs of president’s sunglasses in its collection. One contains the manufacturer stamp ”American Optical” along with the model/color marking “True color Polaroid tc74-51”. The other bears the marking “Cabana TS 2505” and is most likely from the Titmus Cabana sunwear line. These, however, are not the only sunglasses that JFK owned. Others are in the hands of private collectors.

The sunglasses in this photo most closely resemble a completely different model, the “Mansfield Square,” made by the now-defunct company Universal Optical. Take a look at the specifications for the “Mansfield Square” in the photo below and you’ll see a striking resemblance to the overall shape and the metal details in photo above.

Model specifications for Mansfield Square by Universal Optical

Another company, that claims the ownership of his tortoise pair, is American Optical. Here is what we found at Optical Heritage Museum: “The president had a long relationship with the iconic company (American Optical) dating back from WWII while serving in the Navy. AO even had reading glasses made for him”.

JFK wearing AO SARATOGA sunglasses in tortoise

Saratoga sunglasses in black made by American Optical on display at Optical Heritage Museum, Southbridge, MA

JFK at Saturn Rocket briefing on November 16, 1963

So what about the other sunglasses in the JFK Presidential Library collection? Well, in the photo above, taken in November 1963, just days before his death, you’ll see Kennedy wearing a distinctly different pair of tortoise shell sunglasses.

Clearly, he didn’t limit himself to just one style.

Oh, and tortoise shell plastic wasn’t Kennedy’s only sunwear choice. In the early days of his presidency, he wore aviators, as depicted in this photo from June 1961.

President Kennedy arriving to give the Commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy on June 7, 1961

Sources:

John F. Kennedy Library and Museum:

http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/Archives/JFKWHP-AR6625-C.aspx

http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/Archives/JFKWHP-AR6625-F.aspx

http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/Archives/JFKWHP-ST-A12-18-61.aspx

http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/Archives/JFKWHP-ST-A5-1-61.aspx

http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/Archives/JFKWHP-ST-A5-31-61.aspx

http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/Archives/JFKWHP-ST-C400-6-63.aspx

Instant Geek Chic — Flirty, Fun, Inexpensive and Organic!

Posted on May 31, 2012 by providenceoptical

Pappebrille offers a wide selection of solid colors that make a bold statement.

Leave it to the Germans to take Geek Chic to the next level. Designer Cantemir Gheorgiu has created the ultimate party eyewear. His Pappbrille line is stamped from cardboard in with crazy, fun colors and designs. Some are further ornamented with unique materials, such as wallpaper or tapestry — all of it completely organic.

One of Pappbrille's many flirty design prints

These glasses, which come sans lenses, are the perfect answer for those who don’t need glasses, but wish they did, or for those who mostly wear contacts, but want a fun eyewear accessory for certain occasions. The amazing price — just $15 for solid colors and $18 for prints — means you can afford a whole drawerful for different outfits, moods and occasions. And yes, of course, we have them in stock at Providence Optical.

Let the summer fun begin!

Linda Farrow Projects Sunwear Has Arrived!

Posted on May 23, 2012 by providenceoptical

Helmet style sunglasses from the Linda Farrow Projects collection provide full coverage and an edgy style statement.

Originally a clothing designer, Linda Farrow was one of the first to treat sunglasses as an important element of a fashion ensemble. She launched her eyewear collection in 1970 and the line quickly became a must-have among stylish Londoners and the international jet set. Shapes that she pioneered, such as the wrap-around worn by Yoko Ono in the 1970s, remain in style and in high demand today.

After 40 years of cutting-edge design as a soloist, Linda Farrow has moved to a new level through collaboration with leading fashion designers, including Dries Van Noten, Oscar de la Renta, Alexander Wang, The Row, Jeremy Scott, Agent Provocateur, Kris Van Assche, Boris Bidjan Saberi and Matthew Williamson. While others have collaborated with one designer at a time, Linda Farrows’ approach to multiple, simultaneous collaborations has given birth to a collection of breathtaking diversity and creativity, ranging from elegantly feminine to edgy unisex and manly styles. Dubbed the Linda Farrows Project, or LFP line, this collection incorporates one sunglass style designed by each collaborator.

Providence Optical is pleased to announce the new arrival of a complete line of sunglass eyewear from the Linda Farrows Projects, including all of the designs you see in this posting. We particularly like this fun Alexander Wang frame with zipper-inspired edging, which can hold a prescription lens.

These fun Alexander Wang sunglasses can accomodate prescription lenses.

Watch our Facebook page for a full album of the styles that we have on hand.

Linda Farrow sunglasses based on a Todd Lynn design

Blackfin now available at Providence Optical

Posted on March 19, 2012 by providenceoptical

Some of the lightest titanium frames you’ll ever try on are now available at Providence Optical from Italy. Stop in and take a peek at our new selection while they last!