1940s Men’s Eyeglasses
1942 Benny Goodman in light frame eyeglasses
Men and women’s eyeglasses of the 1940s were mostly the same. There was little distinction between them until the last few years, when glasses followed fashion trends. At the very beginning of the decade, perfectly round glasses in a tortoise shell frame were the thing to wear.
1945 eyeglass for men or women
The frame could be thick or thin. Thinner frames in lighter, newer plastics and cheaper metals became common in the early to mid ’40s. The idea was for glasses to look invisible. They had very light colored gold or silver half frames (top only) or the entire lens was cased in a very thin frame.
1947 rimless eyeglasses
The lenses were round to slightly tapered on the bottom. Rimless glasses were also common. Glasses were either meant to stand out or not be noticeable. Most professionals wore rimless or thin metal glasses with clear frames.
Mid 40s Rimless Glasses and Rimmed Glasses (Gender Neutral)
The late half of the decade saw the use of plastic explode in eyewear. Men were now choosing heavy rim glasses, similar to the 1950s “nerd glasses” but a little rounder.
Plastic frames usually had a heavier top bar and nose piece with lighter bottom edges. Colors were tortoiseshell, black plastic, or clear plastic such as the ones worn by Groucho Marx.
Groucho Marx, Clear Frame Plastic Glasses
1945 plastic frame men’s glasses
Men’s 1940s Sunglasses
Sunglasses featured many more styles for men than eyeglasses. During WWII, the newly invented Pilot Glasses (now called aviator glasses) became exceedingly popular for the entire duration. It featured a light metal frame, straight piece over the bridge, soft square eye, and little leather-looking pieces on the end caps and nose bridge.
1947 aviator sunglasses
Combining plastic and metal also resulted in a new lighter style where the top half was a thick plastic frame (in many colors options) and the rest was a thin metal. A sportier version featured heavy plastic frame on the bridge and nose and gentle shaping around to the temples. Its a little space age looking to me!
1946 sport sunglasses
Errol Flynn wearing thick plastic rim aviator glasses with dark lenses.
Lens colors were a light to medium tint in the early years. Light brown, grey and green were popular in all styles. The last few years saw very dark lenses become popular thanks to movie stars who wanted to hide behind them. There were also mirrored lenses, which completely shielded the eyes from onlookers as well as reduced UV rays by 30%.
Here are some good places to find 1940s glasses and sunglasses both vintage and new:
Retro Peepers (UK) / Etsy shop – Vintage style frames (mostly ’50s) and they will put in a prescription lens for you. Based in the UK.
Warby Parker– New prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses. Aviator, plastic frame, round or cat eye shapes. Try on at home. Most are $95 to $150 including prescription lenses. Women’s and men’s styles. Try the Kimball for a good plastic frame.
Dead Men’s Spex (UK) – They often have vintage 1940s spectacles, eye glass frames, and sunglasses.
Sunglass Warehouse – They have a few retro styles and aviators that are very ’40s. Cheap prices- buy a few!
Glasses.com – Designer brand sunglasses and eyeglasses. Prescription available.
Where else can you find new 1940s style sunglasses? All of these online stores too:
Debbie Sessions has been teaching fashion history and helping people dress for vintage themed events since 2009. She has turned a hobby into VintageDancer.com with hundreds of well researched articles and hand picked links to vintage inspired clothing online. She aims to make dressing accurately (or not) an affordable option for all. Oh, and she dances too.
