This is Fashion Week in New York. I sort of wandered into fashion by wandering into the tent shows in Bryant Park soon after finishing school. Back then the shows were both more open and more closed. I’ll explain. Security wasn’t rigid and students and those who cared could generally find a way into most […]
Don Draper and the rising price of vintage AO aviator sunglasses.
Every now and then I hear people discuss the value of product placements. Some think they’re important, some don’t. Ultimately their worth depends on one’s ability to reach those customers that notice such things. For example, the Mad Men character Don Draper’s use of Vietnam era issue HGU-4/P sunglasses – a style we recently discussed […]
The Paul Walker Death Sunglasses
Celebrity Culture in this country is a strange thing. When the Porsche Carrera GT Fast and Furious start Paul Walker was riding in hit a light pole and then burst into flames debris was strewn everywhere. A bystander supposedly recovered Walker’s sunglasses and then put them up on an auction website. Jessica WoodwardHalf eyewear influencer, […]
The Time I Scored Elton John Sunglasses from eBay
In honor of May Day I’ll recount the time I scored a pair of Elton John sunglasses – made by the now defunct May Optical Company of Wareham Massachusetts – from eBay. If you collect vintage eyewear you’ll know some of Elton John’s sunglasses are harder to find than others. Certain frames, like these square […]
Were Roger McGuinn’s Little Square Shades Actually Pat Boone Licensed Sunglasses?
One thing hardly anyone knows is that not only were the Byrds’ Roger McGuinn’s little rectangular sunglasses probably made in Japan, they were very likely branded as “Pat Boone” sunglasses. Here are some originals, which folded up into the little pen-style case with Pat’s signature on it. McGuinn nixed the visor. I wonder if he […]
The Man Who Invented Glam – Gene Krell and Granny Takes A Trip
One of my first two accounts was Barney’s. This led to an interview for Vogue Nippon. We talked Rock fashion. Afterwards the interviewer suggested I meet their Fashion Director Gene Krell. She thought we’d get along well. She affected an introduction. At that time I was unaware that Gene was a more innovative and influential […]