Why are Pince Nez Reading Glasses so Popular Today?

Today’s generation is really keen on experimenting with their style and likes to bring back some style elements from the past including eyewear. In fact, eyewear has always been treated like a fashion accessory as well as a necessity. Whether it is sunglasses or prescription glasses, eyewear has been used to add a unique element to a person’s look.

Decades ago, eyewear held the same kind of importance. People were distinguished by the kind of eyewear they sported. Lorgnette, monocles and pince-nez glasses were in high demand. Lorgnettes were considered more of an accessory; monocles were sported mainly for vision correction while pince nez glasses were treated as a bit of both.

The popularity of pince nez was such that even fictional characters were given this specific kind of eyewear to define their personality in numerous books. This was done so discreetly that the eyewear became a part of the character’s identity. This was true even for characters created for children. Examples include Agatha Christie’s detective Hercule Poirot and children’s fictional characters like Disney’s Scrooge McDuck.

Pince nez means "to pinch nose" in French. These glasses are supported on the bridge of the nose by pinching it slightly. They were really popular from the 15th century until the 19th century. Some prominent personalities like Theodore Roosevelt, Anton Chekov, etc. brought them back in style. Pince nez glasses stayed in trend until the 1920s. They disappeared from the fashion scene and have recently made a comeback.

Retro glasses and frames are really popular the world over with trendsetters these days. Even though pince nez glasses have not been manufactured on a large scale since the 1920s, vintage and specialty stores stock them for their customers. You can definitely enhance your style quotient by sporting a pair of these glasses.

If you are looking for them, you should know that there are three kinds of pince nez glasses: Hard Bridge, C-bridge and Spring Bridge.

• Hard bridge pince nez has a solid bridge piece molded to fit the curved shape of the nose. It is held in place on the nose using plaquettes that are essentially two small spring-loaded clips with special nose pads on both ends.
• C-bridge pince nez have a C-shaped bridge that is made from a flexible piece of metal. This is the most commonly used type of pince nez glasses. Both the C-bridge and hard-bridge variety are available as a frame or two-piece mount for frameless glasses.
• Spring bridge pince nez consists of a sliding bar connecting the lenses which can be separated through a gentle pull. These are more comfortable than the other two types of pince nez glasses. While the C-bridge and hard-bridge need to be selected based on the size of the bridge of the nose, the spring bridge pince nez can fit different nose shapes and sizes.

You can also incorporate this latest trend of sporting pince nez glasses by checking out flea markets and vintage shops. However, the most convenient way would be to go online and check out the vintage web stores and buy a pair or two from them.

The Vintage Optical Shop offers a unique selection of carefully sourced vintage eyewear pieces ranging from the 1850s to the 1980s.