The Tale of Green Horn

There is no doubt I love vintage eyewear.  While in college I always enjoyed perusing the local antique and flea markets around rural Maine looking for vintage treasures.  On one occasion, while exploring my collegiate town, I stumbled across a hidden gem tucked away in a second floor apartment downtown.  It is called Ed Welch Vintage Eyeglasses and Spectacles, and I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely couple who run the business.  After chatting with Ed, I learned that after over twenty years of collecting, he and his wife have amassed a warehouse full of vintage eyewear and supply their glasses and frames to optical shops and specialty stores across the country.  
Eventually I came across a pair of mint condition horn-rimmed frames circa 1965.  Not knowing exactly what I would do with a pair of non-prescription glasses, I purchased them anyway and set them on my shelf.

Recently, I have been into collecting vintage GQ magazines, and a couple of months ago I got a 1986 Woody Allen issue from Ebay, which included a feature on New York City.  There were a lot awesome finds in the magazine, but for the purpose of this story, there was an article entitled "Here is New York," highlighting the best finds of Manhattan.  One of which was Morgenthal Frederics Opticians, noted for its vintage inspired frames and tinting services.  Although many of the businesses in the article have since gone out of business, luckily Morgenthal Opticians still occupies the same corner at W. Broadway in SoHo.

The store is a really fun place just to browse, and the service was such that I am not surprised the store has been in business for so many years.  They can tint any frames in practically any color imaginable.  The dapper and knowlegable salesman helped me choose a bottle green tint that would stay true to the frame's vintage.  Completed in only a few days, and customized for my eyes, I scored a pair of custom, vintage sunglasses for half the price of any designer brand.  Check out the editorials from Oliver Peoples site on their Gregory Peck collection - looks awfully familiar!


I wear them everywhere and always get a ton of complements.  So without further ado, my vintage horn-rimmed sunglasses by Morgenthal Frederics...