Nerd alert! Dorkilicious retro horn-rimmed eyewear is the new cool–and not just for the punk, indie, counter-culture set. Everyone is jumping on the Buddy Holly bandwagon including loads of celebrities who are making geek chic eyewear the hot, at-the-moment accessory, Rx or not. Kelly Osbourne, Mark Salling, Joe Jonas, Johnny Depp, Justin Timberlake, Hilary Duff, Justin Bieber, and more have been seen out and about in these nerdy spectacles.
Horn-rimmed glasses refer to their original material–which was horn or shell–and date back as far as the 1910’s and ’20’s when they first came onto the scene in the US. They typically feature frames made of horn, tortoise shell, or plastic that simulates either material. These geeky glasses enjoyed a renaissance in the 1950’s when musician Buddy Holly wore a series of large, bulky square pairs on tour and on his album covers. They made a come back in the 1980’s with the new-wave crowd, fell back out of fashion in the mid-90’s, and are back once again enjoying a statement-making resurgence.
Over time, the glasses’ appearance evolved and expanded and the definition of horn-rimmed glasses has become more flexible. They are now commonly described as a pair of dark, plastic eyeglasses with frames that range in thickness from about 1/16″ to 1/4″ without nosepads. These days you can find them in more modern, thinner thicknesses, round and cat-eye shapes, and colors ranging from classic black and tortoise to bold neons, lipstick red and white. Some die-hard trend followers even wear the glasses without prescriptive lenses. –rpuccia
Check these brands out and get your inner geek on–in style, of course:
1. Calvin Klein CK7713, $174
2. Ray Ban RX5154, $98
3. Juicy Couture Daylight, $106
4. Christian Dior Black Tie 107, $130
5. D&G DD1166, $125
6. Tom Ford FT5116,$211
