1950s America brings to mind thoughts of the Cold War, conservatism, suburban neighborhoods, Betty Homemaker and consumerism.
The 1950s middle class loved to shop! It was the time of large sized everthing, chrome, tail fin cars, shiny new appliances, and Barbie. Fashion meant the hourglass silhouette for women, fedoras for the men, and sunglasses for everyone!
Cat Eye Sunglasses
For women, the hot 1950s sunglasses style was the cat eye. With their upswept design, cat eye sunglasses were glamorous enough for icons Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn! Here Marilyn wears narrow cateyes with a dramatic upsweep. Audrey’s cat eyes are more dramatic in size than shape.
For the modern woman, cat eye sunglasses are a popular style of retro women’s sunglasses.
Browline Sunglasses
For the 1950s man, browline sunglasses were the rage. These glasses had a bar across the top of the frame and many times around the sides and bottom of the lenses. A rebel without a cause, James Dean was known to wear browline sunglasses. And activist Malcolm X was rarely seen without browline glasses.
You can’t go wrong with a pair of browline sunglasses or men’s retro sunglasses.