Caine Is Able
Ever since I met my husband 11 years ago, I have been waiting for the day the eye doctor would tell him he needed glasses. I love men in glasses! Now that day is here and, in search of inspiration (not that he'll necessary listen to me), I have been noticing every single four-eyed man who crosses my path. Quite predictably, I'm more interested in the unusual frames, especially vintage-looking ones. So I narrowed down my favorite shots from the street and set out to find their original counterparts online, which proved to be a challenging task. Until I got to Michael Caine. As a great fan of Caine's style, I always knew that he was an eyeglasses enthusiast, but I didn't know the extent until I started to dig deeper into my research. Eventually I found a picture of Michael Caine in every single style of glasses that had caught my eye on the street. What does that mean? Does it mean that Michael Caine has been that profoundly influential on the shape of eyeglasses men wear, even today? Probably not. But what I suspect is that he was -- and is -- unafraid to try anything when it comes to eyeglasses and successfully carries off pretty much anything he tries. Here's looking at you, Mr. Caine.
There is a perfect combination of Groucho Marx and Clark Kent in these glasses. They add a lot of style to both men's looks. left: Bryant Park, N.Y., September 2007. right: Michael Caine, 1965. (Credit: Getty)
These are pretty much full-on nerd glasses. You need to have a fairly good sense of humor about yourself to pull them off. left: Broadway, N.Y., June 2007. right: Michael Caine, 1976. (Credit: Getty)
While I actually love the tortoise-shell aviators on the street guy, his hair and preppy sweater look goofy to me. Michael Caine provides a better home for his aviators here. left: East 59th Street, N.Y., September 2007. right: Michael Caine, 1974. (Credit: Corbis)
Again, both these gentlemen get away -- just! -- with their intentionally geeky look. left: Bryant Park , N.Y., September 2007. R: Michael Caine, 1983. (Credit: Corbis)
Without the glasses, both men would be venturing into perhaps-too-conventional territory, but the glasses add the needed irony to keep me guessing. left: Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y., October 2007. right: Michael Caine, 1983. (Credit: Corbis)
If you were to venture into thick glasses territory, these would be the easiest first step. left: Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y., October 2007. right: Michael Caine, 1968. (Credit: Getty)
I wouldn't have paid much attention to this picture of Michael Caine, except that I noticed he was wearing similar glasses to the man on the left, whom I often see on the street and has great taste and classic but interesting clothes. Neither one's glasses jumped out at me as a favorite, but because I respect both men's styles, I'm allowing them to grow on me. left: Bleecker Street, N.Y., August 2007. right: Michael Caine, 2005. (Credit: Corbis)
Hello,
I've been reading your blog for the last 6 or 8 months. And I just would like to say is one of the most comprehensive blogs about men's fashion. Of course I also read The Sartorialist and A Suitable Wardrobe, but In Her Eyes combines beautiful pictures with great text, and of course historic photo documents (Michael Caine the definition of Style!!!). So that's all I wanted to say from this part of the world (Athens/Greece) keep up the good work.
P.S. I realy envy you all New Yorkers... :-)
John
Caine is an epitome of style when it comes to wearing prescription frames. He wears them with grace and confidence and regardless of the era, all his specs look like they belong on his face, projecting strong character and savoir-faire.
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