Doreen 068

Another beautiful portrait of Doreen in white hat and silver Neostyle glasses from the 1970's. Doreen is the second model who posed in these Neostyle glasses. They were featured in my photo shoot with freelance model Léonne (105) about two years ago. Just like Doreen, Léonne looked gorgeous in these glasses and it's interesting to compare the series of both models. Léonne has almost perfect eyesight without glasses so all she saw during the posing in this Neostyle pair was a nassive blur. No such problem for Doreen. The lenses are pnly a touch below her own prescription of minus nine and she handled the slight difference with ease.

Doreen 067

This beautiful portrait of Doreen was shown as one of the nine previews of her extensive photo shoot but repeated here for comparison with her other portraits in the silver Neostyle glasses.

Doreen 066

Neostyle glasses first got my attention when they were shown in a newspaper advertisement around 1972, meant to show the public that cat eye glasses and the small, solid glasses from the mid 1960's were now definitely out, and that it was time for a switch towards larger frames. Neostyle seems to have made glasses throughout the 1970's and my collection hosts some great examples of their design.

Doreen 065

These silver glasses by Neostyle were sent to me a couple of years ago by Stephan from Bavaria, one of my favorite photographers.

Doreen 064

Glasses: Neostyle (Boutique), 1970's
[L: -7.50; c-0.75 v / R: -7.00; c-1.25 v]

Doreen 063

Another beautiful portrait of Lady Doreen in her role as a Swiss celebrity in 1976, wearing a big white hat and brand new, revolutionary glasses by the famous Christian Dior. You may wonder, where did I come across these beautiful Dior glasses. It was in Switzerland, some fifteen years ago, not too far from Montreux where I worked during the summer season of 1976.

Doreen 062

"By the way, don't try to follow me. You had your pictures so be a gentleman and leave me in peace. Besides, I happen to know your boss, so if you want to keep your job...."

Doreen 061

"What was your question again, Sir? Oh yes, my new Christian Dior glasses.... The sky is the limit for any lady in these magnificent Dior glasses, don't you think? But you will have to excuse me, I'm on my way to an appointment."

Doreen 060

"Yes, this big hat will protect me against the sun and hopefully, also against the paparazzi. If I'm not mistaken, they are already on their way. The news about my new glasses must have spread fast. Up comes a man with a camera, asking me if I like my new glasses.... Shall we indulge him or shall we give him the frost?"

Doreen 059

"Mhmm.... Not bad. I will probably keep this hat on for the rest of this sunny day."

Doreen 058

Doreen weighing the pros and cons.... A real lady always needs some moments of contemplation after changing hats, especially in combination with a beautiful pair of Christian Dior glasses!

Doreen 057

"Sigh of relief.... My lipstick is alright. But I will put on a bigger hat and see if that combination is better. These Dior glasses seem to call for a large hat. Fortunately I am in no shortage of nice hats!"

Doreen 056

"Let me have another check.... These Christian Dior glasses are astonishing but is my lipstick still in order? And should I try a bigger hat?"

Doreen 055

Beautiful glasses for a beautiful lady.... Switzerland was always a bit behind the latest trends in fashion but when working there in the summer of 1976, I witnessed a revolution in the streets. Many gorgeous ladies, young and older, were sporting the very first glasses brought on the market by the couture house of the famous Christian Dior. It took another year before Dior glasses were numerous in the streets of my native Amsterdam. Perhaps the Swiss had more voluminous wallets :). Here Doreen gives us an excellent impression of what Swiss ladies looked like when they first saw themselves in Christian Dior glasses.

Doreen 054

Glasses: Christian Dior, 1976
[L: -7.00; c-1.00 o / R: -5.75; c-0.50 o]

Doreen 053

Almost identical to the previous portrait except for the eye contact between the gorgeous model and her honored photographer. Doreen could not see me in full detail as the lenses in the Metzler glasses are some -1.75 points below her own prescription. This is half compensated by the rather small distance between model and photographer (circa four feet) so Doreen did not need to focus on long distance. Four feet means a reduction of -0.75 in the prescription needed. I like the slightly impressionist look in Doreen's eyes.

Doreen 052

This beautiful portrait of lovely Doreen was among the nine previews of her photo shoot. The difference with the preview is that I took the editing some steps further in this version. Judge for yourself which version you like best.

Doreen 051

Gorgeous posing by Doreen. The bright red frame of the Metzler glasses is in fine harmony with the model's beautiful summer dress. The high, rounded shape of the frame adds a lovely mellowing effect. The Metzler glasses were used during several of my early photo shoots and they invariably "opened up" the model's face, regardless her features. I like this portrait for its balance between the element of will power in Doreen's expression and the mellowing effect of the glasses. Beautiful!

Doreen 050

The lenses in these Metzler glasses from the 1970's have no anti-reflective coating and this presented some problems during this photo shoot in the sunny garden. The light reflection by the windows and roof of the houses created a massive glare in the lenses, especially from this vantage point. The best remedy is asking the model to keep her chin a bit lower than usual. Even so, this portrait called for a good bit of editing but it was well worth the extra work.

Doreen 049

These beautiful Metzler glasses were another buy at the Amsterdam flea market "Waterlooplein" sometime during the 1980's. The glasses showed considerable wear and tear, indicating that their first owner used them constantly for many years. My guess is that the glasses were made in the mid 1970's when frames were reaching the size of shop windows. "Never mind the eyebrow line of a lady, simply raise the roof!". But Metzler has always been a trend follower rather than a trendsetter. Their designers adapted the latest trends to the taste of clients who wished to avoid extravaganza.

Doreen 048

Glasses: Metzler, mid 1970's
[L: -7.50 / R: -5.50; c-2.00 v]

Doreen 047

Back to neutral posing.... Another fine portrait of Doreen, showing the position of the reading segments in bifocals made by Essel over forty years ago.

Doreen 044 - 046

These three portraits were taken within a few seconds, just after the previous (serious) portrait 043. It shows the spontaneous side of Doreen who really got into her stride after half an hour of posing. Great!

Doreen 043

Viewers may wonder why Doreen shows the left side of her face only occasionally. This was done upon my request. It had to do with the glare which was worse from this vantage point than from the other direction. Fortunately, this portrait came out fine and it's one of the best in this series with the Essel glasses.

Doreen 042

A beautiful portrait of Doreen checking her looks in vintage glasses made by Essel over forty years ago. The discrete bifocal lens for the left eye shows the demarcation line just under the model's eye. The tiny image of the background shows the different power of the bifocal lens: minus seven for long distance, minus five in the reading segment. The right lens is minus eight so it provided Doreen with fairly good eyesight. This portrait is another example of the model's good, concentrated posing.

Doreen 041

These "Sandra" glasses by Essel Boutique were a nice find at the "Waterlooplein" flea market in Amsterdam during the 1980's. The shape of the frame would indicate that these bifocals were made in the late 1960's or perhaps the early 1970's. The glasses are ideally suited for brunettes.

Doreen 040

Glasses: called "Sandra", Essel Boutique, late 1960's / early 1970's
[L: -7.00 / R: -8.00 / bif add 2.00]

Doreen 039

A final look in the mirror, followed by a definite approval stamp from the model's side. Doreen told me that she always had an interest in glasses. She clearly enjoyed her journey through the whims of fashion from the past century. The journey lasted a little over three hours. Hard work but quite rewarding, as shown in this magnificent portrait. Excellent posing. Hat off for Doreen!

Doreen 038

Summer symphony in brown - wonderful posing by Doreen in wooden glasses made almost half a century ago. Timeless beauty indeed.

Doreen 037

Doing a photo shoot in vintage prescription glasses is hard work, performed at high speed to keep the flow. It sounds - and often looks - like serious business but there is always time for a wisecrack or a bit of fun. The cooperation between model and photographer is all about creating beautiful portraits but to me, the most important thing is having a good time during the shoot - and fine memories afterwards. Here Doreen cracks up, probably after some silly remark from my side.  

Doreen 036

As soon as Doreen removed her finger from the right arm of the frame, the glasses returned to their original position but that did not bother her. Good!

Doreen 035

"You are right, Mr. Photographer. Now the glasses are in balance. Let's hope they will remain stable when I remove my finger...."

Doreen 034

Compared with what opticians have in store for their clients, my collection of vintage glasses has both advantages and disadvantages. On the positive side, they are prescription glasses so the model can check her looks straightaway, without having to rely on the optician or a friend. Another advantage is that my collection hosts almost every frame shape and size. Many models discover that there are far more frames that suit them than expected from their own experience in the shops. The disadvantage of my vintage collection is that all glasses are adjusted to the face of their first owner. During my photo shoots, there is no time and material available to adjust the frames. However, a helping hand - preferably just a finger - can achieve miracles. Here Doreen is waiting for the reaction of her court photographer, are the wooden glasses in balance? Indeed they were....

Doreen 033

Doreen checking her mid 1960's looks in a hand mirror. The lenses in the vintage wooden glasses are slightly below the model's own prescription of minus nine.

Doreen 032

In the mid 1960's, cat eye glasses disappeared from the shops. The new fashionable frames were rather small and compact. Here is a fine example of this short-lived wave. What sets this pair of glasses apart is that the frame is made of wood. I discovered several wooden frames in the shop window of an optician in 1966. Some were pretty extreme, reducing the field of vision to about half the size we see shown here by Doreen. The wooden glasses did not sell and within a few months, they disappeared from the shop windows, never to come back. I never saw anyone wearing them in the streets of my native Amsterdam during the 1960's. Three decades later, this pair was a welcome find at a street fair. I recognized the glasses straightaway and bought them without bargaining. The glasses are liked by many of my models, blondes and brunettes alike, and quite justifiably so. Mid 1960's fashion at its very best!

Doreen 031

Glasses: nameless, made of wood, 1966
[L: -6.50; c-1.50 o / R: -7.50; c-1.00 h]

Doreen 030

The same portrait as 029, edited in black and white to bring back the atmosphere of the early 1960's when color photography was still in its infancy.

Doreen 029

This is my favorite portrait of Doreen posing in the Nylor glasses. Feel free to disagree.... This whole series came out very well indeed.

Doreen 028

The great thing about these classic Nylor glasses is that (so far) they suit the faces of all models who posed in them. To say that Doreen was no exception would be an understatement. The glasses were made over fifty years ago but they are as timeless and beautiful as Doreen's summer dress. A corner stone in my collection!

Doreen 027

I first met Doreen at the opening of an art exhibition and somewhere in our conversation she mentioned that her contact lenses were minus eight. Needless to say, she immediately got the invitation to pose for me in glasses from my new collection. Doreen agreed to do a photo shoot for me, adding, "Mind you, I'm not photogenic at all". My answer was simply: "Then we will make you photogenic!". This series in the Nylor glasses was made near the very start of the photo shoot - a handful of pictures in Doreen's own glasses and a switch towards the Nylor glasses. Judge for yourself, but in my honest (possibly colored) opinion Doreen was photogenic right from the start. Life is full of surprises....

Doreen 026

Great posing by Doreen in classic Nylor glasses from the early 1960's. A beautiful portrait indeed. The lenses are just a touch below the model's own prescription of minus nine.

Doreen 025

The most surprising thing about these Nylor glasses is that the lenses have anti-reflective coating. My guess is that Peter's mother used these glasses as a back up pair and ordered new lenses after an increase. The Rx of both glasses is identical although the age of both frames differs some 20 years. The anti-reflective coating came handy during this photo shoot with Doreen in the sunny garden of my life partner Nel. There was hardly any glare in the lenses which saved me a lot of time during the editing process. Thank you, Peter!

Doreen 024

Together with a pair of Louis Jouret glasses from the early 1980's, these classic Nylor glasses were given to me by Peter, a colleague at work. Peter saw my first exhibition with "Ladies behind crystal veil" in the fall of 2010 and then told me that he might have some interesting glasses for me if his father agreed. The glasses had belonged to Peter's mother who died young. His father (aged 88) had kept the house virtually unchanged and some of her glasses were still in a wardrobe. The father kindly agreed and Peter gave me the glasses. Although used for many years, both pairs were in mint condition.

Doreen 023

Doreen posing in a classic pair of glasses from the cat eye era, made by Nylor between 1960 and 1962. Note the beautiful shape of the arms of the glasses.

Doreen 022

Glasses: Nylor, early 1960's
[L-R: -7.75; c-0.75 v]

Doreen 021

The same portrait as 020, edited in black and white. During the late 1950's and early 1960's, amateur photography was almost exclusively done in black and white. Doreen is posing in a pair of glasses that could have easily belonged to her grandmother. I like the nostalgic feel of this portrait. Times were when....

Doreen 020

Another fine portrait of Doreen posing in bifocals made by Arco over half a century ago. All my models are keen to try the glasses from the cat eye era because it's a style from before their time. Doreen got her first glasses during the seventies and by then, fashion had changed completely.

Doreen 019

Askance look - "Hey Mr. Photographer, what do you think of these tiny glasses?".
During her photo shoot, Doreen posed in all the styles of the past and it was remarkable how well all the glasses looked on her. Great!