I remember those black, thick-rimmed glasses my grandpa used to wear every morning as he got hold of his cup of tea and newspaper. He had this special spot on his bedside table for his glasses. Every night before he went to sleep, he religiously kept them at the same spot. That particular pair of specs may have been grandpa’s, but all elderly people used to wear the same thick, fully rimmed glasses in those days. Some were black, others brown, silver, golden and so on, but they were the grandpa glasses. Never did I see them among kids of my age.
Being the younger one in the family, I always had the freedom to play with any of grandpa’s belongings, no matter how carefully he kept them. Those glasses were my favourite. The arms were lopsided from regular use and never remained together on the plane of his table. They served as my special prop during the teacher-acts. The lenses were so thick and it was always a blur for my then-perfect kiddo-eyes.
The first glasses
Then came the time when my vision started acting funny, around the age of 13. My mother had put on her first glasses at 13, too. So, I guess it was genetic. Anyway, she was sad I had to wear glasses. My first spec-shopping trip got me a pair of half-rimmed, ultra-light specs. The thin rim around the lens was hardly visible. Those were the times everyone preferred such light and unnoticeable glasses for kids, teens and even the middle-aged. There were grandpa glasses for senior citizens and the lighter ones for everyone else. The trend remained the same till recently.
The present scene is different. The landscape of glasses that once existed, with the light, frame-less ones being the most common, has taken a turn. The light glasses have given way for grandpa glasses, but these are completely revamped grandpa glasses. These are now a virtual fashion statement. They are a symbol of being ‘cool’, of being the ‘nerd’, or anyone and everyone from all age groups, a symbol of active life. I guess it has got a bit to do with the lens revolution too. The old, thick lenses have been upgraded to the present lighter lenses. Beautiful eyes that get hidden behind blurry lenses are no more an issue.
Both classic and fun elements
A few days back, I was standing in a long queue where I noticed that some 10 people who wore spectacles had the thick-rimmed frames. And I must admit, each had a unique look. It has got a classic as well as fun element to it. It comes in all kinds of colour combinations that look so fresh. Whether you wear them with a tight bun or a messy bun, with fringes or long locks, navy cut or messy-boy hair, it has a unique aura.
This is something that keeps happening in the world of fashion. Just like the cycle of life, it has got a recurrence cycle too. What was once modern becomes retro and retro becomes modern. The retro just lies under the bundle, only to be dug out again.
Anyway, I am so drawn to this latest specs trend that I might soon get one of them for myself.
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